CVD diamond tylus Needle stylus for Cutting Aliexpress

[classd2008]

I'm not advertising, I just wanted to know if this is good?
https://pt.aliexpress.com/item/1005009353303189.html?spm=a2g0o.cart.0.0.158138datuy2hK&mp=1&pdp_npi=6%40dis%21BRL%21BRL%201670.98%21BRL%201670.98%21%21BRL%201670.98%21%21%21%402101f11417694310921577680e09da%2112000048845559479%21ct%21BR%21123255278%21%211%210%21&gatewayAdapt=glo2bra

[ilovedrums247]

Its more expensive then Myshank (€305 vs €230) , and you probably don't get the same level of customer support.. so whats the advantage?

[The Shank]

I just wanted to know if this is good?

Really?

It seems very simple and obvious to me that just by looking at the product photos, you can clearly see multiple red flags. The stones are not aligned, the mounts appear poorly made, and the angles are off...etc etc
So how can you expect a proper finish when, even to the naked eye, there are clear differences compared to a high-quality tool?
An expert and trained eye can even confirm that the transparency of these stones has been compromised through chemical processes.
Making a stylus is simple. Making a functional, durable, and high-quality stylus is a craft.
For those working with us, I have a blog article that specifically helps compare high-quality and low-quality stones, along with the corresponding explanations.

[farmersplow]

I can confirm it's garbage. The diamond itself might be CVD-cut and okay in itself. But it doesn't have a proper cut. The setting in the aluminum cone is also crooked, and the diamond protrudes far too much. Furthermore, the adhesive isn't just bad, it's unusable. The diamond falls out under stress. You shouldn't heat it either, because then the adhesive (which holds the diamond in the cone) starts to evaporate.

I tried it once as a test and can therefore vouch for my statements.

And then there's the price! Even if you get it for $100, it's a bad deal.

You're better off with MyShank.

[Podorvanov]

I bought these styluses from China and am very pleased with the quality. The groove is perfectly quiet. This is the best diamond stylus I've ever used. It looks well made, no worse than the ones I had before. I've had the stylus for a week now and I like it. We'll see how long it lasts. The tip itself is aluminum, not 320, it's thinner and tends to sag, but I still use it for other heads using an adapter. And yes, I bought them in bulk, so the price came to 230 euros. The stone glue holds well; nothing falls out. But I always use a heating lamp. Yes, maybe I'd buy MyShank styluses instead, but I wish they were readily available, like on eBay. As it is, MyShank styluses are only available to a select group of people, those whom he approves to register. Plus, he doesn't want to ship to all countries. If his styluses and blanks were available on eBay, I'd be a regular customer. It would be enough to ship the goods to a warehouse in the US. From there, they would be shipped to me, like many other eBay purchases. Otherwise, I'm happy with the quality; these are the best diamond styluses I've tried so far. Let's hope they last as long as the others I've used before.

[mushroomjesus]

Hello — I can help clarify a few things here.

I manufacture diamond recording styli and work with CVD diamond stones only, so I spend a lot of time examining these tools under proper magnification.

Many of the Chinese styli sold online likely do use real CVD diamonds, but the actual quality of the CVD material is impossible to determine from a listing. There are many grades of CVD diamond, and sellers rarely provide information about crystal quality or growth structure.

When selecting a diamond for a cutting stylus, the crystal orientation of the diamond is critical. When purchasing raw stones, a large part of the work is selecting and orienting the diamond so the cutting edge follows the correct crystal direction. If the orientation is wrong, the stylus can wear quickly or chip even if the diamond itself is genuine.
Most of the low-cost styli coming from China are first shaped using laser cutting to form the basic stylus geometry. Laser shaping is a fast way to create the general form of the diamond, but the laser process leaves microscopic fracture edges along the cutting facets.

These diamonds can appear perfectly shaped to the naked eye or even under a standard 30–40× microscope, but under an electron microscope you can clearly see the rough edge structure left by the laser process.

After laser shaping, the cutting facets still require precision polishing. Proper finishing is normally done using planetary diamond grinders, which hold the diamond in a fixed orientation while the grinding plate and tool move in controlled planetary motion. This allows the cutting facet to be brought to an extremely precise angle and polished to an optical finish.

