Opportunity is missed by most people because it is dressed in overalls and looks like work. - Thomas Edison
I've used bolt, shurloc panels and now the new sefar panels. I've done the analysis on bolt versus panels and at our shop and our rate of busting screens, bolt is cheaper in the long run in cost versus time savings. I LOVE the panels, they take me 3.5 minutes to have a screen stretched, flat, and off the roller master versus about 11 minutes on bolt mesh. But bolt mesh is $4-7 versus the shurloc product $20-28. My time is valuable, but not that valuable and I'm only stretching a few frames per week. At our shop, the panels would have to be $15 per to make the investment even with bolt mesh, so until then, I'm sticking with bolt.I totally agree with Peter, just starting out, bolt mesh is tough and stretching a few panels will get you used to the process and perhaps get you to see what proper corner softening looks like. I never really had any issues from the start and the only times I've busted anything was from me trying to take the mesh beyond it's capability or one time I got some mesh that was mislabeled and I thought I was stretching 180 instead of 280. Other issues I have with the panels is with the sefar, I'm stuck with whatever the "e" mesh counts are and to be totally honest, I don't like being forced to use a 156/64 when there are much better mesh counts to use in the 150 range. I'll never use a 156/64 when I can use a 180/48, or even a 150/48 and although the sefar panels are a better price than shurloc, you are forced to make poor decisions on the mesh count you are using. Shurloc will stretch whatever mesh you specify, but I've also ordered specifically and not gotten the mesh count I asked for. It is rare, but it has happened 2 times in about 80 panels. I had to look at the mesh through a loupe when I suspected it wasn't really what it was labeled and found it to not be correct to spec, at all. You also are at the mercy of whoever made the panel in that they softened the corners correctly. I've noticed the sefar panels are very tight in the corners and I'm wondering how these are going to hold up for retensioning. I suspect that I'll be busting them when I retension because of the corners. The 6 I put into production aren't work hardened yet so only time will tell on how they hold up. The shurlocs have tended to be too soft in the corners but acceptable for the most part.I doubt the panels will ever come down in price to where I need them to be, especially when they aren't having a hard time selling them at the ridiculous price they are now.