We never got an answer to the question: Are the other style levers
easier to operate?
Of the ones I’ve used, there are two other main lever types. One is
the Techno style, including the original Techno, and the at least
two versions/copies now available (One swiss, one american made, that
I’ve seen). The other is another one now sold by Fordom as their
number 18. I forget who the original manufacturer/designer was. The
number 10 you’ve got is, I think, simply the Italian Faro design in
the Fordom USA made version, otherwise identical so far as I can tell
with the original Faro. Fordom also sells one listed as the #180 in
Gesswein’s catalog, but I’m not familier with it.
The Faro/#10 was for a long time, the one I used, and still use on
occasion. The lever is sometimes a bit short for total ease of use,
but always worked fine for me. It’s main drawback is that the lever
operates a friction fit cam mechanism, so if you use the lever a lot
when the handpiece is still rotating, you’ll wear out that cam
rather regularly (though it’s not that hard to replace.) And the nose
bearings seem to have a somewhat shorter life than I’d like.
The Techno types have longer levers, and the lever operates a ball
bearing mechanism, so operating the lever with the shaft still
rotating doesn’t hurt it. You can, if you wish, change burs with the
motor still clipping along at a decent speed if the burs are
something you can grab or otherwise flip out without injury. And
bearings are completely replaceable. But smaller hands might find the
Techno sometimes slightly more awkward to hold. Not sure why, but
it’s sometimes an odd shape in the hand, though I’m used to it now.
The number 18, at least the one I’ve got, uses a lever you press in
towards the body of the handpiece. In use, the lever juts out away
from the handpiece. I find that quite awkward, and at least on mine,
the mechanism takes considerable force to operate, and makes a
rather grating sound while doing so. Not a pleasant handpiece at all,
and I almost never use the thing.
I also have a Badaco quick change. As you’d expect from the swiss,
this puppy is a very slick handpiece. runs cool and as absolutely
true and concentric as you could wish. It’s by far my most accurate
handpiece in this regard. It’s big failing is that the swiss
apparently used only their own precision made burs or the Busch
burrs, or the like, when designing the specs. When it says it want’s
3/32 shanks, it’s not kidding. If they’re a tad over or undersized,
they either won’t go in the handpiece, or they go in but won’t be
gripped. And unfortunately, I find a lot of the various bits and
brushes and other things one puts in a handpiece to be rather too
innacurate in sizing for the Badeco handpiece to work with them. And
that includes many of my older Spearhead high speed steel setting
burs. The badeco is wonderful when I’m using the busch or similar
precision ground carbon steel burs. But for the rest, it’s very hit
or miss. Annoying, especially considering that it’s the most costly
flex shaft handpiece I ever bought. But I do like it’s release
mechanism, which is a rotating collar, not a lever. Very
comfortable to hold in the hand, and easy to use.
Hope that helps.
Peter Rowe