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My own bad experience has just made me a little biased against them

Benjamin_L wrote:My own bad experience has just made me a little biased against them

Me too. I just do not trust that the needles are unused and they can be really bad on records if they are not new. And, I don't particularly like the metallic sound they produce on my Credenza. Maybe it is just me, but I will stick to steel.

electrolaman 64 wrote:Here is a company that had long lasting needles that beagn production as early as 1918. Later did a redesign in 1923. I have 6 boxes of these and recently tried a couple. I am playing Victor Scroll dance records and a few 30s HMVs. They sound absolutely fabulous and what I did notice right off is that I get absolutely no black grit off the needle at all after any plays. Nothing, nada! I cannot say that about Victor Tungstone needles.

Tonofone made by R.C. Wade Company in Chicago, IL.

Although I would not follow the instructions about turning the needle. Noooooooo!

I too have several boxes of these. Some are in blue boxes and some in red boxes, but both are marked LOUD. Like yours, my blue boxes play "50 or more" records. The red boxes say "The needle with a flexible point" and play "20 to 50" records. Blue boxes are 4 for 10 cents, red are 10 for 25 cents. I have never tried these but I think I will do so soon!

melvind wrote:

Benjamin_L wrote:My own bad experience has just made me a little biased against them

Me too. I just do not trust that the needles are unused and they can be really bad on records if they are not new. And, I don't particularly like the metallic sound they produce on my Credenza. Maybe it is just me, but I will stick to steel.

It’s a matter of taste!

52089 wrote:

electrolaman 64 wrote:Here is a company that had long lasting needles that beagn production as early as 1918. Later did a redesign in 1923. I have 6 boxes of these and recently tried a couple. I am playing Victor Scroll dance records and a few 30s HMVs. They sound absolutely fabulous and what I did notice right off is that I get absolutely no black grit off the needle at all after any plays. Nothing, nada! I cannot say that about Victor Tungstone needles.

Tonofone made by R.C. Wade Company in Chicago, IL.

Although I would not follow the instructions about turning the needle. Noooooooo!

I too have several boxes of these. Some are in blue boxes and some in red boxes, but both are marked LOUD. Like yours, my blue boxes play "50 or more" records. The red boxes say "The needle with a flexible point" and play "20 to 50" records. Blue boxes are 4 for 10 cents, red are 10 for 25 cents. I have never tried these but I think I will do so soon!

What’s the worst that could happen? I wouldn’t have suggested it, if I hadn’t tried it myself.

so long as the tip is not bent and is still present it supposedly is fine to re-use tungs-tones. But what you need to do is run them in the runout area for a while to reshape the tip to it's orientation in the reproducer. Victor recommended this even with new needles IIRC.

Tungs-tones are sacrificial just like steel, the claim was that the material had a lower coefficient of friction than steel so it wore less in use, and did not wear the record any more than steel, similar to claims made about nylon needles

mick_vt wrote:so long as the tip is not bent and is still present it supposedly is fine to re-use tungs-tones. But what you need to do is run them in the runout area for a while to reshape the tip to it's orientation in the reproducer. Victor recommended this even with new needles IIRC.

Tungs-tones are sacrificial just like steel, the claim was that the material had a lower coefficient of friction than steel so it wore less in use, and did not wear the record any more than steel, similar to claims made about nylon needles

Yea! I read about that.

If anyone is unhappy with their Tungstone needles, I will happily take them off your hands. Cheers, Russie

When we're speaking of the properties of Tungsten, we're taking a whole lot for granted. First, are Victor Tungs-Tone needles tipped with pure tungsten, or a tungsten alloy, of which there are several? Tungsten-carbide for example is incredibly hard, while tungsten alloyed with copper is somewhat soft & machinable. There are many different properties in between for other alloys as well. Unless we really know the nature of the "tungsten" used in these needles, we're all just "talking".

Excerpt from a 1924 Victor Victrola Manual.


VI - THE VICTROLA TUNGS-TONE STYLUS
AND THE VICTOR STEEL NEEDLE

We recommend that in playing your records you always use the Victrola Tungs-tone stylus, because it is the one ideal reproducing point. The Tungs-tone stylus employs the metal tungsten, which is soft and fibrous, not hard and crystalline. The Victory Company controls by patent, the use of this metal for reproducing points, and
while other points have been made imitating the general form of tungs-tone styli, they are invariably of some other material. The Tungs-tone stylus, because of its soft texture will not wear out your records. And it does not have to be changed for each record. Instead of being tapered the Tungs-tone stylus is cylindrical inn shape, and of the same width as the record groove. As its tip wears down, the stylus will not, therefore, like a tapered point, tend to crowd the sides of the record groove and thus impair the tone of the music. Its diameter remains the same from first to last. Each Tungs-tone stylus should play from 100 to 300 records. It is desirable to occasionally give the stylus a partial turn in the needle arm.

The Victor steel needles are made with the utmost care, and each and every one is polished to a spherical point and fits perfectly in the Victor record grooves.


If you’re going to use a Tungs-tone needle, play only on Victor Tungs-tone records.