Announcement

Collapse
No announcement yet.

CB7Tuner.com Custom Shift Knobs - POLL

Collapse
X
 
  • Filter
  • Time
  • Show
Clear All
new posts

    #31
    Received the first three sample knobs today. Been playing with them, critiquing them, what I like, what I don't, all that.

    From left to right we have brushed stainless with logo, polymer with logo, and titanium with logo:


    And their shape:



    The stainless steel round knob:
    Second most expensive of the three.
    Brushed stainless finish.
    Great weight. Amazing feel. Love the two groove around the bottom of it. Has the right size for most people's hands.
    The engraving is just okay (again this is an issue that was already addressed).

    The polymer teardrop knob:
    Cheapest option.
    Black polymer with silver paint.
    A good upgrade from stock. Fairly lightweight but heavier than OEM. Has a good hand position/feel to it.
    Engraving is good but still not perfect.

    The titanium 'piston' knob:
    Most expensive option, after all it is titanium.
    Titanium in a bronzed finish.
    Heavier than the polymer, lighter than the stainless steel. Love the knurls, adds some texture and non-slipness (is that a word?) to it. Would be awesome with a raised shift leaver.
    The shape is different enough that some people are either going to love it or hate it.
    Engraving is probably damn near perfect on it.


    What do you guys and gals think? I know it's difficult to judge from just pictures, but I would love to hear what you think of this first run samples. Is there one you just absolutely love? Or is there one you hate and never want to see again?

    If you have questions that I didn't address, just ask.
    I DO have a preference from these three, but I'm not going to say which one (don't want to skew other people's opinions).


    In addition, as I stated one post above this one, I am getting a few more sample knobs from other companies/individuals, so these are not the only style/design I'm looking at.

    So shoot some feedback my way!
    Last edited by Jon; 07-19-2017, 09:05 PM.
    Click Image for CB7Tuner.com Beanies, Decals, & Keychains!

    Comment


      #32
      i think the engraving on the round knob is too small, I think out of the three the teardrop engraving looks the best. Design wise I would go teardrop, round, then piston. I would probably say the teardrop in either stainless or that burnt titanium color.

      I would have to agree with you on the piston either being a love it or hate it.

      I'm assuming these will be threaded to match our shifter?
      ~Nick~
      FSAE (F Series Accord Enthusiasts) ..."A dying breed thats taking it to the next level" Lucky #13
      MR Thread:http://www.cb7tuner.com/vbb/showthre...ight=Grumpys93

      Comment


        #33
        Awesome feedback.

        Originally posted by Grumpys93 View Post
        I'm assuming these will be threaded to match our shifter?
        Correct. These are not universal. And they will not come with different adaptors or threaded inserts to 'make it fit' your shifter, these are 100% custom guaranteed to fit (when all is said and done of course)
        Click Image for CB7Tuner.com Beanies, Decals, & Keychains!

        Comment


          #34
          I'm really liking the color and engraving on the piston knob. Can the heavier steel can be bronzed like that?

          Is the engraving on the teardrop deeper? It looks great with the inner shadows, but I see it collecting dirt and being higher maintenance.

          I think my mind's changing from ball to teardrop, as well.

          Accord Aero-R

          Comment


            #35
            Yes, the engraving on the teardrop is deeper. The metal ones I'd say are more of an etching rather than engraving.
            And I'm sure I could get them bronzed.
            Click Image for CB7Tuner.com Beanies, Decals, & Keychains!

            Comment


              #36
              the deep engraving and dark polymer color of the teardrop shifter looks GREAT in my opinion, it really stands out, as compared to the bland flat grey stamp on the flat grey titantium one... and personally I would appreciate the fact that the polymer would not get scorching hot in the sun. Definitely my top favorite. Jon - if you end up skipping this version from the final run, I'd like to claim dibs on the sample

              Beyond that, the round mugen-style is "fine" ... looks too generic in my opinion though. Unless you looked closely at the lettering, i would assume it was just a random one from ebay.

              I am on the "hate it" side of the fence for the titanium knob. too many sharp angles, weird knurled rings, and a bland flat top. Plus, a color that won't match anything in my interior. Looks like a valve stem cap to me.
              Last edited by cp[mike]; 07-19-2017, 11:45 PM.


