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
Hi Mark
the gear box on the Durston has been dripping oil on the floor even
though everything seems assembled properly,
This can happen on new mills. Sometimes a little too much grease/oil
is packed into the gearbox. This will stop after a short period.
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.
The handles on the newer mills are longer now. I will contact you
directly to see what handle you have.
Matthew Durston
www.durston.com
I must say that I am very impressed by Durston as a company. Every
time someone has an issue with one of their machines, a company
representative (obviously a high up company member/director with the
name Durston) is straight onto the forum to put right whatever qualm
the poster may have. This speaks volumes about the quality of
customer service offered by Durston - not to mention the quality of
their machines themselves. I hope one day to own a Durston myself.
There are other companies who also offer the same great customer
service. One that springs to mind is Spiriflame(?) - the water torch
manufacturer. Such diligence and integrity get noticed and it’s great
to see it in this day and age.
Helen
UK
I want to publicly state what unbelievable and awesome customer
service Durston Rolling Mills is providing. After my post where I
mentioned that I felt the handle on my DRM 130 rolling mill was too
short for my hand, Matthew Durston contacted me off list and is
sending me the new longer handle! That is so great! In an e-mail to
him I teased him that a couple of the stickers that came with the
mill had come off (that didn’t really matter to me), and he said he
is sending new stickier stickers!..Can you believe that! Who would
ever expect stickier stickers! Nobody else would do that.
This is the kind of customer service model that is a critical
ingredient in the recipe for success. Thanks again Matthew.
Mark Parkinson