sturdy yet pricey and ...old?
I somewhat have mixed feelings for this item. For a $50 purchase I felt slightly dissapointed but I do recognize that functionally, it seems adequate for the job. Here is my effort to remain objective:<br /><br />Shipping: It cost $13 to ship to TX and arrived 10 days after I placed the order.  For the shipping cost vs. service, I would give this 2 stars, if not 1. I consider this pricey and slow shipping. My unqualified guess is a flat rate small box would have probably gotten it sooner at the same cost or less.<br /><br />Product: I haven't yet tested it. The main frame seems sturdy and well built, and this was in essence the reason for me opting for this particular product. The aluminum cups I can't assess without actually using them first (which I haven't done so far). The span (opening) of the press seems big enough to accomodate larger watches. These come packed in a cardboard box. Some pins and accessories had been additionally packed in a round plastic container (kind of like a pill box), but the plastic was so old it had become brittle and the box was shattered.  No harm to any of the working pieces, but the broken plastic did not make a good first impression.<br /><br />Packaging and presentation: Packaging was ok, until I got down to the actual product box, which was closed with tape so old it was yellow. All the boxes seemed to have sat on a shelf for years.  I was ok with it, given the metal pieces were in good condition, but don't expect bells and whistles on the presentation.  For a $50 purchase I might have expected a little more here.<br /><br />I will not be returning this (probably I'd loose money on the shipping), and consider I might only give it limited use, added to the fact I was able to service my watch with the watch vendor befor actually putting this to use.  Hence, I would not purchase the item again, but note however I can not attribute this to product craftmanship or quality in general, as it seems to be up to the task of getting the job done... it's simply that I probably have no more use for it.
Rating: 3 stars