Right now the cost  for these couplers simply does not rest well.  Even though they will make remote uncoupling systems very easy to build [a magnet in the sill would advance out, lifting the ball] the extra expense is quite excessive.  I will be staying with Kadees and their "airhoses" for the moment!!

 I find advertising on merits of how "A is better then B" to be superficial in the end; if the product is so much better, no side by side comparison is necessary.

I also find it quite humorous how Sargent advises us against building our using any other magnetic wand for uncoupling - we have to buy THEIRS!

It's an interesting concept all the same - even though I have seen couplers like these far longer then this company has been around;  here was another one long ago, I do believe, as I have their couplers here and there.  A white Zamac type coupler, with a lift pin that releases the coupler face.  Nothing new in my book!

It is a shame that Sergent has suspended production of their EC64 (S Scale) coupler. It worked very well and would mate/operate with a Kadee #5 if required.

Their HO couplers with narrow draft gear are the bee's knees in an operating session, especially where you have two man crews. Having to take the time to align the couplers prior to a lift (just like the real thing) adds a lot to the feel of the session, particularly in an early 20th century setting.

As far as price goes, a 4 pk of #78 Kadees with scale draft gear is $5.95 USD. 6 of the easy to assemble (no kidding, the early ones could be devilish) die-cast EN87K Sergent's is $9.50 USD. Price difference is 10 cents per unit.

The Sergent is noticeably more accurate in appearance and the extra work in assembly is neglible considering the benefits which include no more oscillating run-in/run-out of cars due to Kadee's axial coil springs.

I'll clean up my article and submit it with the photos Friday.
Josh

I just ordered enough kits to equip a dozen cars with the Sargents, as well as an assembly jig, uncoupling tool, and a bag of spare parts.

I have to admit the Kadee's work better than anything else I've tried, but I still get frustrated with uncoupling - I have the plastic pics, the RIX magnetic uncoupler, under track magnets, etc. I'm sure it's just me, but none  of the methods them seem to work the same way every time - now and then things are perfect, the next time no luck. I end up having to lift the car up to disconnect.  I'm hoping the Sargents work better for me.

I don't see the cost being that prohibitive - $7.00 for 6 couplers, if they work as well as I hear, isn't that much. I'm just starting out, so now would be a good time to switch over if I'm going to.

Now for them to show up and give them a whirl!

My problem with HO Kadee is that I keep getting the pick stuck in the couplers. I also find them tricky at times to set for delayed uncuopling. In contrast, I find the N scale Kadee, while less realistic in appearance, to be a lot easier for manual uncouping.

I am very interested to hear about how the sergents work out.. not that I could probably get my HO friends to convert because I can't keep my pick out of the couplers but it will be nice to know its there for the inevitable day I move up to HO.

Chris

Do let us know about your experiences with Sergent couplers.

Thanks to some great work by Jeff Shultz and Josh Baakko, there's going to be a multipage First Look article on sergent couplers in issue 2. Lots of photos, descriptive text, and video clips of the couplers in action and some up close video of the couplers on cars out on the road - along with comparison video of the old standby Kadee #5s.

MRH doesn't do reviews, so the idea with a First Look piece is we give you a bunch of nicely detailed photos and demonstration videos - then you our readers post your own experiences. Since our First Look piece is more information than evaluation, it's the reader comments that form the review (think Amazon reviews, and you get the idea).

We think that's better anyhow - would you really trust an MRH staff review when we're totally advertiser supported? Seems like an awful conflict of interest ....

I'll have my set installed and running before that comes out, so with any luck I can comment with some working knowledge.

I'm willing to take the risk before the article comes out as what I have right now is just a giant test bed anyhoo.

I tried the Seargents S scale coupler for my On3 layout. In On3 we have an ongoing dilemna, we have very scale cars in every regard except for couplers. Most people use San Juan kits, and they provide an exact prototype scale coupler but it is very sporadic in getting them to work right. Many times you have to lift the cars off the track to couple/uncouple and then usually something gets damaged. Kadee's work great, but dont offer much in the looks department. I cut the trip pins off, which improves the look but youd think that after all these years Kadee could mold something more prototypical looking.

So I took a shot at the S scale Seargents, which look fantastic. They scale out to On3 narrow gauge size but I could not get them to work reliably either. The metal couplers took quite awhile to assemble, and there is a little metal ball that you install inside the coupler. By using a magnet wand, you can get this ball to roll around when you want to couple/uncouple. I could never get the ball to work right, and after alot of frustration I gave up. So I have decided to stick with the Kadee's. I put alot of work and detail into each car, and after all that I dont want them manhandled everytime somebody needs to couple.

To expand on my earlier post, I purchased several of the S scale kits a number of years ago. Sergent no longer offers an S scale version. I can only presume that the general public found them too difficult to assemble consistently. All but one of mine worked, but they require a great deal of fine fettling and polishing of surfaces in order to ensure that all of the pieces slide & turn smoothly. Assembling them in HO is even more of a task if, like me, you have large hands.

Sergent's HO versions are available as pre-assembled die-cast units, and that's how I would recommend their purchase. These work like a charm every time. A friend of mine has equipped his entire fleet of On2 equipment with the HO die-cast version (just a little smaller than prototype in this case) and they make for a good operating experience and reliable function. For each pick-up, you are forced to align the coupler knuckles and open the mating jaws just like the real thing.