[IC] Stemshaver - a tool to fix BOX switches

[Techno Trousers]

Woohoo! Looking forward to getting my Jades in order.

[abrahamstechnology]

Mine is in the mail!

[menuhin]

IMO, the Stemshaver can skip the IC and directly contact Kailh for funding and sponsorship so that this product can be cheaply available to all of us who still want to give some chance to Kailh box switches.

If Kailh can sponsor this project, this is going to be a Win-Win situation to recover the mess of creating these cap-stem breaking switches:

1. Kailh can get approval from us in their latest revisions of box switches fittings and prove that the Stemshaver does not further shave down the new switch stems.
2. We are happy to try out our old shaved switches, and other users with the testimony from us can rest their mind to buy a finally corrected revision of their box switches.

Of course, Kailh can just deny and ignore all these and just keep revising their box switches until no one (who still dare to try) breaks their key caps any more. I bet their sales, even with the wave of box royal purple, are declining sharply because of this.

[pixelpusher]

In a perfect world they might.  But this is the world we live in.  Where have you ever seen a company step in and do the right thing when there wasn't potential life in the balance.  This is just some stressed caps.  It sucks for us, but it's not a big deal for the rest of the world, unfortunately.  The jury is still out on whether shaved stems will help prevent keycaps from cracking.  This is what the prototypes going out will help with.   More people with eyes and hands on the product is a good thing.  I like Kailh's switches, but I wouldn't trust them blindly if they sold the shavers and said they did the trick.   I'd still want some community members to test the waters.

[Kavik]

Why? It's only an real issue if you have them on "end-game" builds and/or GMK keysets I think. They're still great switches just ****s up keysets

This is a good point. I've actually considered getting something like Maxkey WoB so that I can use Box switches with impunity!

Maxkey sets are especially susceptible to the cracking issue because they have very thin stem walls (they have been known to crack easily even without box switches from what I've read). The keyset that originated my thread was Maxkey Orange on Dolch.

[2ndRoad805]

I offer to sacrifice myself as subject to the prototype shaver.

[IOVERCALLHISTIOCYTES]

I just ordered 3mm flat files for old stock novelias. Figure I can do it while watching football. Would love a stemshaver, even if it wasn't perfect...

[Darknight00z]

Have we scared OP off?

[AlcoholEnthusiast]

I have a prototype in the mail, I'll update after using.

[Starius]

I have a prototype in the mail, I'll update after using.

Please do!  I think many of us are waiting with bated breath and fingers crossed.

[Harms]

Juiced for this GB.

Sent from my BBF100-2 using Tapatalk

[BlindAssassin111]

I also have a proto in the mail, not sure when it will get here as the tracking has no expected date sadly...

[AlcoholEnthusiast]

I have a prototype in the mail, I'll update after using.

Please do!  I think many of us are waiting with bated breath and fingers crossed.

It's the brass one, not SS - so it will be interesting to see how long it holds up. I have 175 Navies, 75 Jades and 100 Novelias. Hopefully it holds up for all of them.

Would still buy SS version if it became available.

[lutchbu]

Have we scared OP off?

Don't worry, I'm still here.
I'm currently waiting to get feedback on the prototypes I sent out.

[roostrc0gburn]

super interested and antsy to get one of these as well!

[Techno Trousers]

Really exciting to hear that prototypes are almost in hand.

[dyrdevil]

If these work, I'll buy one instantly.

[pixelpusher]

I just got mine today (prototype).  I'll definitely take some time to fully test it out, but here's what I see so far:

First and most importantly, it seems to work. Time and testing will tell, but I'm quite optimistic on this. 

It's simple to use, but does require some force to press it onto the stem (varies by switch). This is probably something that is easier to do with mounted switches than with loose switches.  Have you ever tried to push PCB mount switches into a board with small holes?  That's the feeling I have in my hands after doing 6 switches.  It will take a bit of time and patience.

It took me about 5 minutes to do the top row of my box black board and another 5 min to do some loose hako violets.  I plan to finish up the box black board (the one that originally broke my hyperfuse set), and mount some GMK caps on it.  Then I'll continue to use the tool on loose switches to see how well it holds up.  I'll report back when I find how everything turns out.

[ReverbSlush]

is it possible to go "too far" with this tool? like make them too shaved so that the caps aren't tight enough on the board?

[pixelpusher]

is it possible to go "too far" with this tool? like make them too shaved so that the caps aren't tight enough on the board?

