EISCO Premium Wimshurst Generator - up to 75,000 Volts - Includes 2 Leyden Jars - Electrostatic Motor, Wimshurst Machine

First of all, this is an awesome machine. It is heavy duty, with machined metal parts in the places that count. I wholeheartedly give this product 5 stars. I have never had a problem ordering something used from Amazon. Recently, they had a used generator, in damaged packaging, full return rights, for $105. That's a bargain - right? When the unit arrived, the original packaging was undamaged and so was the large over pack box. The machine itself had a broken part, and had been thoroughly squished to the point it would not work. The metal electrodes on the disc indicated a lot of use. Instead of saying this was "used", the description should have said "almost worn out, broken piece, and non functional." I worked with it for a while, got it operational, and then figured I would see how much replacement parts cost. I called the manufacturer Eisco, and they provided the phone number for the distributor who ships to Amazon, Mbarsci. Turns out they were not the seller like I thought, but they would sell anybody parts. Problem is, they do not sell the parts that were broken on the machine I bought, nor did they have replacement metal tabs for the disks. The part they did sell, was the brushes. The machine uses 4, and they cost $10 each. The astute person realizes this is highway robbery, and the brushes are nothing more than flat braided shielding that can be scoured from a 6" long piece of coax. So, I took Amazon up on their generous offer to return it for full credit. Mbarsci seems like a class operation, and so is Eisco. But make darn sure if you buy an open box or used unit, that one of these two companies is the seller. Oh, by the way, you can replace the metal electrodes on the spinning discs with aluminum duct tape. Tedious, but doable. Mbarsci says that there is no demand for new pads. If there becomes one, they will order the parts.

This is a well-engineered and aesthetically pleasing device. It arrived broken, which is just one of those things that happens from time to time. The company that was selling it on Amazon was hbarsci -they sell all manner of scientific stuff. Their customer service was wonderful! They were fast, pleasant, knowledgeable and fun to talk with. I spoke with Mike and with Matt and they immediately got me the parts I needed. I am an emeritus professor, which means I am retired, but still teach. The difference is that I now get paid even less. Anyway, I often purchase various gadgets like this Wimshurst as teaching aids. From now on, I will always start with hbarsci. There is a lot of junk out there, being sold by idiots. It is so refreshing to buy quality stuff from nice people! I'm trying to persuade them to sell a radial dirod. It's another static electricity generator like the Wimshurst; the difference being that it works better in every way, and few people have ever heard of it. In any case, buy with confidence!

I bought 3 of this item for a school and two of them are broken

Need a PDF file for Manual for teaching, ASAP. PPT would be appreciated.Eisco Labs Premium Wimshurst Generator- 15" Tall, up to 75,000 Volts, Includes 2 Leyden Jars

This seems to be an ongoing issue with Eisco products: they arrive broken because of poor packaging before shipment. I considered returning it, but when I've done that before (with an Eisco product), the replacement was broken worse than the first! And both appeared to have been broken DURING PACKAGING, not during shipping! With this generator, I gave two stars (instead of one) because I might be able to fix it: one of the capacitor switch-arms was snapped off. It's just sad ...

Even though the package was not damaged, one of the safety switches was broken off. Entirely due to poor packaging (That switch was not blocked for transport as it should have been. Since I ordered from Belgium I did not want to send it back to the US and managed to fix it myself. The machine itself is well-engineered, strong and efficient and would deserve 5 stars. Sad that the company does not pay enough attention to the packaging, especially for long distance.

The brushes needed some minor adjustment (manual - took a few minutes of trial and error) but otherwise, the product works exactly as it should. Watch out because the first time the spark pops, it made me jump! haha Great way to excite kids about science, physical science, physics and chemistry. Be careful with this as it advertises charges of up to 75000 Volts. Very affordable. Converts mechanical energy into electricity. Only assemblage is attaching the handle, which is small so be careful when you open up the packaging and don't misplace it.

This machine works really well. With careful adjustment I'm able to make bright loud sparks 4 inches long, and that's in humid South Carolina! It is even more interesting with the Leyden jars disconnected and the lights turned off. You can hold one electrode and attract beautiful coronal discharges with your other hand - big crackling trees several inches long. It will also light up fluorescent bulbs from a distance.