Consultants’ Comments
- “Very good torque and smooth operation.”
- “Medium-size head with good water spray.”
- “Somewhat heavy, yet well balanced.”
- “The handpiece is tapered, requiring it to be held close to the head.”
Description
Midwest Stylus is a fiber-optic, high-speed, air-driven handpiece with a push-button chuck. A coupler with a 360° swivel allows the handpiece to be attached to either a 5-hole or 6-pin ISO hose. Two versions of the handpiece are available: Midwest Stylus and Midwest Stylus Plus Easy Care Technology, which does not require lubrication. The stainless-steel handpiece has a wide back end, tapering to a narrow front end with dimple grip for slip resistance. Other characteristics of the handpiece include: a medium-size head, four-port water spray, fused-rod fiber optics, a sealed exhaust in the coupler, and factory-lubricated ball bearings. The handpiece has an 18-month warranty, as well as a five-year warranty on the fiber optic rod. Eight consultants used and evaluated both versions of Midwest Stylus over a six-month period.
Equipment Features
The Midwest Stylus received good to excellent ratings for all categories evaluated. In particular, the push-button bur changer, lack of vibration, durability, ease of cleaning and sterilization all received excellent ratings. The handpiece was found to be relatively quiet during operation and torque output was rated very good. Balance and ergonomics of the handpiece received varied opinions and the medium-size head was rated very good, but not ideal for optimal field visualization. The quality of the air and water spray from the four ports in the head and the easy connection to the coupler were rated excellent. Consultants did not notice any difference in performance between the standard and Easy Care versions of the handpiece. Twenty-five percent of consultants would switch to Midwest Stylus, and 100% indicated that they would recommend it to a colleague.
