I have now had a few hours with the new family member and will make an attempt at an objective review. (Objective??? Who the hell am I kidding - this creation is simply fantastic.)
I do have a good grasp on precision machining, as I have been involved in it for the last 25 years. Hokie made a few comparisons in her post and I completely agree with her assessment. I also have one of the other high end PVs, along with a few additional mods, and nothing comes close to the Super-6.
To start, I will give a few impressions of my other high end mod. Concentricity of the adaptor was so far off that the lip extended over the edge of the body enough to catch on your pocket. (Not what you would expect from a professionaly machined piece.) The end cap and adaptor both had an unfinished look, as well as being out of round. A quick look at the switch design gives the impression of an assembly made in a China factory, by hand. The insulator was badly distorted and appeared to have been press fit with a tool that didn't match the profile of the part. The body had an extremely large vent hold dead in the middle of the body. Along with the poor astetics of the vent placement it wasn't even de-burred and sharp enough to cut my thumb. After a couple of uses, I noticed a scratch on one of my batteries and realized there was also a large burr inside the body. Had I not noticed it could have cut through the battery case and may have created a short. I am not trying to degrade this device but am attempting to provide an honest assessment.
With all that said, I understand the costs and time, involved with hand built products and am happy with the purchase. With a little effort on my part, the fit and finish are now acceptable and the PV performs as expected. This being an industry in it's infancy, we should expect a few imperfections.
Now to the Super 6:
This is the part where objectivity goes out the window and admiration take over.
Manufacturing excelence, would be the first term that comes to mind.
Button clearances are desgined for a smooth movement without alowing it to shift around creating the cheap feel of so many others. Both of my adapters are an exact match to the body and perfectly concentric. Machining of the adapter threads was accomplished at dead center and maintain alignment of the atty parallel to the body of the device. By designing 4 vent holes, evenly spaced around the body diameter, they add to the look of the piece rather than detract like my other device. To put it simply, Super T Manufacturing has done a superb job in machining this device.
The finish is easily on par with the attention to detail used in the maching process. Even under magnification, the finish is exceptional. David accomodated my request for adapters without the knurling although I expect it caused him some additional work. The transition from body to adapter, without the knurling, required additional effort to maintain the finish throughout and the execution was flawless.
Perfection in fit, function and finish describe the Super 6 to a T. (Super-T, that is.)
If you managed to get this far you must be wondering if it would ever end so I guess I have said enough.
Thank you David for an exceptionally crafted device.
Bob
P.S. I can't let it go without a comment about the lists and David's next creations. Just remember I am first.
I do have a good grasp on precision machining, as I have been involved in it for the last 25 years. Hokie made a few comparisons in her post and I completely agree with her assessment. I also have one of the other high end PVs, along with a few additional mods, and nothing comes close to the Super-6.
To start, I will give a few impressions of my other high end mod. Concentricity of the adaptor was so far off that the lip extended over the edge of the body enough to catch on your pocket. (Not what you would expect from a professionaly machined piece.) The end cap and adaptor both had an unfinished look, as well as being out of round. A quick look at the switch design gives the impression of an assembly made in a China factory, by hand. The insulator was badly distorted and appeared to have been press fit with a tool that didn't match the profile of the part. The body had an extremely large vent hold dead in the middle of the body. Along with the poor astetics of the vent placement it wasn't even de-burred and sharp enough to cut my thumb. After a couple of uses, I noticed a scratch on one of my batteries and realized there was also a large burr inside the body. Had I not noticed it could have cut through the battery case and may have created a short. I am not trying to degrade this device but am attempting to provide an honest assessment.
With all that said, I understand the costs and time, involved with hand built products and am happy with the purchase. With a little effort on my part, the fit and finish are now acceptable and the PV performs as expected. This being an industry in it's infancy, we should expect a few imperfections.
Now to the Super 6:
This is the part where objectivity goes out the window and admiration take over.
Manufacturing excelence, would be the first term that comes to mind.
Button clearances are desgined for a smooth movement without alowing it to shift around creating the cheap feel of so many others. Both of my adapters are an exact match to the body and perfectly concentric. Machining of the adapter threads was accomplished at dead center and maintain alignment of the atty parallel to the body of the device. By designing 4 vent holes, evenly spaced around the body diameter, they add to the look of the piece rather than detract like my other device. To put it simply, Super T Manufacturing has done a superb job in machining this device.
The finish is easily on par with the attention to detail used in the maching process. Even under magnification, the finish is exceptional. David accomodated my request for adapters without the knurling although I expect it caused him some additional work. The transition from body to adapter, without the knurling, required additional effort to maintain the finish throughout and the execution was flawless.
Perfection in fit, function and finish describe the Super 6 to a T. (Super-T, that is.)
If you managed to get this far you must be wondering if it would ever end so I guess I have said enough.
Thank you David for an exceptionally crafted device.
Bob
P.S. I can't let it go without a comment about the lists and David's next creations. Just remember I am first.