              - 1993 Accord LX - White sedan (sold)
              - 1993 Accord EX - White sedan (wrecked)
              - 1991 Accord EX - White sedan (sold)
              - 1990 Accord EX - Grey sedan (sold)
              - 1993 Accord EX - White sedan (sold)
              - 1992 Accord EX - White coupe (sold)
              - 1993 Accord EX - Grey coupe (stolen)
              - 1993 Accord SE - Gold coupe (sold)
              Current cars:
              - 2005 Subaru Legacy GT Wagon - Daily driver
              - 2004 Chevrolet Express AWD - Camper conversion

              Comment


                #37
                Originally posted by cp[mike] View Post
                the deep engraving and dark polymer color of the teardrop shifter looks GREAT in my opinion, it really stands out
                Just going off looks, I'd pick that one as well, the more I come back to look at them all. I'm concerned about the weight and feeling of it, though. Jon, does it feel like you're gripping something close to a plastic toy?

                I'd like to claim dibs on the sample
                I think it's bored out too much

                Plus, a color that won't match anything in my interior.
                I didn't even think about interior matching, that's a good point. I was looking at it as a piece on its own. The dark would go well against the dash and with a steering wheel.

                Accord Aero-R

                Comment


                  #38
                  These are really nice! That's awesome that you were able to get some prototypes in hand!

                  Did you provide the artwork in vector format or did they work off of that black and white image you posted? It does make a difference on the final output. I'm a graphic designer and used to work with engraving, so I have some first hand experience with it (if you need any assistance with artwork, let me know).


                  ***Long drawn out ramble***

                  The engravings were performed with a CO2 or solid state laser. I recognize the markings.

                  For the stainless steel and knob, they would have applied CerMark or TherMark (I think they're the same, it's been some years) which is a special coating that allows the laser to blacken the surface that is etched. It's really durable and etches shallow in the surface. However, with prolonged use it is possible for the black to fade and leave a ghost of the engraving. This won't happen very soon, as I've had mishaps where I had to remove etchings for correction. It required some serious sanding and re-finishing before re-coating and re-etching.

                  On the polymer knob, it was masked, laser etched and color filled. The laser is obviously able to cut into it because of the material. Depending on the laser's power and speed settings, it can be as shallow or deep as the operator desires (with only the focal point of the laser coming into the equation, more on that in a sec). This also allows for a greater range of color options.

                  As for the titanium knob, it may have been treated similarly to the stainless one, but the color suggests that they simply etched the bronzed coating to expose the original material underneath. With this, the long term possibility is that the bronzing may wear away, but most likely at the outer circumference of the top, where hands would make the most contact. If there was a lot of flat contact, then the top would all end up washing out and there would be no logo at all.

                  One thing to take note of with laser engraving is that the laser etches at a focal point (think of sunlight through a magnifying lens, where you distance the lens to create a super bright, focused spot). Most laser engraving is done on a flat plane, so obviously a convex poses a challenge. For the ball and tear drop, the smaller the area, the "flatter" it is overall, with the center being highest. In the case of the stainless steel knob, that marking agent must be etched with great precision or you get "fuzzy" edges where the laser is "out of focus" with the surface. Making the engraving smaller is the only remedy to that, aside from doing multiple passes at various focal lengths, but that's just way more work that is not easy to measure out precisely. The polymer knob is more forgiving that way, since it's cutting into that surface. With the titanium knob it's business as usual.

                  ***End long drawn out ramble***


                  I currently have a delrin ball knob, so my ranks may be biased: tear drop then ball. I'm with Mike on the "hate it" for the piston.

                  I personally like the feel of the polymer over metals. If you made the ball in polymer, then that would have been my winner outright (still biased though). If you do proceed with the polymer, may I suggest having it bored out and a threaded brass insert pressed into it? I had this done years ago with a custom ball knob for a WRX and I loved it. Great texture, never burned my hand and the brass insert added a good amount of weight for shifting as well as a reliable threading surface onto the shift lever.
                  1993 Accord DX | Rosewood Brown Metallic

                  Comment


                    #39
                    Originally posted by apalileo View Post
                    If you do proceed with the polymer, may I suggest having it bored out and a threaded brass insert pressed into it? I had this done years ago with a custom ball knob for a WRX and I loved it. Great texture, never burned my hand and the brass insert added a good amount of weight for shifting as well as a reliable threading surface onto the shift lever.
                    This! That opens all sorts of weight options, depending on the bore, fitting size, and metal used.


