So awhile back i bought all the bird 43 elements and a new hard case for them, sweet. I knew when i got them that they are all plastic now but wow, the quality is horrible. Yes its all plastic but not a heavy duty plastic, it is light and cheap feeling. The white top of the elements with the writing turned yellow from minor 85deg heat this summer in the mobile (under a towel, no direct light) And the worst part is, all the white plastic covers on the bottom of the elements are loose and fall right off, came that way new. If i dont make sure they are straight it wont even go in the line section. Totally unacceptable. Thats ALOT of money wasted. So reading the reviews and specs of coaxial dynamics element's, they are literally the same. Size, accuracy, tolerance etc. Except for one thing, they are all metal and brass, the white covers are glued in, they are heavy, solid, and look good. I just bought four of the 2-30mhz element's to check them out. Wow what a difference and the meter readings against bird element's? No difference. Needless to say i just ordered the rest of them and will be selling the bird elements as a whole. Sorry bird, i love and use your product line extensively but as far as the elements go, no thanks, im a coaxial dynamics guy from now on.
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Im done with bird elements, a little too late :(
- Thread starter groundwire
- Start date
Coaxial Dynamics elements have always been interchangeable with Bird. One thing I should mention is that there have been some counterfeit Bird elements hitting the market so I would not be surprised if that is what you ended up with unless you purchased from Bird directly and if that is the case, shame on Bird.
I bought them brand new sealed and taped with birds seal in the tube from martin rf supply. They are not fakes!
Rf martin is one of the best bird dealers around. Its bird that is at fault for having their elements made in china with crappy materials and crappy quality control. Rf martin has nothing to do with it.
Bird is a turd. I don't even want to get on this soapbox, but I will say this much.
At one time, I had my Bird stuff repaired and cal'd every 6 months, in the Bird repair department. They condemned half of it every time the stuff went in. I have Multiple elements, for example, I have 2 250H's. One cal'd, one replaced. One reads 30 watts higher with 100 watts, than the other, I forget which one. A meter that had a cracked glass that worked fine, but they replaced it, with some junk meter. I have had to replace that meter 3 times since then.
Bird sucks now. Sorry Bird fanboys, but "Bird Watts" Is BS.
At one time, I had my Bird stuff repaired and cal'd every 6 months, in the Bird repair department. They condemned half of it every time the stuff went in. I have Multiple elements, for example, I have 2 250H's. One cal'd, one replaced. One reads 30 watts higher with 100 watts, than the other, I forget which one. A meter that had a cracked glass that worked fine, but they replaced it, with some junk meter. I have had to replace that meter 3 times since then.
Bird sucks now. Sorry Bird fanboys, but "Bird Watts" Is BS.
The elements are plastic or just the containers? I have several BIRD elements with plastic sleeves / containers going on three years and not a problem. I agree with you that the protective sleeves are thin and flimsy.
Also, I have not had any issues with the identification labels. Have you purchased the elements recently? Something has definitely changed in the past three years.
If you compare an older Bird element, to a new one, it would appear to be a cheap knockoff. Caveat Emptor.