Has anyoe had problems using the mint LP tractor

Tvad.......the problem was with the second part of the process. I just could not seem to pick up the knack of holding the magnifying glass and determining whether or not the cantilever was straight or lying at an angle. When I give it a second go I will move the table to a brighter spot.Do you look at the cartridge 'head on' or from above?

A bright spot is very helpful. You look the cantilever from head on, so you can see the parallax effect in the MintLP mirror.

The instructions are pretty thorough, and the photos are excellent. Frankly, I think the step-by-step instructions and photos are as valuable as the tool itself. Follow them carefully, and IMO you really should not have a problem (although the process is still tedious).

I had to use additioanl magnifying glasses and a different loupe from the Peake loupe I got through Mint, in order to get the focusing distance right, and a stong light that can be precisely positioned is needed. I think Mint supplied a 3x glass, but I also needed a 5x to see things properly at one step; and the loupe from Yip was shaped in a way that it couldn't be positioned at the correct focusing distance with my Grado cartridge (the cartridge body got in the way, this wouldn't be an issue with something like a Lyra). The problem is my aging eyes, not the Mint, but one tends to accumulate magnifying lenes as the eyes lose the ability to focus, so I had what I needed at hand. In the end, the sonic improvement was striking.

It toook me some time to get the hang of it. Lots of eye-strain. As Yip advices, patience and rest are very important as well as excellent lighting. I set my turntable on a desk right next to a window with bright northern light. My revelation came when I realized that to get the cantilever parallel to and between the lines at the two null points, it was a matter of rotating the cartridge in the headshell ie. zenith or off-set angle and NOT azimuth. After I figured this out, everything lined up perfectly with a degree of precision that is incredible. The improvement in sound - details, air, and bass definition - were well worth the $110 and set-up frustrations. It is a wonderful tool and definately the best bang for the buck I have ever spent on my system. Very highly recommended.
Peter

Thanks for the comments...................as I suspected my inexperience and poor eyesight!! I will let you know how I get on after my next attempt.