Hand finished equals Tipo a mano?

[craigd]

I had thought "hand-finished" meant machine made and riveted reeds that were then given some extra finishing attention by hand, while "tipo-a-mano" meant machine cut and hand riveted and fitted. In my mind t-a-m. reeds were much closer to handmade, while hand-finished closer to machine made.

Was I right or are these terms actually interchangeable?

 

[Scuromondo]

I had thought "hand-finished" meant machine made and riveted reeds that were then given some extra finishing attention by hand, while "tipo-a-mano" meant machine cut and hand riveted and fitted. In my mind t-a-m. reeds were much closer to handmade, while hand-finished closer to machine made.

Was I right or are these terms actually interchangeable?

I have always taken them to be synonymous given that, in Italian, “tipo a mano” translates to “hand type”

 

[debra]

Hand finished and tipo a mano are the same thing. These reeds are "stamped" out of a wide roll of hardened steel, and this is done perpendicular to the direction of the roll of steel. Hand made reeds are made from a one-reed-wide band of hardened steel, and so the reed is cut/stamped out of that band in the direction of the band. That is supposed to be the "better" direction. Once the reeds are stamped or cut or filed they are riveted and hammered and "finished" by hand. So the major difference is really in how the reed is "formed" from a wide or narrow band of steel. Other than that they are similar, and tipo a mano reeds can be really good reeds.