|
Post by T.C. on May 14, 2018 13:43:59 GMT -8
The site seems sketchy, he also doesn't accept paypal which raises a red flag to me.
|
|
|
|
Post by mothman27 on May 14, 2018 17:34:21 GMT -8
I have gotten them recently from Ebay seller cupog, brand Entochrysis. Black enameled for $4.10/100pins. Very good pins, in fact I just ordered 1000 more this week. I previously had Asta pins. They are good too. They are less bendable but lose shape if they are bent much. I cannot find them as cheap though. I must say I prefer black enameled over stainless, visually and stainless spin more often.
|
|
|
Post by Paul K on May 14, 2018 19:41:50 GMT -8
They are very expensive, here is link to good quality pins and very affordable. Paul
|
|
|
Post by T.C. on May 14, 2018 20:08:24 GMT -8
They are very expensive, here is link to good quality pins and very affordable. Paul Your missing that link.
|
|
|
Post by Paul K on May 15, 2018 2:39:57 GMT -8
|
|
|
Post by vabrou on May 18, 2018 8:30:29 GMT -8
The finest pins manufactured in the world were manufactured by Emil Arlt factory of Pins, in Austria. He sold the business long ago. I purchased 300,000-400,000 pins from him while he was in business. He manufactured his products with the highest Quality Assurance and Quality Controls. Over decades, there was rarely ever faulty pins or under packaged quantities. Here in the US in the early 1970s, anyone could purchase (1,000 spring steel pin quantities) of Elephant Brand (anticorrosive enamel coating) for $2.00 US, and that was the advertised retail price, not wholesale price. Partly responsible for this disparity in price was due to the currency exchange rates during these times.
I have purchased large quantities of many upstart pin manufacturers in the last 30 years, but I must mention the worse purchase of pins I made a few years ago, 60,000 stainless steel pins in (100 pins/pkg) quantities -Honby Industries, China. The only one good aspect about these pins is that they are 2mm longer than most other manufactured worldwide. The bad aspects are quite numerous, hand packaged by persons who are unable to count to 100. Some pgks of 100 pins may have quantities of 88, 89, 90, 91, 92, 93, 94, 95, 96, 97, 98, 99, 100, 101, 102, 103, 104, 105, 106. The pins are made of inferior grade of steel needed for the manufacture required for small diameter (gauge) insect pins. Then, this manufacturer created their own unique (dumb) size numbering system, unlike any other worldwide manufacturer. Next, the pins are manufactured without any meaningful quality monitoring, and the majority of the pins fail at having a properly pointed end, and those that do have points made with an inferior pointing method causing too fine (acute) pointing, so that the over-elongated points are too weak and bend at the point with the slightest pressure, and actually need blunting or cutting of the over elongated point to be usable. I could go on, but I won't. This company has no concept about a quality product, nor common sense business practices. The practice of placing 88 pins in a package marked 100 pins would actually mean they have shorted me over 7,000 pins in my little purchase. This was incomprehensible to the understanding or relevance to employees of this company. This purchase was a waste of my time, and bad investment of $1650.00. And this was a good example of how prepurchased samples can have no actual relationship to the delivered product.
|
|
|
|
Post by beetlehorn on May 21, 2018 19:26:01 GMT -8
After looking for Austerlitz pins from different suppliers, I settled on getting them through an Ebay purchase. I bought 200 #2 black enameled pins purely out of curiosity. After comparing them to the Kostal pins I use most of the time, one thing that stands out right away is the nylon head size is a bit smaller, and more uniformly shaped from pin to pin. They are nearly the same length, (Kostal is a fraction longer), and extremely sharp! They are the most expensive pins I have purchased, and I would save them for the best or most desirable specimens. For the money I would have to say that Kostal pins would still be my #1 choice. I have had excellent results for many years using them. The difference in pin quality is in my opinion negligible, but the cost for a larger quantity of pins would be a deciding factor for me personally.
|
|
|
Post by jshuey on May 22, 2018 4:49:39 GMT -8
I have never been disappointed by Petr Krabatek's pins. They are consistent high quality and you purchase at his wholesale costs 100 black pins are US$2.70 EU$2.30 per 100. Stainless steel about $1 more per pack. I've ordered thousands over the years, and have never had a problem with any aspect of his product. I suspect - but don't know for certain, that he provides BioQuip's pins www.kabatek.cz/John
|
|
Deleted
Deleted Member
Posts: 0
|
Post by Deleted on May 22, 2018 6:14:29 GMT -8
I use BioQuip stainless pins. Never have a problem with them.
|
|
leptraps
Banned
Enter your message here...
