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A Community Devoted to the Preservation and Practice of Celestial Navigation and Other Methods of Traditional Wayfinding
Re: Cassens & Plath versus C. Plath sextants
From: Ken Gebhart
Date: 2014 Jan 10, 18:16 -0600
From: Ken Gebhart
Date: 2014 Jan 10, 18:16 -0600
The C. Plath has been long considered the the finest of sextants
1. C.Plath was by far the oldest of the two, and established a reputation for the best of German instrument making since the 19th century.
2. C. Plath stopped making sextants, not because of loss of market share, but because they were acquired by Litton Industries, and it was a boardroom decision involving modern product lines.
3. During their dual existence, C.Plath sextants sold at 50% more than Cassen & Plath sextants.
4. C. Plath sextants were made of cast bronze using the “lost wax method”. Cassens & Plath sextants are made of a “special brass alloy”. Metal experts in the group may want to comment on the relative merits of each.
5. Cassens & Plath continues to make a good product, and are now at the top of the high end sextant sales.
6. Tamaya, which used to be a tough competitor with their bronze arc fused to an aluminum frame (same as Astra III Professional), has lost market share due to excessive pricing, and now only makes sextants on special order.
Ken
