No experience with Mr. Walker or his products. It's nice to see people innovating and improving each other's products in audio. But as a VPI 16.5 owner who already thought $25.00 for a plastic replacement wand was a little ridiculous . . . well you can see where this is going.
It sounds like there are serious improvements by going to a Delrin tube from what the members have posted here. I'd be curious to try it. But $80 for a plastic tube?
My VPI pickup tube measures (about) 5/8" OD, 3/8" ID x 5" long. Seems like the same Delrin material is available - http://www.k-mac-plastics.net/acetal-delrin-celcon-acetron-tubes.htm - at $37 for 5 feet. Enough to make $960 worth of Vortex tubes. Granted, this size may not be an exact fit, but I think we're in the ballpark. There is some cost to machining the vacuum slot and the alignment slot and capping the end. Distribution costs and retail mark up. Not to mention Mr. Walker thought of it, and I didn't. But 2500% above cost of materials (and there is only one material here, if you discount the o-rings) and no complicated machining or assembly?
Needless to say I don't have the wherewithal or inclination to make and market an alternative. But anyone with a garage workshop could conceivably zing out 12 of these for themselves and a few audio buddies in the space of an afternoon and spend far less than the cost of one tube. You could even throw in an afternoon's worth of beer and still come in under the cost of one Vortex.
It sounds like there are serious improvements by going to a Delrin tube from what the members have posted here. I'd be curious to try it. But $80 for a plastic tube?
My VPI pickup tube measures (about) 5/8" OD, 3/8" ID x 5" long. Seems like the same Delrin material is available - http://www.k-mac-plastics.net/acetal-delrin-celcon-acetron-tubes.htm - at $37 for 5 feet. Enough to make $960 worth of Vortex tubes. Granted, this size may not be an exact fit, but I think we're in the ballpark. There is some cost to machining the vacuum slot and the alignment slot and capping the end. Distribution costs and retail mark up. Not to mention Mr. Walker thought of it, and I didn't. But 2500% above cost of materials (and there is only one material here, if you discount the o-rings) and no complicated machining or assembly?
Needless to say I don't have the wherewithal or inclination to make and market an alternative. But anyone with a garage workshop could conceivably zing out 12 of these for themselves and a few audio buddies in the space of an afternoon and spend far less than the cost of one tube. You could even throw in an afternoon's worth of beer and still come in under the cost of one Vortex.