After using my Grand for nearly a year (it will be a year old two weeks from now), I finally bought #2 so I don't have to resort to lesser devices as a backup in case of emergency. 
#1 is black wrinkle/silver vein and I like the way the finish has held up, so #2 is black wrinkle/silver hammertone, with an aluminum button cover.
I know, I know - pics or it didn't happen! So without further ado:
New Grand:
The old alongside the new:
#1 has the new rebuild kit in it - took me two tries and two kits, but I finally got it right! I tried putting the atomizer pin in with the gasket and o-ring on it, pushing it into place with a screwdriver the first time, and ended up pinching the gasket and having a leak, which made the inside of my REO into a sloppy, gooey mess about every ten minutes. On the second try, I pushed the gasket into place using the atomizer pin upside down like Rob shows on his video and it worked fine (although it wasn't as easy as Rob makes it look!). It's now drip/leak free and restored to pristine working order - and man, the difference is sure noticeable with the new firing pin/spring!
After almost a year of use, #1 has minor dings on every corner from being dropped so many times - nothing but minor paint chips, really. The finish has held up well; when I compare it to the brand new one the only thing I notice is that the finish has smoothed out from all the use - it's been my all-day/everyday device and easily has over 2000 ml of juice through it. It's been dropped, kicked, knocked over, dunked in the lake, fallen into sand, bounced around on my boat and in my UTV, sat in the Arizona summer sun, been rained on...pretty much everything short of being run over. Total repairs needed in that year: One replaced drip tip from when I broke it by dropping it directly onto a tile floor from about five feet high. Never popped a spring, never had to replace any parts (other than the drip tip) - basically did nothing except clean it and occasionally file/Noalox the firing pin and re-coil/wick the RM2 as necessary. Major kudos to Rob for building such a bulletproof device!
#1 is black wrinkle/silver vein and I like the way the finish has held up, so #2 is black wrinkle/silver hammertone, with an aluminum button cover. I know, I know - pics or it didn't happen! So without further ado:
New Grand:
The old alongside the new:
#1 has the new rebuild kit in it - took me two tries and two kits, but I finally got it right! I tried putting the atomizer pin in with the gasket and o-ring on it, pushing it into place with a screwdriver the first time, and ended up pinching the gasket and having a leak, which made the inside of my REO into a sloppy, gooey mess about every ten minutes. On the second try, I pushed the gasket into place using the atomizer pin upside down like Rob shows on his video and it worked fine (although it wasn't as easy as Rob makes it look!). It's now drip/leak free and restored to pristine working order - and man, the difference is sure noticeable with the new firing pin/spring!
After almost a year of use, #1 has minor dings on every corner from being dropped so many times - nothing but minor paint chips, really. The finish has held up well; when I compare it to the brand new one the only thing I notice is that the finish has smoothed out from all the use - it's been my all-day/everyday device and easily has over 2000 ml of juice through it. It's been dropped, kicked, knocked over, dunked in the lake, fallen into sand, bounced around on my boat and in my UTV, sat in the Arizona summer sun, been rained on...pretty much everything short of being run over. Total repairs needed in that year: One replaced drip tip from when I broke it by dropping it directly onto a tile floor from about five feet high. Never popped a spring, never had to replace any parts (other than the drip tip) - basically did nothing except clean it and occasionally file/Noalox the firing pin and re-coil/wick the RM2 as necessary. Major kudos to Rob for building such a bulletproof device!
