Al,
You make a good point. The late Mr. Graham was not always without
bias!!
I think faceting machines are a lot like carsā¦we ardently support
the ones we have! In over 37 years of faceting, Iāve used most of
the popular machines, many of which are not missed. For over twenty
of those years I used both a Facetron and a UT. Both were good
machines, each had its idiosyncrasies, and each had good and bad
points. Looking back, I donāt know how I used the cheaters on either
of those machines.
Iāve had my Gem Master II for about six years now. One day I was
faceting on another machine, to remain nameless, when the quill
slipped from my fingers and, with a $2000 plus piece of tourmaline
rough attached, crashed into my metal lap. The stome broke into
three and went flying, an expensive loss indeed.
Within seconds, literally, Iwas on the phone ordering a GemMaster II
with my Amex. The Gem Masterās quill gently floats upward or remains
in place when the quill is released, and I would NEVER own a machine
that did not have that feature. And I will never again danage an
expensive lap or lose a piece of rough by dropping it on a spinning
lap.
At the time, I was blissfully unaware of the incredible accuracy and
repeatability of this machine or its many other subtle features I
would come to know. Like the ability to swing the water drip tube up
out of the way, briefly halting its flow. When you swing it back
down, it begins dripping again at the same rate as when you swung it
up. Sounds like a small thng, but the machine is geared for speed,
accuracy and repeatability. If I had four hands, Iād have two Gem
Mastersā¦my UT was sold long ago and my Facetron (old soldier) sits
idle in a corner of my shop.
Like I said, we love what we have. If I had to choose again today
and could not afford the Gem master, Iād buy a machine from Zane
Hoffman at Polymetric, no question about it. For repair work, a
repeatable cheater is essential, na dhis machines are among the best.
Solid, precise, well aligned, well supported, Zane knows what he is
doing!
IMO, the UT and Facetron are not in the same class s the 2 mentioned
above, but both are more than adequate for the hobbyist ot hhe
professionsl not in a hurry. The GM II saves a LOT of time and time
is money.
Wayne Emery
The Gemcutter
www.thelittlecameras.com