CompCams tool steel retainers BEWARE

[Bill Edgeworth]

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But on topic...
other than the inconsistent machined finish, do these new light weight tool steel retainers seem to be the answer ?[/QUOTE]

Yes,
Other than the fact that they don’t seem to be inspecting parts off of their CNC machines I think it’s a great product. In the case of the ones I’m using they are 15 grams lighter than what I was using (43% lighter!) and any weight you can save on the Valve side of the rocker arm is very beneficial. Depending on what you are trying to achieve they can be beneficial in a number of different ways;
You can rev higher before valve float
You can get away with a little less spring pressure (only matters of you are not using ceramic or DLC coated lifters and you are worried about too much seat pressure)
They also, at least compared to the Manley retainers I was using, give more clearance under the rocker arm. I had an issue with the clearance on a set of heads longer push rods resulted in too much lift and the correct length caused the rocker arm to touch the outer edge of the retainer, the Comp retainers solved the problem.