Almost any rolling mill is better than no mill at all, because it will change your life for the better. I have not heard of any serious defects of cheaper mills reported by members, nor have I used or even seen this one.
But from the picture, the pros would be:
Gears, which make lighter work of thick metal and lots of rollers to make wires from melted scrap and long thin offcuts. It will reduce the amount of stock you hold and allow you to change the profile of the wires you already have.
The cons reported by members:
Changing rollers is tedious, so you have to plan ahead for any combination you have set up.
The width of the flat rollers is under 80mm, which is a little narrow for ambitious projects. My Durston has 80mm and I do get by. Dennis.
I've got a cheappie Proops geared rolling mill and now wish I'd waited for a geared Durston. I would say its all to do with your budget, if yours can stretch to a Durston, then go for it, if not, then a Proops does the job. Plus, there are tons of uses for a rolling mill and I wouldn't be without mine. As Dennis says, its tedious changing over the rollers and I do put it off for as long as possible. Invariably, once I've changed them I have to swap them back!
Am also deciding whether to buy one or save for a Durston, though as a hobbyist it is quite expensive for those few times I will use it.
However, I did notice that OttoFrei have a lot of texturing rolls for economy rolling mills (they say it will probably fit most economy rolling mills and has the same dimensions as the Proops one). The wire design rolls look especially nice. Provided they fit of course.
Too bad the freight costs is quite hefty from the US (and well, the rolls are not that cheap either).
Have anyone tried any of those rollers in their rolling mills?
Oh, and sorry for hijacking the thread, but I noticed you were interested in texturing, so...
As you have said Andreas, import charges are hefty and can double the price. I don't really think it a good idea to buy texturing rollers, because whatever the designs you will soon get tired of them.
You can achieve many different results, by just rolling sheet with thin fabric, mesh, hand made paper and your own stencils made of paper or thin metal. By protecting your rollers, you can even use sandpaper to create frosting.
Below is my miniature breakfast set, textured with a piece of lace curtain. Dennis.
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Proops rolling mill? any good please
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