They have problems, too. Have participated in operating sessions on layouts (HO) that
used them. Fiddling was required regularly. These were not amateur layouts, either.
They are a good product, but not perfect - what is?
Frame-mount couplers do not lend themselves to sharper curves. Too bad - getting the coupler off the truck solves more problems than it causes. (Does both.)
Lionel's coupler design works well - and is more prototypical than the Kadees, if you want to pick nits, which I don't. The execution of this design over time by various companies is all over the map, as we know. Some are flawless; some are...the others.
The "70 mph coupling" is neither required nor un-fixable. I have posted more than once the simple fix for most of the "70 mph" units, so I won't do it again. A little analytical thought can come in handy.
