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Well, we already have "Lacquer or silver" and "BBb or CC" so we shouldn't neglect this other important topic.

As for piston/rotary, I think one is definitely better than the other, and vice versa.

Hup

I swing both ways!!

But right now, I appreciate the all spit leads to one valve advantage of rotaries....

I'm a rotor guy. I like the shorter stroke, I think they are more reliable, and comfortable.
I like the linear action, so valve reliability isn't dependent on exact finger placement. With the size of my monster hands, that's important

If I could find a rotary valve that plays as easy and responsive as my King, I'd consider it.

I don't know. The goofy kid who sits next to me in Concert Band whines that the pistons in the 2341 he uses are "holding me back because they don'r move fast enough" and "I can hear the difference." Well, OK. He is a pretty good player but I just say, "Uh, huh". There are other things which will make him better other than sacking a good horn and getting a rotary horn.

There are people who spend $1000 for the wires that connect their stereo amplifier to their speakers and say they can hear the difference. Well, OK.

Rotary. I tried pistons a few times, and they are fine. But I'm just so used to rotors that my hands and brain don't want much else.

Of course, the other part is that the tubas I like (shape, style, etc) don't come with pistons. So do I like rotors, or the rest of the tuba design? Not sure.

Another reason... I hate oiling piston valves. You can neglect the hell out of rotary valves and they are just fine (not literally, but you know what I mean)

Depends on the instruments, but any of my rotary valve tuba is I can let sit for months at a time and pick them up and play them without a problem. The valves might be a little noisy but they work. Don't try that with a brand miraphone or you will be disassembling the valves to try to get them to work because the tolerances are so tight

If you use "good" oil on piston valves, you can leave the horn for a few months and still have them fast as new when you pick up the horn again. Also with "good" piston valve oil you can go every other or every 3rd rehearsal without having to oil either. Pressing them down properly is always fun but that's another topic.

The Big Ben wrote:I don't know. The goofy kid who sits next to me in Concert Band whines that the pistons in the 2341 he uses are "holding me back because they don'r move fast enough" and "I can hear the difference." Well, OK. He is a pretty good player but I just say, "Uh, huh". There are other things which will make him better other than sacking a good horn and getting a rotary horn.

There are people who spend $1000 for the wires that connect their stereo amplifier to their speakers and say they can hear the difference. Well, OK.

Those are the cheapest ones. But stereo nuts have to have something to squander their retirements on.

Plenty of blazing technicians on both types of valves to demonstrate that both are fast enough.

I go either way. I have one of each in large Bb and F. I can’t correlate speed to type. My Hirsbrunner kaiser rotary valves are heavy with strong springs, and yet that instrument is quite nimble—not because of valves but because it is so responsive to changing buzz frequencies. The Eastman’s valves are light and fast but that instrument is just a hair less nimble with respect to its size—its more about a round, warm resonance that belies its size. My Holton’s valves are a bit klunky—like all Holton valves—but that instrument is at least as nimble as the Eastman, despite its vastness. My little Yamaha F vs. my B&S is similar—the B&S is a bit more nimble, but requires me to provide the resonance in the lower register. But the B&S valves are much lighter and much more lightly sprung compared to the Hirsbrunner. The shorter stroke of the rotaries play to my large and strong hands—I hardly notice the higher effort that is the consequence of the shorter stroke, but my sluggish fingers don’t have to go as far. Even so, none of my tubas have valves that slow me down as much as other weaknesses do.

Rick “good tubas have the valves they came with” Denney

I have both. I don't really have a preference for playing, but maintenance leans me towards piston.

The Big Ben wrote:I don't know. The goofy kid who sits next to me in Concert Band whines that the pistons in the 2341 he uses are "holding me back because they don'r move fast enough" and "I can hear the difference." Well, OK. He is a pretty good player but I just say, "Uh, huh". There are other things which will make him better other than sacking a good horn and getting a rotary horn.

There are people who spend $1000 for the wires that connect their stereo amplifier to their speakers and say they can hear the difference. Well, OK.

:roll:

I didn’t know what I was looking at when I saw those connections when I bought a stereo/turntable for my wife recently...

Cant really see the benefit of rotary valves. I know the design theoretically could make for smoother slurs, I never really found that to be the case.

Although you have to oil pistons (you also have to empty your spit valve so Im not sure why oiling valves before you play is a burden), I cant give up the feel and the speed.
I never want to go to a shop to have linkage or cork or neoprene done again or to have the linkage adjusted for proper alignment, to have to pull them out of their valve casing (or take the backs of the valve casing off with a rubber mallet)

I dont like the noise of them either.

They dont push down straight they push down at an angle. Sometimes they come up.

Also I have owned several rotary valve tubas of different manufacturers and even though it wasnt "the valves fault", I associate them with stuffy instruments of a certain design.

So for me its pistons, although I did have some issues with older brunner valves once upon a time. Still its pistons for me. PISTONS PISTONS! PISTONS!

Anti-rotor bigotry noted...

I have my eye on you....

I use both, but prefer rotors. Less maintenance, less issues and I am just used to them.

P̶i̶s̶t̶o̶n̶ ̶ R̶o̶t̶a̶r̶y̶ Good is good.

Heck with it, why not those flapper style box valves that were designed WAY back in the day. Anyone remember those? The worst of both worlds then add in saxophone pads..

I use both but vary depending on repertoire, group or the hall played in. A lot of it may depend where my bell ends up pointing, relative to the room and the group. I dont find huge differences between the rotors and pistons so long as I'm generous with the oil and cleaning etc but it has taken a long time to adjust from using 4 valves on a 3+1 compensator to also using 5 valves on one hand as well.