Posts: 2,397
|
Post by leptraps on May 22, 2018 8:21:42 GMT -8
Mr. Shuey, you answered a question I had before the internet existed and then forgot the question after I got the internet. Bohemia Insect Pins. Back in the early 1990's, I won a 1000 No.#2 Bohemia Insect Pins as a Door Prize during a Lep Soc meeting in Lansing, Michigan. They were very good pins. However, Austerlitz was still making pins and I continued to buy and use them. I forgot about Bohemia Insect Pins until I read your post. I recently purchased 10,000 #2 pins from BioQuip which I really like as well.
I have a file on Insect Pins and I just added Petr Krabatek's information.
Also, about 25 years ago I purchased 4000 #7 from Austerlitzs. I still have a few left. I do not mount many large moths (Saturnids & Sphingids)these days. However, I may give Petr Krabatek a try. One never knows.
As a result of owning Leptraps, I have seen several samples of Chinese's Insect pins. Literally, they just do not get the point!
|
|
|
Post by beetlehorn on May 23, 2018 8:49:16 GMT -8
A few years ago I made an order with Petr Kabatek (thanks to the heads up by jshuey). I still have several packs left and am well pleased by the product he sells. These are the same pins I mentioned in the post above (Kostal) which are actually Bohemia brand. Bioquip sells a very good pin, which I suspect is made either by Morpho or Elephant brand. At around $6.00 per 100 with shipping, they are reasonably priced.
|
|
Deleted
Deleted Member
Posts: 0
|
Post by Deleted on Jul 13, 2018 23:06:48 GMT -8
hi all previously I had asked opinions, and I would like to thank all who answered. its greatly appreciated. locally here, some entomologists have now issued me a challenge - PROVE which is the best pin.
So, I would like to seek opinions again please. If considering a formal study into which pin manufacturer has the best, what tests should one do? what factors should be taken into consideration? Any thoughts and suggestions?
Thanks again. David
|
|
|
Post by jhyatt on Jul 14, 2018 4:58:44 GMT -8
I'd like to see actual data on the percentage of "spinners" (bugs loose on the pin) that result when dried and relaxed leps are pinned and spread using enameled vs. stainless steel pins. I have a distinct impression that SS pins give more spinners - they don't seem to grip the insect body as well as black pins. But I've never done or seen a systematic valid comparison. Anyway, I usually avoid stainless pins for this reason. jh
|
|
|
Post by bandrow on Jul 14, 2018 8:20:26 GMT -8
Greetings,
Working in a museum, I handle thousands (millions?) of specimens a year, and my gut instinct is to agree with Jhyatt. I have no quantitative data to prove it, but stainless pins seem to create more spinners in general.
Whenever I encounter a spinner on a stainless pin, I remove the pin and replace it with a black pin one size greater, and that usually stabilizes the specimen. In rare cases, I slide the specimen all the way up the pin, add a touch of glue at the point where the body of the specimen will eventually be, and then slide the specimen down onto the glue. This creates a good bond, and typically little glue is visible.
Some years ago at the Collection Manager's session during the Coleopterists Society annual meeting, pins were the focus of discussion - cost, availability, stainless versus black, design, etc. One suggestion was that a pin be designed that had a star-shaped shaft (in cross-section) - allowing for grooves along the surface that would prevent spinning. The idea was scrapped as basically too expensive - and being a case of "over engineering" a simple item.
Cheers! Bandrow
|
|
|
Post by bobw on Jul 14, 2018 9:16:47 GMT -8
I've found the exact opposite. I have a load of old cork setting boards that end up with the specimen about a centimetre up from the bottom of the pin, as opposed to a centimetre from the top as I would like. I used to use black enamelled pins and usually had no problem pushing the specimens up into the correct position after removing them from the boards, a dab of glue under the thorax prevented spinning. I then switched to stainless steel pins for all the usual reasons (aesthetics, lack of rusting etc.) and since then I've never been able to move a specimen up the pin to the correct position as it's stuck fast. This causes problems with lack of room for data labels and the fact that the pin head is too high so the glass on the lid often touches it.
I can't find a way to loosen these specimens on the pin short of relaxing them again. I hasten to add that these are all freshly killed specimens; I wouldn't consider trying to set a relaxed specimen any more - it's far too much hassle and I'd rather pay somebody else to do it.
|
|