Nope.  I haven't had that happen.  Even used the tool on a few stems 8 or 9 times.  It just takes off what is needed.

[Starius]

This thread is pricisely why someone could fall in love with this community.
A problem with a niche product arose.
The community came together to discuss and identify the problem, and discuss potential solutions.
And then someone starts creating a solution to help others fix said problem.

You guys are great.

I'm gonna order like, 2 or 3 of these things. 😊

[oh_chesteroni]

This thread is pricisely why someone could fall in love with this community.
A problem with a niche product arose.
The community came together to discuss and identify the problem, and discuss potential solutions.
And then someone starts creating a solution to help others fix said problem.

You guys are great.

I'm gonna order like, 2 or 3 of these things.

Starius over here pulling at my heart strings and making me cry.

On the real though, I can't agree more. Thank you to lutchbu for designing the stemshaver and to all the prototype testers for running it through its paces.

[BlindAssassin111]

Just got my prototype(steel) today, will be testing on Nexus sliders and box switches. Will update once I have more info.

[BlindAssassin111]

Okay so I have been shaving stems for a little while now and here are my findings so far. (Won't be giving actual measurements only deltas as all calipers/micrometers will measure slightly different depending on manufacturer and each Stemshaver has a tolerance as well)

Nexus Sliders:
1) The stemshaver heavily favors cutting on one side and barely on the other, this is most likely due to manufacturing and can be fixed. I have marked the side that cuts with a sharpie and everytime I use it only that side cuts and the other barely does anything, and I flip it to cut the other bumps and once again that same marked side cuts. So I have to cut each stem twice, which sucks.
2) The insert needs to be glued in because it can actually get stuck on the stem and prevent it from being separated without using pliers.
3) Can't be used with an assembled switch, which is fine because it wasn't meant to fit in an alps(or nexus for that matter) housing.
4) After cutting twice on each stem they typically shave off ~0.05mm and when put in a GMK cap, fit tightly and don't stress the cap at all.
5) The cap grows from ~5.59mm to ~5.69mm with the stem inserted, which is the same as some cherry MX reds I tested with. So caps seem to be safe and still fit very tightly like they should.

Conclusion: Nexus sliders seem to benefit from the stemshaver, once glued in and marked for the dominant cutting side. Caps are not stressed like they used to be, and are stretching the same as MX reds so that is a good sign.

BOX switches:
1) Once again the dominant cutting side still is seen here so you have to cut twice and flip the cutter 180 degrees in between cuts. Once done it shaves off ~0.05mm, which puts it in the safe range and does not stretch the caps. Can't measure the increase in cap stem size as the box switch gets in the way and I don't feel like destroying one right now. My bet is it may stretch a tad less than MX reds as it wasn't held as tightly but that can be due to the surface finish after cutting as well.
2) Much easier to cut than nexus sliders as you don't have to due the slider separately and that makes it easier to remove.

Conclusion: The Stemshaver works well on the BOX switches and puts them in the safe zone to not crack or stress caps yet still be held tightly.

Things I would change:
1) Glue the insert in as it is able to come out during use, which make it a pain and slows the process down greatly.

[lendflat]

Okay so I have been shaving stems for a little while now and here are my findings so far. (Won't be giving actual measurements only deltas as all calipers/micrometers will measure slightly different depending on manufacturer and each Stemshaver has a tolerance as well)

Nexus Sliders:
1) The stemshaver heavily favors cutting on one side and barely on the other, this is most likely due to manufacturing and can be fixed. I have marked the side that cuts with a sharpie and everytime I use it only that side cuts and the other barely does anything, and I flip it to cut the other bumps and once again that same marked side cuts. So I have to cut each stem twice, which sucks.
2) The insert needs to be glued in because it can actually get stuck on the stem and prevent it from being separated without using pliers.
3) Can't be used with an assembled switch, which is fine because it wasn't meant to fit in an alps(or nexus for that matter) housing.
4) After cutting twice on each stem they typically shave off ~0.05mm and when put in a GMK cap, fit tightly and don't stress the cap at all.
5) The cap grows from ~5.59mm to ~5.69mm with the stem inserted, which is the same as some cherry MX reds I tested with. So caps seem to be safe and still fit very tightly like they should.

