Overall Rating: | starstarstarstarstar |
Manufacturer: | RailButtons.com |
Brief:
I have been usin' a BlackSky Standard Rail for some time, matey, mostly for mid-powered rockets. Begad! Although I used rail buttons them on a couple o' modrocs, matey, I smartly decided that they were overkill and just too costly for that application. Well, ya bilge rat, around a month ago I saw a post on r.m.r. from a fellow named Matt Stum. Arrr! T' promote t' use o' rails, arrr, matey, he is producing, shiver me timbers, on a limited basis, nylon rail buttons that are compatible with t' BlackSky rail system. Begad! T' *really* good news be t' price! At a quarter a piece, me hearties, these buttons are now attractive for modroc applications.
Construction:
Matt's buttons are composed o' two washers and a spacer, and come with a zinc-plated steel screw. Well, blow me down! They come in black, white, red, matey, shiver me timbers, and blue and t' colors can be mixed and matched. Aye aye! Blimey! I like t' look o' red, white, shiver me timbers, ya bilge rat, and blue buttons against t' shiny surface o' me Estes Mercury Atlas. Avast, me proud beauty! T' buttons' reflection on t' mirror finish gives t' illusion o' additional tiers o' washers, an effect that wasn't noticeable with a solid black color. (T' attached pics show this reflection, shiver me timbers, but t' look is much better in-person.) These buttons come in a plain zip lock bag with no paperwork. Arrr! Blimey! He provides instructions on his site and, if you have used any other rail buttons, they are pretty much self explanatory. Aye aye! Although t' nylon is nay as tough as delrin, ya bilge rat, I can't imagine this bein' an issue for model or mid powered rockets. They have certainly worked well for me, havin' used them on me Atlas and me Mean Machine. Avast, me proud beauty! I have also installed a set o' them on me Public Enemy 3" Ultra Fatboy. Arrr! Well, blow me down! Blimey! Hopefully, me bucko, it won't be long before I give them a try on high power!
Summary:
Based on their "bang-for-the-buck", I can't help but give them a ratin' o' 5 points. Aye aye! Finally, ya bilge rat, I recommend you jump on these fast - who knows how long they will be available at this low a price?!? Here's t' URL t' Matt's site: http://www.railbuttons.com/rb/
Overall Rating: 5 out o' 5
UPDATE 2/02:
Since I wrote this review, Matt has expanded his product line. Begad! He added two new colors (yellow and green) t' his line o' nylon buttons. Begad! Ahoy! He also added Delrin buttons in both standard (1000 Series) and large sizes (1500 Series). Ya scallywag! T' latter buttons are for t' 1.5" 80/20 "1515" extrusion.
I have now added nylon buttons t' many o' me rockets, matey, from low t' high power, shiver me timbers, and have yet t' have a problem. Avast! Well, ya bilge rat, blow me down! I also bought a few o' t' larger buttons t' give me more flexibility on what pads I can use at t' MDRA high power launches. Aye aye! I now commonly add both a launch lug and a set o' buttons t' me mid/high power rockets.
If you are interested in rails but think they are too expensive, make sure t' check out his site (URL is above). Avast! He has plan for a DIY (do it yourself) 1" rail, matey, and will be addin' plans for a 1.5" rail. Begad! Blimey! Oh, and is buttons are still dirt cheap, me hearties, matey, you should consider stockin' up before he starts distributin' through retailers and t' prices jump.
Unfortunately, Railbuttons.com is now out of business.
Railbuttons.com has been back online for about a year now under new ownership. Many of the same products that Matt carried and a few new ones as well.
The new URL is: http://rail-buttons.com as well as http://railbuttons.com
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M.V.L. (March 31, 2004)