The rounded spine is a very nice touch. I love that treatment on some of my busses and am glad to see the idea being used in the yard too. <img src="/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/thumbup.gif" alt="" />
is the regulator still a full 1/3 of an inch thick, or has it been thinned a bit with the new saber grind?
It's still the same thickness.
I have to be honest with you, the saber grind shocked all of us when it emerged as the best chopper. And the difference in efficiency was pretty big.
I was really rooting for the full height grind as I thought it looked as though it would chop better and it is MUCH cheaper to manufacture. Saber grinds have to be much more accurate than full height grinds which means that we are forced to use CNC grinders as opposed to mechanical or hydraulic grinders which are much less expensive to run.
Here's another one for you that made little sense at first. The full height grind caused much greater hand and arm fatigue than did the saber ground model. The saber ground version remained comfortable to chop with even in cold weather with no gloves on for extensive periods of time. We ultimately attributed this to the dampened vibration of the blade from the extra rigidity... sort of like a bull barrel on a high power rifle or simliar to difference you feel when you club yourself in the head with an empty bottle instead of a full one. <img src="/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/shocked.gif" alt="" />
Dan