Conclusion: Nexus sliders seem to benefit from the stemshaver, once glued in and marked for the dominant cutting side. Caps are not stressed like they used to be, and are stretching the same as MX reds so that is a good sign.

BOX switches:
1) Once again the dominant cutting side still is seen here so you have to cut twice and flip the cutter 180 degrees in between cuts. Once done it shaves off ~0.05mm, which puts it in the safe range and does not stretch the caps. Can't measure the increase in cap stem size as the box switch gets in the way and I don't feel like destroying one right now. My bet is it may stretch a tad less than MX reds as it wasn't held as tightly but that can be due to the surface finish after cutting as well.
2) Much easier to cut than nexus sliders as you don't have to due the slider separately and that makes it easier to remove.

Conclusion: The Stemshaver works well on the BOX switches and puts them in the safe zone to not crack or stress caps yet still be held tightly.

Things I would change:
1) Glue the insert in as it is able to come out during use, which make it a pain and slows the process down greatly.

Seriously you should of at least volunteered to shaved all the stems for round 1ers....shame on you.

[BlindAssassin111]

Seriously you should of at least volunteered to shaved all the stems for round 1ers....shame on you.

And you should learn that your opinion isn't important, if you have problems with it keep it to yourself, you were an ass in my thread and now you are coming here to do the same thing, stop being an ******* just because you head is stuck up one.

[AlcoholEnthusiast]

My understanding was that one side was supposed to be cut more than the other, because on box switches iirc, the X axis had bigger nubs on the end than the Y axis. And it was the X axis that was causing issues with caps, so that was the 'problem' side that needed to be shaved.

I could be wrong, but I'm pretty sure I read that somewhere.

I got my prototype in - I won't be able to test it until Friday afternoon, but I will be able to report back then!

[BlindAssassin111]

My understanding was that one side was supposed to be cut more than the other, because on box switches iirc, the X axis had bigger nubs on the end than the Y axis. And it was the X axis that was causing issues with caps, so that was the 'problem' side that needed to be shaved.

I could be wrong, but I'm pretty sure I read that somewhere.

I got my prototype in - I won't be able to test it until Friday afternoon, but I will be able to report back then!

You are correct, but I was meaning there is a dominant x axis side(due to machining tolerance) so it doesn't cut both sides bumps the same hence the 180 rotation.

[donutcat]

I've not been able to do a lot of testing since I've been busy dealing with PayPal support, but I do have some initial thoughts:

 - With the steel shavers, they do fit quite snugly on the stems making it take a not-insignificant amount of force to take it back off after pushing it on. One of my shavers fits well enough in the handle that it doesn't pull out of it, but the other one I did have to remove from the switches I've used it on with pliers. Gluing or otherwise permanently mounting it into the handle would help this, but I'm not able to do that since I need to test two different shavers.
 - I did encounter the same situation blindassassin talked about where one side the angle shaver does seem to favor cutting more than the other. It doesn't seem to affect the fit of the caps after using it, and the "issue" does seem to be more pronounced on stems that are larger to begin with since some of the slimmer stems seemed to shave evenly.

So far the end result with a virgin/sacrificial GMK cap(who uses Scroll Lock anyway?) and a G20 PBT blank has shown good results comparing between before shaving, after shaving, and comparing to the fit of a Gat green. It's a noticeably looser/smoother fit that feels nowhere near as dangerously tight as some stock boxes. I hope to have some more testing done in a bit, hopefully an entire board or two for each of the two different shavers, I'm just not entirely sure when I'll have it done.

[AlcoholEnthusiast]

My understanding was that one side was supposed to be cut more than the other, because on box switches iirc, the X axis had bigger nubs on the end than the Y axis. And it was the X axis that was causing issues with caps, so that was the 'problem' side that needed to be shaved.

I could be wrong, but I'm pretty sure I read that somewhere.

I got my prototype in - I won't be able to test it until Friday afternoon, but I will be able to report back then!

You are correct, but I was meaning there is a dominant x axis side(due to machining tolerance) so it doesn't cut both sides bumps the same hence the 180 rotation.

Gotcha, that makes sense. I'll see if I have the same experience when I use it.

