I have been using Phil Wood hubs since 1975. Phil hubs make very reliable wheels. I use to snap rear axles(misaligned dropouts??) and break Robergel spokes. I had never had a spoke break on a Phil wheel with their thick and soft flange material and the axles are very rigid and strong. The play is a characteristic of cartridge bearings and I never noticed it while riding. I did have a failure on a hub I bought in 1986 from a private party which was unused(NOS). The front bearing leaked grease and quickly began to get rough. I mailed the whole wheel back to San Jose with no reciept or paperwork. The early hubs had 5 year warrentees, this hub was older than that. I recieved it back a few weeks later with new bearings and no bill even for shipping. I doubt that you get this service now that Phil does not own the company but I will always respect that treatment and their otherwise flawless performance. Brian Blum in Berkeley CA
PS: The newer PHIL all aluminum hubs look great unbuilt but I can't get use to their look in a built wheel. Maybe because they are not classic.
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