When an enquiry came in from a customer in North West London for a new wheel balancer, one of our Equipment Specialists arranged to visit to discuss the options. Initially, the customer was very specific in terms of what he wanted, which was something compact, simple to use, definitely ‘handspin’, and, most importantly, reliable – pointing out that his old balancer had served him 30 years!
Upon arrival, we saw that the customer has been using a Balco B940, manufactured in Ireland at the original factory in 1995! Obviously, things have moved on since then, with that factory long since closing down following a move of the production facility to Italy in 1999. Also, technology has progressed, and ownership of the brand has changed. Nevertheless, knowing that he could still buy a ‘Balco’, from the same people who worked for the company back in 1995, was all the reassurance the customer needed to make his decision, and within a couple of days he took delivery of a brand new velospin 1000 Handspin wheel balancer!
The velospin 1000 is the very latest generation of ‘handspin’ wheel balancer, boasting a compact footprint, automatic data entry and capability to operate either 12v (mobile) or 240v (workshop).
A handspin balancer is a great option for anyone looking to save on cost and space without compromising on performance, and the low spin speed means there are no Health and Safety considerations, one major component less to go wrong in the form of a motor assembly, and of course a handspin machine only requires a very low power consumption.
We couldn’t resist brining back the old balancer, not for the scrap metal but for the nostalgic value! We plan to refurbish this machine and put it in our ‘Hall Of Fame’ at some point in the future.