[kmfmppl]

Feedback seems promising so far, excited! Here s hoping that my pile of unused capcrackers will finally be able to be put to some use 

[lutchbu]

Okay so I have been shaving stems for a little while now and here are my findings so far. (Won't be giving actual measurements only deltas as all calipers/micrometers will measure slightly different depending on manufacturer and each Stemshaver has a tolerance as well)

Nexus Sliders:
1) The stemshaver heavily favors cutting on one side and barely on the other, this is most likely due to manufacturing and can be fixed. I have marked the side that cuts with a sharpie and everytime I use it only that side cuts and the other barely does anything, and I flip it to cut the other bumps and once again that same marked side cuts. So I have to cut each stem twice, which sucks.
...

I suppose by side you mean left/right? This would suggest that the cutting faces are not parallel. If I had to guess I'd say this is due to the lack of rigidity in my milling setup (and my inexperience).

2) The insert needs to be glued in because it can actually get stuck on the stem and prevent it from being separated without using pliers.
...
Things I would change:
1) Glue the insert in as it is able to come out during use, which make it a pain and slows the process down greatly.

This wasn't really an issue for me but I was concerned about it. The reason I didn't glue them in is because of the idea to repurpose them as "artisans". Adding some water to the hole in the handle to swell the wood fibers was sufficient during my tests. A drop of super glue would be more permanent but could still be released with heat. This would damage/char the handle though most likely.

[BlindAssassin111]

I suppose by side you mean left/right? This would suggest that the cutting faces are not parallel. If I had to guess I'd say this is due to the lack of rigidity in my milling setup (and my inexperience).

Yes that is what I was saying, it isn't a major issue, just a noted issue that can/will happen and you will have a hard time avoiding unless you use a CNC or have a perfect mill and hand control.

EDIT: Even a small amount of deflection would be enough to cause a noticeable difference. Maybe take a smaller depth of cut on the final pass? Not sure if you are using a smaller tool or an exact size tool and doing a single pass. I would recommend multiple passes with a smaller tool if you aren't already doing so, I suspect you are as it is the correct technique, but in case you aren't, please do .

This wasn't really an issue for me but I was concerned about it. The reason I didn't glue them in is because of the idea to repurpose them as "artisans". Adding some water to the hole in the handle to swell the wood fibers was sufficient during my tests. A drop of super glue would be more permanent but could still be released with heat. This would damage/char the handle though most likely.

It is mainly an issue with the nexus sliders as the stemshaver seems to have a harder time cutting. This is probably due to my design as the leading edge of the bump is chamfered and filleted so it may actually be deforming and cramming itself into the tool. Not sure if BOX switches have the issue as I already glued it in before I moved on to them, as I tested nexus first and it was an annoying issue. Can be easily solved by the end user but honestly I don't know if the aritsan idea would actually be used or worth keeping as a feature.

[Techno Trousers]

Maybe a glued/non-glued decision from purchasers would be appropriate? Personally, I'll go for glued, because first and foremost it's a tool for me, and I have a LOT of them to shave.

[_ODIN_]

Maybe a glued/non-glued decision from purchasers would be appropriate? Personally, I'll go for glued, because first and foremost it's a tool for me, and I have a LOT of them to shave.

+1

[82d28a]

Maybe a glued/non-glued decision from purchasers would be appropriate? Personally, I'll go for glued, because first and foremost it's a tool for me, and I have a LOT of them to shave.

Same here I see it as a tool not art. As a tool it should be easy and comfortable to use. Please don't make it so that we need to hack it to use it.

[abrahamstechnology]

Mine is working great so far! Shaved over 100.

[rainb1ood]

interested as i need to shave 200 box royale

[phatty]

So, my Stemshavers arrived on Friday and I have had enough time to test them out. Below is an album of to show my testing. Be sure to embiggen the pictures for a better view.
https://imgur.com/a/iEZoM9e

Top row is unshaved, bottom row has been shaved. I'm sure the pictures highlight my findings.

After shaving each stem, I found it much easier to remove keycaps. When comparing to unshaved stems, the shaved stems are significantly improved.

I used some extra crappy, cheap DSA caps, which pretty much crack on anything they come in contact with. That includes Zealios and Cherry MX switches. Though, when used on the unshaved MX Clear, was so tight it wouldn't come off and then also had no signs of stress marks or cracks. At the end of the album is a comparison between the two.

Personally, I recommend getting the wooden handle one as it makes the process so much easier. Especially as you can see that my handle free one got stuck, in some sort of Excalibur situation.

When shaving you do have to shave twice, from the opposite angle. As in, if you shave  from the top, you will need to shave from the bottom to hit both sides of the stem.