                    I enjoyed your ramble, by the way, haha. Always interested in how things work.

                    Accord Aero-R

                    Comment


                      #40
                      Anthony, PM replied.

                      Thanks Mike! All of this input helps me focus on what people actually want... especially considering there are thousands of options.


                      Initially I was liking the shape of the titanium one, but once I actually got it in my hands... nope. Not my cup of tea.

                      Laser engraving for me is hit and miss. Actual tooling on the item is my preferred method and the results, at least to me, look and feel much more awesome.

                      The overall quality of these are great, just that what makes them 'CB7Tuner' is what lacks.
                      Click Image for CB7Tuner.com Beanies, Decals, & Keychains!

                      Comment


                        #41
                        aside from the obvious need to have the etching improved, I prefer the round stainless. Even though in the summer it's really hot and I am worried about it freezing too my hand in the winter. It's the weight of the stainless steel that i really like. From a practical point, I would like to see it in round and polymer but weighted close to the stainless steel with the use of a insert as stated in an earlier post.
                        CB7TUNER.com
                        Educating each other one car at a time.

                        Comment


                          #42
                          I left these outside yesterday (97°) and the two that were the hottest were the black polymer and the titanium. The stainless took longer to heat up than the other two (obviously it was reflecting the heat moreso than the others).
                          Both metal ones did however take longer to cool down than the polymer, with the TI one taking the longest.

                          So with my super non scientific test:
                          Black polymer & TI heated up the quickest.
                          Black polymer & TI GOT the hottest (to touch, I didn't bother getting my Raytek out and measuring actual surface temps).
                          Stainless & TI took the longest to cool off.
                          Click Image for CB7Tuner.com Beanies, Decals, & Keychains!

                          Comment


                            #43
                            After seeing the initial samples I'm still all for the teardrop shape followed by round. Although I still think I'd like the stainless steel for the weight, and looks. I do agree with everyone else though that the engraving on the polymer knob looks the best and stands out apart from the knob.
                            MRT: 1993 Honda Accord SE Coupe (Lola)

                            Comment


                              #44
                              Even a "super non scientific test" will yield some usable results! Were these out in the sun? Direct sunlight will definitely heat up the black poly (mostly because of the fact that it's black). I always put up my sunshade when I park my car in the sun, so my shift knob never gets as hot as the ambient temperature. If the sun so happens to be shining through a side window, then it will be noticeably hotter.

                              It never crossed my mind that a more reflective finish would help, but that makes perfect sense. It feels like the titanium material and the piston shape are working their ways out of the running.

                              What about a tear drop with a flattened top for better engraving:



                              I drew these up. Both are 2" at the widest with a 1-1/2" diameter plateu and 1" diameter at the lower collar with 1/8" radiuses so there are no sharp edges. The left is 3" tall and the right is 3-1/16" with the added convex. Both should offer up a much better surface for engraving and the convex should still be much easier than a pure sphere.

                              A flat top on a ball knob looks strange, almost "unfinished" so I dismissed it.
                              1993 Accord DX | Rosewood Brown Metallic

                              Comment


                                #45
                                The 'test' (I forgot I left them outside when I was working on something else ) was 30 minutes in the direct sunlight.

                                In the shade, there really wasn't much of a noticeable difference, they all felt 'warm' to the touch with the polymer one being maybe a little bit cooler than the other two. It's like getting into your car in 100° weather, everything feels hot and the stuff in direct sunlight is 10x worse.


                                A teardrop with a flat top looks weird.

                                I think we are getting somewhere though. And we may just have to go with two shapes to cover most everyone's preference, round and teardrop.
                                Click Image for CB7Tuner.com Beanies, Decals, & Keychains!

                                Comment

                                Working...
                                X