I have an intrinsic personal dislike of most things plasticky. I don't know why but I do.
This dislike spreads to some Film Projectors that have lots of plastic fronts , casings and knobs on them.
Among them are the later 8mm Eumigs , Chinons , Silmas , Sankyos ,Bell & Howells, to name a few.
Yes even dear old Bell & Howell 16mm machines fell victim to this outrage with their TQ3 / 1600 range
of machines. Flimsy plastic covers and what not. Even ELF went the same way. It may have kept the weight
down a bit but they look and feel bloody awful to me.
Well that's just ME ! How about YOU ?

I would prefer cast or pressed metal casing, that's what put me off getting a Rank Aldis 16mm projector, the casing is always damaged on the one's I've seen, remember when TV's and radio's were in heavy wooden cabinets, then there was bakelite you could knock your teeth out with a phone receiver.

We were brought up in a different age. Items that had always been made of wood, suddenly changed to plastic, like Dominoes, Rulers, Pencil cases. I remember even as a child having some difficulty in getting a wooden ruler, they were all plastic, and when you want something that was standard, you suddenly had to pay extra for it. Even furniture started coming in plastic, made to look like wood. When I first got my B&H 655, which among others became the TQ1, I wasn't so happy that the casing was fibreglass, but now I'm used to it. I don't like the look of the TQ3, it no doubt is a first class machine, but it does look cheap compared to the TQ1, which looks solid. I also don't like that the sound drum is exposed, I don't want to see any of the film as it travels through the projector. I was pleased with my Eumig 810D, that is all metal casing. I think B&H started cutting costs years ago, while making out it was for the benefit of the consumer. The 601 had arms that had to be bolted down, then you come forward a few years and you have slot in arms; they may have saved you a small bit of time, but they look just like a cheap piece of pipe.

the eumig early b/w range were of a good cast build as are the Elmo's, i was surprised how plasticy the bauer 610 was when i got it,especially for a high range machine but i guess it helps keep the weight down. I do prefer a good solid build myself.

You're right there Tom, both the old Eumig and your Elmo machines were of a solid, tactile, robust look & feel to them, granted, plastic
has its uses, but like Robert's preference, his B&H Projector is a tank of a machine, built to see us all off, Technology moves on, not always for the better, but imagine what projectors of that calibre would cost today.

I use a Bell and Howell 652 TQ 1 Robert. Its built like the proverbial Brick Outhouse.
Great machines. However I also like the 600 series with their wooden cases.
I also have a Bell & Howell 16mm 636 and despite its poorer light output it will project any 16mm film stock
you thread up on it.

I use the B&H 2592s, they have a plastic case, are very solid and give a good account of themselves in picture and sound.
What I like is they have a nice style to them, very kind to film, which is very important, it would have been nice in aluminium,
but price and weight would have increased.

At the end of the shift, I think the bottom line is, as long as your projector of choice, be it made of Sheffield steel or toothpaste, the
most important thing is, is it kind to your film? That is paramount to us collectors, regardless of anything else.