I used an art knife to shave off the unwanted excess plastic. This helps when you put keycaps back on so they sit properly.

I will be buying a stack with handles as these work and ultimately do exactly what I need.

[82d28a]

So, my Stemshavers arrived on Friday and I have had enough time to test them out. Below is an album of to show my testing. Be sure to embiggen the pictures for a better view.
https://imgur.com/a/iEZoM9e

Top row is unshaved, bottom row has been shaved. I'm sure the pictures highlight my findings.

After shaving each stem, I found it much easier to remove keycaps. When comparing to unshaved stems, the shaved stems are significantly improved.

I used some extra crappy, cheap DSA caps, which pretty much crack on anything they come in contact with. That includes Zealios and Cherry MX switches. Though, when used on the unshaved MX Clear, was so tight it wouldn't come off and then also had no signs of stress marks or cracks. At the end of the album is a comparison between the two.

Personally, I recommend getting the wooden handle one as it makes the process so much easier. Especially as you can see that my handle free one got stuck, in some sort of Excalibur situation.

When shaving you do have to shave twice, from the opposite angle. As in, if you shave  from the top, you will need to shave from the bottom to hit both sides of the stem.

I used an art knife to shave off the unwanted excess plastic. This helps when you put keycaps back on so they sit properly.

I will be buying a stack with handles as these work and ultimately do exactly what I need.

Thank you for the detailed review with pics!

Have you considered lube on the shaver so it is easier to push in and pull out?

Did you notice any shaved bits building up inside the shaver?  If so how did you get it cleaned out?

[phatty]

So, my Stemshavers arrived on Friday and I have had enough time to test them out. Below is an album of to show my testing. Be sure to embiggen the pictures for a better view.
https://imgur.com/a/iEZoM9e

Top row is unshaved, bottom row has been shaved. I'm sure the pictures highlight my findings.

After shaving each stem, I found it much easier to remove keycaps. When comparing to unshaved stems, the shaved stems are significantly improved.

I used some extra crappy, cheap DSA caps, which pretty much crack on anything they come in contact with. That includes Zealios and Cherry MX switches. Though, when used on the unshaved MX Clear, was so tight it wouldn't come off and then also had no signs of stress marks or cracks. At the end of the album is a comparison between the two.

Personally, I recommend getting the wooden handle one as it makes the process so much easier. Especially as you can see that my handle free one got stuck, in some sort of Excalibur situation.

When shaving you do have to shave twice, from the opposite angle. As in, if you shave  from the top, you will need to shave from the bottom to hit both sides of the stem.

I used an art knife to shave off the unwanted excess plastic. This helps when you put keycaps back on so they sit properly.

I will be buying a stack with handles as these work and ultimately do exactly what I need.

Thank you for the detailed review with pics!

Have you considered lube on the shaver so it is easier to push in and pull out?

Did you notice any shaved bits building up inside the shaver?  If so how did you get it cleaned out?

Lube could help with the process. With the handle I haven't had any issues though.

The way the stems are shaved, all the build up sticks to the stem, hence needing the knife to cut the excess plastic off. You can just blow the lightweight plastic out of the Stemshaver if need be.

[ArchDill]

I vote that the GB be renamed "Stem S(h)aver"



I did not read the full thread so please forgive me if someone else has already said this...

[Harms]

I have a lot of box switches that are due for a nice clean fresh shave....

[AlcoholEnthusiast]

God around to using mine, and while it does require some definite force (which is to be expected) it definitely works! I did not have any issues with the wood, but just to be sure I think glueing should be default, with the option to get it without glue for artisans if you want. A dot/mark on the north side for quick orientating would be nice too. But those are all superfluous additions, even as is it works great!

[GCPixel]

Are these being sold already?


Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk

[Techno Trousers]

Are these being sold already?


Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk

Nope. Early testers are reporting results. Sounds like there are just a couple of tweaks that could make this tool perfect! I'm really looking forward to ordering mine.

[ideus]

Is there a scheduled date for GB launch yet?

[lutchbu]

I suppose by side you mean left/right? This would suggest that the cutting faces are not parallel. If I had to guess I'd say this is due to the lack of rigidity in my milling setup (and my inexperience).

Yes that is what I was saying, it isn't a major issue, just a noted issue that can/will happen and you will have a hard time avoiding unless you use a CNC or have a perfect mill and hand control.

