Peter Naiman wrote, with respect to Masis, Cinelli etc:
<snip> I'd much rather have a frame from a smaller builder, whether from the UK or elsewhere. +++++++++ Now, Peter, we go back a few years on this list, and I happen to recall that you're fond of Hetchins (note your email address?). I'm not a Hetchins expert, so I did appreciate your sage counsel when I sought (and bought) one last year. But, let's do some math:
I believe Hetchins built 13,000 framesets, in a period we can call 50 years for the Marque (leaving out the few built by others in the past decades) That's an average of 260/year, or almost 1 every day of a 6-day work week. That's the same scale as modern Landsharks. I'm told that the maximum production of pre-80s Cinellis was 700/yr. Relatively speaking, we're talking about the difference between GM and Chrysler in the old days.
We know that Hetchins were quite eager to adopt productivity-enhancing measures, for example stamping out the famed decorative bits by the stack...
Much as I love my Hetchins (spyder), I'm the first to admit that the marque was a small production factory, perhaps more comprarable to pre-Ti Serotta than Richard Sachs or Peter Weigle.
Personal preferences are part of what makes this fun for me, but sometimes things aren't quite what they seem, either. Hetchins ain't Raleigh, but it ain't Bates, Ephgrave, or hundreds of other genuine small builders, either.
harvey sachs
mcLean va.