Diamante vs. Passport

[Kelli Combs]

Which machine do you like best?

 

I purchased the Passport about eight months ago and just hated it.  I could not get one with that machine for the life of me.  I would hit keys and other keys would show up that my fingers did not touch. 

I ended up selling it to a friend and purchasing the Diamante.  I am much happier.  I don't much care for Stenograph, but the machine is so much better.

 

What's your experience?

[Cathryn Bauer]

I'm all for the Lightspeed.  It has gotten me through so many 220-page days without an ache to my wrists or hands. 

Some prefer the Diamante because it's all of a piece, e.g., you don't have to attach a computer.  I prefer a system where I can swap out parts if need be rather than depending on a single unit.  If my little Acer Netbook decides to go, I have another, so the job is not lost.

[Kelli Combs]

I tried the LS and my wrists were killing me.  I sent it back after a couple of weeks.  My untran rate went crazy.  I know lots of people like it though.

[Lori Byrd]

Bought the Passport and had to get my money back - same problem that Kelli had, exactly.  Eclipse has asked me to test some updates, which I will do.  They are working on it diligently.  Believe it or not, I use my old Stentura 8000 for realtime work most of the time.  My Mira is a backup.  I've looked at the Diamante and just don't like it all that well.  My repair folks have "shimmed" the keys on my Stentura and Mira and both now work well for me.  I like a very short stroke, and I believe this sometimes causes problems if everything isn't perfect.  I'm on a buying spree if I can just find the perfect writer!

[Kelli Combs]

I have to say the Diamante for me has come as close as I have gotten in a while.  It is a pretty short depth stroke.  Nothing I have found is perfect, however.  It still stacks and splits strokes but way, way better than the rest of them.

 

I can't believe Advantage gave you your money back.  I could not get my money back from them, so I ended up selling it to a friend and now he is having problems with it.  He went to a job the other day and the writer would not even turn on.

 

Let me know when you find that perfect writer.  Till then, the search goes on.

[Mary Ann Payonk]

Hi, Kelly.  You know how much I love the Diamante.  It's great.  Glad you like it too!

 

M.A.

[Naola "Sam" Vaughn]

I bought the Passport in January last year (2010) and I love it!  It's the only machine where I can get the stroke depth low enough that my hands/arms don't kill me by the end of the day.  I don't get any stacking.  It writes much cleaner than any machine I've owned since my old StenoRam 3.  I had the Lightspeed before that and COULD NOT go back to writing on a standard steno machine because of the depth of stroke.   The LightSpeed sucked for accuracy.  All my Stenograph machines I've ever owned had major stacking issues, as did the Stylus.   I am VERY pleased with my purchase of the Passport.

[Monyeen Black]

has anybody gotten a Diamante shimmed?  The stroke just is not shallow enough, IMO.  I purchased a Passport, but there was a flaw and they had to purchase it back. I loved the Passport's adjustable depth.  I'd love to purchase the Passport, but it's been 4 months and they have yet to correct/resolve the issue.

[Kelli Combs]

Maybe I had the same issue.  They never offered to purchase my Passport back.  Wish they would have.

[Naola "Sam" Vaughn]

I'm curious what the flaw was.  I haven't had any issues with my Passport.  Do you know if a different machine would still have the same issue?  Or is it the audio synch not working with your CAT system?

 

[Monyeen Black]

It is a problem, as far as I know, on all their machines. It is if you use the live audio feed with a mic/earbud to hear testimony easier, you get awful feedback. They are trying to resolve it. The machine itself is AMAZING and I HATED to return it. But I rely on my amplification of testimony and cannot work without it. I use it on my Mira A3 and love it.

[Naola "Sam" Vaughn]

I've never used that, so that's not an issue for me.

[Monyeen Black]

everybody that I have asked privately never uses it.  So it seems that Advantage didn't know it was a flaw.  =(