The "Broken Blue Point Special Club"

Well, I haven't broken my BPS on my Project Perspective turntable and sometimes I don't know why. This cartridge on this turntable hangs out like an "ON" switch waiting to be flicked on. But this cartridge is well worth the risk. I received my turntable from HCM Audio with the cartridge installed. Harry at HCM devised a cool little protective shell to keep on while I got the turntable set up. And Harry is one heck of a nice guy. Well worth doing business with. Hearing these other poor souls speak of breaking these priceless jewels, it breaks my heart. And I will tell you, for the money, you would have to pay considerably more to reach a notch above the BPS. it just isn't worth it!Maybe someday, if I decide to upgrade to a $4,000 or $5,000 turntable, then maybe I will change my mind. But I still only have 25 albums that I consider worth listening to until I get my lunch money saved up again. With the way the new albums sound today, it is not even worth listening to 10 and 20 year old albums. Maybe it was the garage spiders? Maybe it was working around jet aircraft?

I have had similar experiences in the past with the Stylus for the Shure V15VxMR

I have not broken a Blue Point Special, but I managed to destroy a brand new Benz Glider, which is also a "naked" cartridge, in january. I sent it to Benz in Switzerland for retipping at half the price of a new cartridge, and am still waiting to get it back. There is a 14-week delay on retipping these cartridges; do you get the impression there are many, many ham-fisted audiophiles buying (and having to retip) naked cartridges these days? Oh, by the way, I also managed to drop a brand new Sumiko Project turntable BEFORE I destroyed the Glider; the tonearm snapped off and the spindle bent. It was replaced by Sumiko for a repair cost of only $220. I went back to using my Linn and 10-yr-old van den Hul MM-1, which has a body and which I have never broken. But I guess it's only a matter of time. I wonder if I will somehow manage to turn my whole stand over next time?

My my my, In a perverse way I am comforted by the number of responses to my confession of klutzism. I guess I'm not all that rare a bird after all. Sorry to hear about each of your mishaps. The price we pay for our "big black CD's" is steep indeed.

"big black CD" is how my golfing friends 4 year old described our beloved vinyl when he saw it for the very first time at my house two weeks ago.

Thanks all and good listening.

Seems I hold the B-BPS record (to-date). TWO cartrigdes, retipped 3x each. Became a regular chez V den Hul retipping services. Started out, as a self-respecting audiophile, yanking the cantilever while dusting the TT (hi-level resolution is infinitely improved when you remove dust, and the cantilever along with it).
At the end of the third cantilever bending of the 2nd cartridge, I decided to service the BPS myself -- by applying super glue. V den Hul's comment to the dealer (yes, back there again) "someone applied crazy glue to the cartridge. Your have crazy clients??"
Before starting the post I had to go check on my (new) Discovery -- it was still there.
I'll check again now that I'm finished.