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Reviews For: VHS paddle by G4ZPY

Category: Keys & Paddles

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Review Summary For : VHS paddle by G4ZPY
Reviews: 7MSRP:
Description:
G4ZPY TWIN PADDLE IAMBIC KEYS
Product is in production
More Info: http://website.lineone.net/~g4zpy/index.htm
# last 180 days Avg. Rating last 180 days Total reviews Avg. overall rating
0074.9
N7XM Rating: 2001-10-17
Very well built ! Time Owned: more than 12 months.
Gordon has made two VHS paddles for me!
It plays well! built by Enlish machinist
it comes out purring ! I have one model
that is completely Nickel plated ! Nice
paddle. Not perfect! but approaching
a degree of excellence!! The older paddle is
with a black base and bronze colored parts -
this baby has keyed the rig at VO1AA ! this
was on Signal Hill, NFLD ! The paddle made
handling the hundreds of callers FUN !
These a very well made paddles! They will not
please "everyone" - however, many people will
enjoy them! comparing this paddle to the Bencher
iambic is almost "silly" ! the ZPY is a fine
sports car, the Bencher is a YUGO, a car designed
about a "lunch box" ! Enjoy !
G4UDT Rating: 2001-10-17
A work of art! Time Owned: more than 12 months.
I own 3 of these keys having bought the first one over 10 years ago.

The first that I bought was a VHS Combo and it came direct from G4ZPY. The other two were bought second-hand in the UK, one is a VHS Combo and the other is a paddle but I am not sure it is a VHS.

They work very smoothly and look very attractive on the bench. It takes me 2.5 hours to dismantle and polish the brass on each key so I have taken to storing the spare keys in an airtight plastic bags. I don't like the keyer in the Combo as it is a basic Curtis. This does not compare to the Super Keyer II from Idiom Press.

As I have said to G4ZPY on several occasions, his keys are too expensive to buy new so I look for second-hand examples.
K8XF Rating: 2001-05-31
Good Key Time Owned: more than 12 months.
I have owned the VHS Paddle for many years and find it an excellent key. Having a collection of many paddles this VHS is one of the best. I ordered it with a brass base and this was a mistake. As you can imagine brass needs constant attention (cleaning and buffing). Another problem is that the key is rather small and not very heavy. It will walk around the table with heavy hitting. I am a moderate hitter and have placed a friction sheet under the key to stop the dancing. This rubber friction sheet is the same material placed under a carpet.....

With nice thick finger-pieces this is a nice key, all things considered....

73
Mike, K8XF
Viva CW
K1XM Rating: 2000-08-10
Great DXpedition Paddle Time Owned: more than 12 months.
The VHS is my current DXpedition paddle. It is lighter and smaller
than a Bencher which is good when you are pushing the airlines
weight limits, and it is very smooth.

On the H44MX DXpedition it got pulled off the table onto a hard
ceramic tile floor. One paddle was bent a bit but it worked fine and
I was able to operate the contest with it. It was easy enough to
straighten when I got home. Definitely a rugged unit!

I tried several paddles before I bought this one, and I'm glad to have
it. It isn't cheap but it was well worth the price. I'm planning to take
it on my next DXpedition too.
KE5C Rating: 2000-06-13
Smooooooth Time Owned: 3 to 6 months.
Incredibly smooth and light on the touch, I couldn't wait to ebay my Bencher the day after the VHS arrived. Sending CW is a true pleasure with this consistent and stable paddle. As Gordon says, set the contacts as close as possible. Just thinking the letters seems to cause them to jump from the keyer. This paddle is a bit pricey, but I'm keeping mine!
K7JIH Rating: 2000-04-25
British brass beats the best Time Owned: more than 12 months.
I've owned a Bencher and a vertical key made by a real craftsman in Indianapolis. Both of these paddles are fine but the G4ZPY is just a work of art that works like a paddle should. You know how it is meant to be. The words form in your mind, they move through your fingers to a paddle, then to the rig and finally out into the world.....effortlessly. That's what this baby does. It is rock solid. Mine never budges, unlike the Bencher that liked to get up on its hind legs so to speak. The finger pieces are so easy to use and adjust. I can't imagine CW without it.
KT5X Rating: 1999-09-17
Precise, delicate, not for everyone... Time Owned: unknown months.
Gordon Crowhurst makes these paddles custom for you. They are available with a black, polished brass, nickel plate, or gold base. Developed from the W8FYO design, but are heads and shoulders above any other rendition. I am especially fond of the shape of the thick beveled finger peices. These keys will adjust to a gnat's eye, and are engineered to expand and contract together to keep the adjustment. But... They are light and therefore enjoyed only by those with a delicate touch, and they are vulnerable to being bumped into temporary disarray. I love it for ragchewing, hate it for contests. Choose it only if you finger a paddle gently!