I believe that Mezz has shot themselves in the foot on this one, the Wavy pin.
It's obviously meant to compete with the Uni-Radial but was dead in the water before it left the factory.
The Radial is a very unique pin and it took me a while before I could get my head around it.
I now believe it to be a pretty decent pin, one that I don't think can be improved upon.
I believe also that Mezz knows this but it hasn't stopped them from trying to ride the Rad's success.
The Mezz Wavy will fail, not in the field but in it's marketing.
It's not needed, it's a gimmick. Is the 'shoulder thread' really an improvement?
The superiority of the Rad lies in it's pure simplicity and it's total contact area.
A copy or near copy ain't going to cut it. They can hype all they want, I don't fall easily.
Every time a new pin hits the marketplace, we CMs have to tool-up to stay current.
It's a gamble. Will my investment in new tooling be justified by increased work/demand?
I don't see it on this one, sorry, I can't justify it. I will not buy this tap.
Little story:
I'll be honest to say that I took the same position in regards to the Radial when it first came out.
I was just getting comfortable with the Uni-Loc QR and pretty much already had the tooling,
then this Radial thing arrives & (are ya kiddin me???). I was a little stand-offish at first,
so much so that Sey bought my first Rad tap for me. They saw what was coming before I did.
I did pay them for the tap, eventually, and have actually bought one for them to use as they
now do all Pred. warranty work in-house. I do almost none of that anymore. Anyway, back to topic.
I believe Royce mentioned that he has bought the tap. Very good Sir. At your manufacturing level,
you can justify it. I build maybe 100+ custom shafts a year and I can't (or won't).
With the number of shafts that I build and given their diversity in pin selection,
I just don't see that I'll ever do enough Wavy-pin shafts that I'll ever break even. So why??
One answer would be to accommodate that particular client. Pay attention, this will get deep.
This is pretty much a two way street here. Are we obliged to the client in that we should have every
tap for every pin ever conceived for use in a cue, or does the client bare some of the obligation to
use enough forethought in their purchase of a particular brand of cue, to consider that not every CM
is going to have the special (and pricey) tools necessary to properly work on their special pinned cue?
In most cases, I don't think it ever crosses their mind. It's only after the fact that reality sets in.
So what went wrong in this otherwise dream cue purchase?
Will the cue brand be looked upon as favorably as before?
Dare I ask, has the manufacturer 'leashed' the purchaser and now attempting to leash the C-Tec community?
How many times have you heard/read about sending an aftermarket shaft to Mezz/Japan for fitting? Many.
Was the client blind-sided or was it that he just didn't ask the right questions?
I don't know, maybe it's a status thing to own that tap, who knows? Never really been a status seeker though.
They're betting that we're going to have to buy-in to this and I have both doubts and objections.
It might be time to send a message that enough is enough.
Thanx Tommy, couldn't pass this up, Lol.
"Plus,we all know that there is NO guarantee the threads into wood will look as nice as the ad. Tommy D."
No No, those threads were cut with live-tooling. The thread-mill can be had for $898. Solid carbide though.
KJ
