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5 NOS packs of Decca cactus / thorn needles plus the original carton. $125 plus shipping.

Price lowered

Price reduced

Price reduced - now just $17 per pack!

Now 75

May I ask why these are special?

Are these special? I use them but if they are that expensive I may have to stop, lol

I've never heard of that brand, but cactus needles are special because they are easier on records, can be easily re-pointed using a special sharpener, and 1 pack can last years. The species of cactus used I believe is extinct or endangered (correct me if I'm wrong) and nobody has yet to accurately reproduce the chemical formula used to harden them. All things considered, at $15 per pack (they sell for a lot more on eBay usually), it's not really that expensive if you think about how many plays you will get out of 1 pack. I still have 2 cases of them in my private stash which I'll be keeping, but after opening 2 packs about 8 years ago, I've yet to run them all down (in conjunction with using steel, of course).

By all means, use them. But I've never been a "save it for the next guy" kind of person.

Ooooh,
Ok.. Multiple plays per needle.. I did not know that. I thought maybe the artwork or something. I also thought it was $75.00 a pack.
I need to pay more attention to whats written in the listing..
Kirk

HisMastersVoice wrote:I've never heard of that brand, but cactus needles are special because they are easier on records, can be easily re-pointed using a special sharpener, and 1 pack can last years. The species of cactus used I believe is extinct or endangered (correct me if I'm wrong) and nobody has yet to accurately reproduce the chemical formula used to harden them. All things considered, at $15 per pack (they sell for a lot more on eBay usually), it's not really that expensive if you think about how many plays you will get out of 1 pack. I still have 2 cases of them in my private stash which I'll be keeping, but after opening 2 packs about 8 years ago, I've yet to run them all down (in conjunction with using steel, of course).

By all means, use them. But I've never been a "save it for the next guy" kind of person.

Ah! Having taken over making and selling Burmese Colour Needles from Dave Williams here in the UK, I'm researching all this avidly and will publish an article in due course. I hope to post it here after that, and/or have it available on my forthcoming website. In short, the original process for hardening them, dating back to around 1928, was steeping them in a solvent for a specified time (still done!). Coating or slightly impregnating them with a resin (shellac or other) was optional depending on the raw thorns used and it looks as though BCN dropped that within the first few years. A species of prickly pear was used originally - it isn't extinct but the original supply was wiped out due to it being eradicated as an invasive non-native. It looks as though Saguaro was used in the States, now protected. Two hints there which might have led to the 'extinct' idea...