A lot of the lower-cost stones coming from China shops appear to skip this level of finishing and instead use standard diamond laps similar to those used in jewelry polishing. These setups typically rely on a flat rotating lap where the operator manually holds the stone. While this can refine the shape somewhat, it does not provide the same level of facet angle control, pressure consistency, or repeatability required for precision cutting tools.

With a planetary grinder, the diamond orientation, angle, and pressure are mechanically controlled. This is what allows the cutting facets to be polished evenly and the stylus geometry to remain consistent. With a simple lap system you can get the general shape close, but it is very difficult to achieve the same level of facet precision or edge quality needed for a high-performance recording stylus.

In theory, you could take one of these Chinese-made styli and have the diamond re-polished and properly finished, but once you factor in the labor and tooling required to do that work, the cost often ends up being the same as manufacturing a new stylus from properly selected stones. At that point it makes more sense to start with better CVD diamonds and correctly oriented crystal planes from the beginning.

So while the diamond itself may technically be CVD, that alone does not determine whether it will perform properly as a recording stylus if the cutting facets are not properly polished and finished.

I also sell diamond styli and raw stones in bulk here in the USA, and I do not gatekeep access to tools. Anyone working in lathe cutting is welcome to reach out anytime.

[zdenek]

Record China stylus https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kp7H2REKA8g

[zdenek]

I found another video with a Chinese stylus, installed into a small head with Chinese laptop speakers. The recording is in stereo, without improvisation, and it's not mind-blowing... https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=--Z-Yyje88w

[zdenek]

I found another one with a Chinese stylus, cut for CD, polycarbonate, with a lot of surface noise, this time by B Marley.
[I'm posting these videos as a warning to those interested in Chinese knives...]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FUSylyznLwM

[zdenek]

I cut it today with an MSchanc knife. There's a significant improvement, but the DVD noise unfortunately remains and probably can't be completely eliminated. At least I can hear the difference between the left and right channels. So, French knives are slightly better than Chinese ones and are worth buying made in france . video YT https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fFrE75tjvaQ

The camera limits the frequency response a bit, to the limit of 10 kHz, but this is only for comparison with the Chinese knife and the French one...

[zdenek]

Today I cut a record with my diamond cutter, so what can I say? Five seconds of recording is enough.
The noise level dropped by 20 dB.
Someone makes cutters, but they have too sharp edges, the blade isn't polished enough, and this causes a very high noise level. The diamond tears the material.
Not good for $300.
So you have to be careful.
I'd rather make a $10 cutter with a Chinese diamond; it's 10 orders of magnitude better, you can hear it, no need to dim it or improvise.
I reduced the feedback by a dozen or so dB, but the stereo difference is audible.
video yt https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UcEVb_sBuxs

[zdenek]

Chinese diamond, CD heating recording, 50 degrees Celsius, Stokfisch Records, in German. Amplifier power: 2x600W to the head plus FB feedback. The system is a complete clone of the SAL74B, currently undergoing testing.It doesn't look good...
video rec play https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lyci3QxCp2M

[zdenek]

Hello, recording from YouTube, through microphones [I turned the amplifier up too loud and it's overdriving the camera microphones]. Average recording quality. Bob Marley.https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YQYAeGMDQuA

[zdenek]

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9GXAlO4SilA&t=310s
I'll venture to recall my analog DVD recording video from a few years ago.
This machine was a real toy, the first one I made and sold for $1,000 [the guy still thanks me and asks me about my progress in this field of art].

I made this recording using a slightly worn, blunt German knife [original]. It wasn't suitable for cutting, but for embossing and pressing, it worked perfectly.

The drive wasn't stable, as seen and heard on the oscillogram, but the frequency response of this head made of small speakers [without negative feedback] is fantastic; you can hear it perfectly, not taking into account the mains hum .
I'm presenting these videos to prove [even to myself] that I'm right, meaning the smaller the drive coil, the faster the head. Remember to include overload protection systems. Good luck.
Personally, I currently record using copper plates called DMMs.
For those interested, I will provide assistance [completely free of charge]