Cinema Product Reviews
Strong 35mm SP35 tape splicer
Manufacturer: Strong International
Rating: F
The original review of this product can be found in the Review Warehouse.
Let’s have a close look at it. First, for reference purposes, let's consider the next picture below "picture #1".
Now let's consider the next picture below "picture #2".
That splicer blade assembly (5, PN # 5035) <picture # 1> (as well as the photo above) is a superb, perfect design. Perfect results, nothing to add.
Oh, what’s this? Yes, I’m not wrong, that poor thin stainless steel plate is the tape holder! What a cheap design, made from a badly folded thin steel sheet, poorly finished! All the edges and angles are as if they were hand-filed. If I had to make such a part by myself, with a vice and a file, I would make a more beautiful one! Oh yes, the STRONG SP 35 film splicer is provided with two tape holders, one at the front, one at the back. I still have to find a purpose for this. Now let’s try that tape holder. It is incredibly hard to pull a piece of tape out of that strange device, needlessly complicated. It must have been designed before the discovery of the wheel!
Let’s open the jaws of the STRONG SP 35 film splicer. Oh this is the stripper plate (12, # 4928) <picture # 2>! Once again that poor, thin, roughly filed stainless steel! Cheap, cheap, cheap!
Let’s have a look at the tape trimming device. It is made from two small blades (pic 2, 9, # 4806). Instead of being cut obliquely as on every guillotine device, it is cut straight and held askew under two small bolts. Once again, poor design, probably dictated by industrial simplification!
Let’s look at the splicer punch plate assembly (pic 1, 16, # 5037) Once again, same poor finish, this plate is even slightly shorter than the base on which it is fixed. Never mind, it’s not serious! No but it isn’t beautiful.
Enough with blabla, let’s try it!
As I’ve already said, the splicer blade works perfectly, it is twice
as thick as the CIR one.
Now let’s place a film and punch the tape. The motion of the punching
handle is short, smooth, neat!
Let’s have a look at the work.
AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAH! HOW DREADFUL! The five upper sprocket holes are severely damaged, dramatically enlarged on the inner side, all the inner edges are folded upward, HORRIBLE! Now my film is like a cheese grater on that very place!
Is that all? Not at all, the upper edge of the film has been severely chopped. The sliver is 0.4mm (0.0157 inches) large and 15mm (0.591 inches) long!
Just think I still have to proceed to the punching of the other side
of the film, the ten perfs will be ruined and both edges chopped!
Why is the STRONG SP 35 so rough? It’s obvious, it is awfully
badly designed!
Look at the punch blades, they move toward the film according to a rotation axis (the 2 splicer hinge pins, P1, 6, # 4802) and so penetrates obliquely into the holes of the punch plate assembly, so do the trim blades. On the CIR splicer, both punch blade and trim blade move perpendicularly, that’s the only right solution!
I can admit mine was built on a Friday and needs an adjustment but then, the quality control at STRONG’S leaves a lot to be desired and the technically wrong design remains.
I’m awfully disappointed by the STRONG SP 35 ($405, internal shipping included). I bet a GE M2 splicer ($156) from American Cinema Equipment in Portland does a better work as it’s a knock-off of the unrivalled CIR.