Hoffee Carbon Fiber Cass

[wildpikr]

Does anyone have one of these cases? Are they comparable to Calton? Pegasus? Any feedback?

Thanks.

[Paul Kotapish]

I got an email from a friend who checked them out and was very impressed.

I'm very tempted. I love my Calton, but I get tired of schlepping it. I wish they made the Hoffee's in a light color.

[mandroid]

could ask to have the Gel coat [1st layer of resin in the mold is sprayed] , It could be ... pigmented.

Haven't personally used epoxies , but it's done for Fiberglass, polyester resins, all the time..

I know the stink factor for epoxy is Lower.. then you got the wait versus buy off the shelf thing , again.

Bake a pizza or just have it delivered..

[Mandobar]

I was not overly impressed with the interior.

[wildpikr]

I was not overly impressed with the interior.

Why not? What struck you as unimpressive about it? I'm curious...

Anyway, I sent them an email inquiry earlier today asking specifically about clearance around the headstock, availability, etc. I don't own a Calton and was looking for a comparison; I've read a lot of pros and cons regarding Caltons here in the forum and have some doubts so I'm considering this alternative.

Haven't received a reply yet...

[Ivan Kelsall]

From mandroid - "...could ask to have the Gel coat [1st layer of resin in the mold is sprayed]". You can usually only do that if the CF is not pre-impregnated (pre-preg.) with resin,using what is called a 'wet' lay-up. I suppose that you could spray a coloured gel-coat into the mould,but whether it would adhere sufficiently well to pre-preg.CF is a bit doubtful,as the CF is already impregnated with resin & the gel coat will have little chance to flow into the CF cloth. I think that most CF cases use a pre-preg.material as it's easier & far less messy to work with than the woven CF cloth & liquid resin,& once a 'pattern' has been established for the laminates,they can be cut out in bulk & be stored prior to being layed up. One of the things that makes CF cases so attractive,is the woven look of the actual material. The big downside to a case made from pre-preg,CF is that the laminates are placed on top of one another in layers. Each layer stays somewhat separate from the others & can de-laminate if banged hard,or the resin can chip away. De-lamination in CF can only be detected by carrying out some form of 'bond test' & if the CF does de-laminate,the strength of the case in that area,will be greatly reduced.The only way to repair such a de-laminated case,is to drill very small diameter holes in that area & literally inject cold setting resin into it. The case would then need have pressure applied to that area while the resin cured.
I've mentioned many times on here that CF is a great material for some applications. Circumstances involving possible 'impact damage',isn't one of them.
I also mentioned in a previous thread re.the Hofee cases,the price, $699.00 US for a Mandolin case,
Ivan

[mandroid]

where does the catalyst come into the process in a pre preg fabric layup..?
given its the activation of the catalyst in the epoxy that creates the curing of the resin.
I was supposing vacuum in a bagging technique would be effective in pushing liquid resin into and between the fabric layers.
i can see the coating likely helps fabric handling..

I will take a pass on carbon-fiber bicycle forks made in places where the lowest cost,
starting with wages, .. is sought.

[Mandobar]

for the money the interior of the case is rather unappealing. where the calton and the pegasus cases that i own are pretty well lined with soft material and padded, the Hoffee case was lined (and not what i would call liberally) with the same material that Collings and TKL used to use way back when , the crinkled velvet that was sort of harsh feeling. even if it had the same lining materials as the Bobelock i would have felt better about it. i'd fear for the finish on the mandolin. and for that money, there should be no fear at all.

[wildpikr]

Thanks, Mandobar. That's a good description and I agree - there shouldn't be any fear about the finish.

FWIW, here's what I've found:

Hoffee [Carbon Fiber] - $699
2-3 week delivery per email from owner

Calton [Fiberglass] - $579
8-10 week delivery per website
Calton [Carbon Fiber] - $749
8-10 week delivery per website

Pegasus [Fiberglass] - £460 ~ $746 [shipped]
8-10 week delivery per email from owner

This website has proven to be a wealth of information. Thanks one and all. I'm going to give it some more thought before committing any funds but at this point, I'm leaning toward the Pegasus because it appears to have more clearance for the peghead...

[Ivan Kelsall]

Mandroid - there is NO catalyst required when using pre-preg. The resin is 'cured' by baking in an oven at a certain temp.for a certain length of time. On the other hand a 'cold setting' resin is a combination of a resin & a catalytic hardener mixed together.The ratio of resin to hardener, will determine the 'curing' rate. There is no resin to be 'pushed between the layers'. The resin is IN each of the plies to be laid up.The idea is that the resin in each ply (layer) should bond with the resin in the adjacent plies.It does that but not as effectively as using liquid resin & CF cloth. Pre-preg.CF has become almost the 'norm' because of it's ease of use. Pre-determined shapes can be cut & stored (refrigirated) until they are required. When a component has been moulded & oven cured,they are (should be) 'bond tested' to ensure that the plies have indeed bonded together - it's not a 'given' that they will,& even if they do bond,under certain circumstances,the plies can de-laminate. You may be aware of the 'other' wonder material,KEVLAR.
Kevlar is introduced into a CF lay-up to confer the 'impact strength' that CF on it's own lacks. A combination of the 2 materials does produce a very strong & impact resistant structure,& a couple of plies of Kevlar in a CF case would work wonders,but you wouldn't like the price.
There are lots of items on the 'Net to be read,explaining the weaknesses of CF used on it's own.
It's 15 years since i ceased being a composites design & manufacturing engineer,& i suspect that many of the inherent problems with the manufacture of CF items have been ironed out - i certainly hope so,but it's not perfect - what is ?,
Ivan