Review on SELF CUT SYSTEM 2 0 Lighted Educational by Becky Ness

The more I use it, the more I realize that it's a Chinese made POS - unfortunately I can't find anything better (prebuilt). This is the 2nd and I was lucky I didn't send the original back (before I got the 2nd) because it took parts from both to make a working unit. Problems with design and production in China: 1. The first unit had an electrical problem - move the wire connecting the middle panel LED to the left panel LED and the light goes out. Move the mirror and the light will turn off. The wires connecting all the LEDs and the power supply have no "guards", insulators, sleeves or strain reliefs to protect them. If you move panels around a lot over time, this will be a problem. If you leave it in place - not so much.2. The second had a hinge (wide hinge) that was almost impossible to move (doesn't fit well) which almost ripped out the cheap aluminum screws holding it to the frame. When trying to open the hinge, the screws almost pull out - there is not enough support along the entire length of the hinge to the frame. After moving the hinge from the 1st node to the 2nd node, I have at least 1 working node. Several screws were not fully seated and this compounded the hinge issue. One was removed (on the first frame), luckily not on the second frame.3. Especially with the wide hinge you need 2 more screws in the middle (instead of 2 at the top and bottom) in the metal so that the hinge stays flush with the frame. You can see the hinge moving away from the frame as it opens and closes - it probably won't last long since the pivot point is at the hinge and it's further away from where the screws attach the hinge to the narrow frame . I think the other side, the narrower loop, could use the extra support too.4. The power cord is just a pigtail with no insulation, sleeves, or strain relief, and over time it becomes "severed" by a sharp, thin hole that it hangs through. When connecting the power supply, you must be very careful not to pull or move the cable. The pigtail actually needs to be mounted in a frame, so avoid this problem by making sure you have a frame-supported fork. Poor design/engineering.5. During use, your hands/elbows will hit the left/right mirror when trying to make a self-tapping screw. If it were 2 to 3 inches wider (16 to 17 inches instead of 14 inches) there would be fewer elbow/arm strikes. This is a design issue that they could have easily solved with an "extra large" version - I'd pay more for a wider unit.6. There are only two hooks at the top of the center mirror, specifically for those attached to the door hinges at the lowest point (for trimming hair while seated) - the mirror tilts down. It's fine that you're under 6ft, but at 6ft 3 you can't see the top of your head unless you add a bottom support for the bottom of the mirror. A longer hanger and 4 connected rods prevent this. Problem. Need another improvement in design to fix this. 7. When I tried to use my elbow, it hit the underside of the left mirror and it detached from the loop above the door. I could barely stop it from falling off when the other side came loose. My solution was to put the bolt/nut in the same "square hole" that the hook is in to prevent the mirror from coming loose when you try to use it with your elbow. It would be nice if this were allowed in the design of the attachment/fastening/harness system 8. Poor quality of materials - both units had slight bends and dents in the metal center back/left/behind the mirrors Good solid metal hinge with cheap aluminum screws in the plastic (and not enough to provide adequate support) poses a problem if you fold/unfold a lot. Good steel slides and a few more screws will solve this problem. I believe the frame should be metal, not plastic, especially with hinges from Gorillaland.9. The second unit that was factory sealed had a power supply that was clearly "used", the cord was wrapped around itself and "reused" somewhere. I saved "new" from the first device. As there is nothing better at the moment I will leave this unit even though it took 2 times and some replacement to get a unit working. But it gets a rating "I don't like it - 2 stars" for workmanship, quality and functionality. A week later the LED strip started peeling / falling off. Having received a refund on the 1st unit, I now started returning the 2nd unit, ordered and received the 3rd unit ---- and guess what: 1. The package was previously opened - so not new - and I know why - A large 1.5" dent on the front with a small scratch of about 1" on the letters. I think I would come back too. Judging by the way it was "repackaged", the first buyer did just that - bottom line, it's not a new device.2. Now the smaller hinge was so tight and deformed that the plastic buckled when opened - the opposite side that used to be the problem.3. I thought instead of sending it back as the LED strip was attached very well I would replace the slim hinge from the 2nd unit to the 3rd unit and now I have a fully working unit that opens from BOTH sides without opening to strain and almost without breaking. Plastic. Hangs on the dressing room door next to the bathroom. I've decided to put up with a fairly large call as everything seems to be working. In use, I noticed that the power supply gets warm when you leave the LED on. I've now installed a switch in the extension cord and attached a self-tapping screw to it so I don't have to plug/unplug the power supply from the pigtail on the self-tapping screw every time I want to turn it on. A fully functional device is not satisfied with the quality and effort. Still occupies 2 stars. If everyone who buys comes back multiple times to get a fully functional device, maybe they'll fix any quality issues when Self-Cut feels the financial impact of it. Thank you Revain for your returns policy and for fixing the defects in your sellers' products. 5 stars for Revain.