Sapphire Tipped Bent Shank Needles?

[1923VictorFan]

I have been following the recent post on "Fiber Needles" with curiosity although I have never seen one. I have however seen numerous listings on eBay for "Sapphire Tipped, Bent Shank" needles claiming they work great on antique machines and are good for upto 4000 plays.
Has anyone used them and are they really as good as they claim? Any evidence that they damage old 78 records? It seems too good to be true.

[gramophoneshane]

It is too good to be true
Even with an electric pick-up, these needles will chew up you records. With many, you can actually watch the groove change colour the first time you lower the needle on the record.
If you can find one that was designed specifically for 78's ONLY, they're not quite so bad, but the "3 speed" version that was designed for 78s, 45s & 33s are murder on any disc you lower them on.
I've got sapphire, diamond, ruby & osmium tipped shank needles, & none of them will ever be lowered on my discs, and Im a big fan of loud tone steel lol.
They're probably really only useful in early jukeboxes, where sacrificing records is prefered to changing the needle constantly.

Heres a few from my collection.

[recordo]

when I was a child I found a NOS sapphire tipped needle in the local record shop - it must have been sitting there for thirty years - and gave it to my father for his birthday present. He was ecstatic at the idea of not changing needles in the HMV (No. 4 Soundbox) - and in it went - chewed through his favourite Gigli 78 and it was then that I learnt (at the age of 9) that these were for magnetic pick-ups!