EDIT: Even a small amount of deflection would be enough to cause a noticeable difference. Maybe take a smaller depth of cut on the final pass? Not sure if you are using a smaller tool or an exact size tool and doing a single pass. I would recommend multiple passes with a smaller tool if you aren't already doing so, I suspect you are as it is the correct technique, but in case you aren't, please do .

This wasn't really an issue for me but I was concerned about it. The reason I didn't glue them in is because of the idea to repurpose them as "artisans". Adding some water to the hole in the handle to swell the wood fibers was sufficient during my tests. A drop of super glue would be more permanent but could still be released with heat. This would damage/char the handle though most likely.

It is mainly an issue with the nexus sliders as the stemshaver seems to have a harder time cutting. This is probably due to my design as the leading edge of the bump is chamfered and filleted so it may actually be deforming and cramming itself into the tool. Not sure if BOX switches have the issue as I already glued it in before I moved on to them, as I tested nexus first and it was an annoying issue. Can be easily solved by the end user but honestly I don't know if the aritsan idea would actually be used or worth keeping as a feature.

The BOX switch stems are also chamfered, that's why I changed the design to a closed slot for the x-axis.
I'll probably omit the artisan idea and keep it for another GB, maybe.

Is there a scheduled date for GB launch yet?

No.

So, my Stemshavers arrived on Friday and I have had enough time to test them out. Below is an album of to show my testing. Be sure to embiggen the pictures for a better view.
https://imgur.com/a/iEZoM9e

Top row is unshaved, bottom row has been shaved. I'm sure the pictures highlight my findings.

After shaving each stem, I found it much easier to remove keycaps. When comparing to unshaved stems, the shaved stems are significantly improved.

I used some extra crappy, cheap DSA caps, which pretty much crack on anything they come in contact with. That includes Zealios and Cherry MX switches. Though, when used on the unshaved MX Clear, was so tight it wouldn't come off and then also had no signs of stress marks or cracks. At the end of the album is a comparison between the two.

Personally, I recommend getting the wooden handle one as it makes the process so much easier. Especially as you can see that my handle free one got stuck, in some sort of Excalibur situation.

When shaving you do have to shave twice, from the opposite angle. As in, if you shave  from the top, you will need to shave from the bottom to hit both sides of the stem.

I used an art knife to shave off the unwanted excess plastic. This helps when you put keycaps back on so they sit properly.

I will be buying a stack with handles as these work and ultimately do exactly what I need.

Are you describing the same situation as BlindAssassin111 above (shaving twice)?
Looking through your pictures, the amount shaved off does seem to be a bit excessive. In which orientation are you using the stemshaver? The open slot should be facing north/south.

[phatty]

So, my Stemshavers arrived on Friday and I have had enough time to test them out. Below is an album of to show my testing. Be sure to embiggen the pictures for a better view.
https://imgur.com/a/iEZoM9e

Top row is unshaved, bottom row has been shaved. I'm sure the pictures highlight my findings.

After shaving each stem, I found it much easier to remove keycaps. When comparing to unshaved stems, the shaved stems are significantly improved.

I used some extra crappy, cheap DSA caps, which pretty much crack on anything they come in contact with. That includes Zealios and Cherry MX switches. Though, when used on the unshaved MX Clear, was so tight it wouldn't come off and then also had no signs of stress marks or cracks. At the end of the album is a comparison between the two.

Personally, I recommend getting the wooden handle one as it makes the process so much easier. Especially as you can see that my handle free one got stuck, in some sort of Excalibur situation.

When shaving you do have to shave twice, from the opposite angle. As in, if you shave  from the top, you will need to shave from the bottom to hit both sides of the stem.

I used an art knife to shave off the unwanted excess plastic. This helps when you put keycaps back on so they sit properly.

I will be buying a stack with handles as these work and ultimately do exactly what I need.

Are you describing the same situation as BlindAssassin111 above (shaving twice)?
Looking through your pictures, the amount shaved off does seem to be a bit excessive. In which orientation are you using the stemshaver? The open slot should be facing north/south.
[/quote]

Yeah same situation. When shaving, initially I tested it by pressing down from the top, this left some sides unshaved. I found it easier to shave the stems applying force from the bottom, then top, to shave both stems.

[oh_chesteroni]

Any updates op? I'd be willing to purchase the stemshaver with the current "flaws". I have flaws in quotations because I don't necessarily see the current issues with the review samples as flaws, just minor inconveniences if anything.