I have a new Durston rolling mill which I like. I had a Cavallin for
20 years which I sold and bought a comparable Durston as an upgrade
about a year ago. I have to say that I like both of them. The
Cavallin actually seemed easier to roll, like the reduction gears
worked a little better. Possibly I just need to break in the Durston
a little more. A sort of silly problem is that the Durston came
coated with a coating on the rollers to protect them from the
elements, it’s really a little hard to get every speck of the coating
off or the rollers (I was using naphtha). Another problem is the gear
box on the Durston has been dripping oil on the floor even though
everything seems assembled properly, I thought that was weird and it
reminded me of the 1970’s Harley Davidson’s. Really the biggest issue
I have is that the handle is a little short, when I grasp it my
little finger hangs off the end. It’s not a huge deal unless you’re
rolling a ton of material. The handle on the Cavallin was much longer
and a better shape, so I felt it was more comfortable to use. At this
point I’m not sure the Durston was worth the extra money, but I’m
hoping it will grow on me as time rolls on.
Mark