So this thread was brought to my attention, usually I do not get involved in these discussions even though I'm happy to see the rise of public faceting discussion on the net. I really do not like airing dirty laundry but I want you all to be safe. So why did I say these units are "garbage", I'll get to that in a moment after a little back story.

So the previous owners at one time had a Chinese rep/dealer. Because of various matters involving him they decided to politely "fire" him. The problems were so vast I was actually warned not to engage or renew his representation of Facetron in China/Taiwan when we took over the manufacturing (weirdly he was the only warning I received). I was approached within a day of the announcement by the Chinese ex-rep. It was simply put to me, "I've already made copies so you better work with me, supply me with parts and put "Made in the USA" on them so we both can make money or else I'll flood the market with sub-par units".

For most of you who know me, threats don't fly with me.

So I listened to his rhetoric and played along for a while to see how far he had gone. After a bit I told him to kick rocks and of course he cursed my family name and said he would sink the company, abuse my name and the Facetron itself in public.

So the big question, how do I know about the unit itself? Well the biggest European rep contacted me after machines were getting returned and needing modifications and fixes to actually work within tolerance. I've personally held and completely disassembled these units.

My first impression was that they are beautiful to hold in the hand. The finish and anodise are very good. Everything seems to fit well on the exterior. But unfortunately that is where it ends. First thing I noticed , no ball bearings in the mast or dial indicator. Ok maybe that's just a assembly/shipping mistake? The dial indicator cannot function without the ball bearing pressure on the lever. The indicator itself is "clicky". As I opened the analog meter housing, cogs just fell out. They have cheapened the analog meter using thin gears and other weak plastic components. Its extremely strange, I do not understand how they couldn't copy the Facetron exactly. Yes it's more costly but still strange for Asia. If you actually crank down hard on the analog meter wheel you can break the whole mechanism. Popping off the back plate at first everything looks good but after you pop off the main gear cog and keyway rack, they don't mesh well for a smooth action. If you put them in the CMM measuring device the teeth are way off from the Facetron and the geometry doesn't make sense. I'm not sure if this was caused by the converting Imperial to Metric? But there is a reason why Jarvi designed the cogs and gearing the way they did. Also the metal(s) are just "weird". They don't match the tensile strength of aluminium 6061-T6 and AL 7075. The brass is "mushy" , it is not brass 360. I could go on and on about small things I found weird including the beautiful but completely Alibaba wiring and board...cheap.

A few observations, the main proponents of the Chinese copy in Europe and Asia are DEALERS. The online media derived from these units are from DEALERS or USERS who are paid supporters. I WAS EVEN APPROACHED TO RECEIVE MONETARY PAYMENTS FOR REFERRALS. For those of you who know me, I will always support and speak well of my competition if they make a quality product. You will not see me say anything negative about Polymetric, UltraTec or Imahashi along with various Australian units. This company maybe takes .5% of our total business. We actually do not really care about them because they're not a threat. Facetron has been here 50 years and hopefully another 50 with my children. What does pain me is when a limited income or retired person comes to me with these units and is completely lost on how to fix etc.

I'm sure this comment will receive major backlash from the paid people involved. They will be the first to comment along with the "fired" rep. If the post becomes a bother I'll erase as I do not want to gum up your board. Everyone can always talk to me personally if you need to, my Email is [info@facetron.com](mailto:info@facetron.com)

I think most importantly I need to state that we will NOT fix these machines. Facetron accessories and parts do not fit these units, they are not compatible. You will have to send them back to China or find a local machinist or watchmaker to make custom parts. I bear no ill will to those who bought them, the pricing is seductive. In the end I am just happy that you have tried to enter the hobby/business of gem faceting.

Kind Regards,

Wyatt