Modern Hinges, Again

I am very aware of the peelable debate and the techniques needed to moisten modern hinges. What I am concerned about are the large number of crimped, twisted, curled, and clumped hinges contained in packets that are now on the market. Are there any hinge brands that do a better job in quality control so that these nearly useless hinges are kept at a minimum? Any recommendations would be appreciated.

The quality control problems are with Prinz a company in Germany. They are the sole manufacturer and packager for the various brands distributed throughout the world. Yes, all modern day hinges are the same.

I always buy the Prinz-branded ones. Some packets are good, some dire. I wondered whether they sorted out better ones when packaging for Lighthouse, but decided against blowing more money to find out.

I have gone through maybe 6,000-8,000 hinges this year. The best ones I have got (which doesn't say much) is HE Harris brand. I'm not sure if they are all packed by the same company, as HE Harris come in a different package (smaller) than the others (Prinz/Supersafe/[fake]Dennisen). I think it also depends where you but them. The ones I got from Amos seem better than ones you buy on ebay where they stuff several packs in an envelope and they get crushed by USPS..I would say the pack of HE Harris hinges I got from Amos was 95% usable vs others which are much less, sometimes barely 50%.

I'm very frustrated with quality of hinges. I buy a lot of old feeder albums and the old hinges just peel off like a dream. And the ones you buy today are nothing like that.

Somewhere I read that the value of original Dennisson hinges has increased by far more than any stamp, i.e. if back in the 70's or 80's if you put all your money in Denisson hinges and resold them today in 2020, you would have a lot more money (something like 500% more) than if you put that money into stamps-which is just totally crazy when you think about it.

I cannot imagine that manufacturing good hinges is that difficult or expensive? Is there some legal reason or other market limitation why today's hinges are so bad or is it just perceived lack of demand? I think if you made really good hinges like old school Dennisson you could easily charge $10 per pack and make a load of money. Somebody should create a kickstarter for this.

They can be, you need to alter your application regime.
you barely need to moisten the hinge.
It will grab, then peel off sublimely after 24 hrs.

Used Prinz for last 10 years.

Opinion
This is actually a good thing ! It is just a blink away from being a benefit. Like a good guitar player, you need practice.

1, This only applies to those whom are experienced with "Long Nosed Pointy Tongs"

Using any other tong, no need to bother reading on.

1, With the long pointies, grab a clumped bundle, gently prise the clump open, with gum facing down.

2. hold the opened clump (like a pair of pliers) with the pointies.
then bend the hinges length ways around one leg of the tongs.

That's it !

They will lie on the table flat. with a crease lengthwise.

Dab you moist finger on the top hinge and it will lift off the clump. (un gummed side)
You have 10 or so hinges ready to apply.

Sounds terribly involved, but actually you can do in nano seconds with practice.

Part of good Philately is having the right tools, and the experience to use them, as in any discipline.

PS: you cannot blame the hinge maker, gum has it's own peculiarities driven by Gum Arabic and Humidity.

The subject of why modern hinges aren't as good as older hinges has been discussed many times and at great length if you'll just search for those discussions. It's the glue which has changed due to modern regulations, and that's not going to change back. So get used to it. With modern technology and improved glues, you'd think a removable hinge wouldn't be so difficult to make, but the money made today selling stamp hinges apparently isn't large enough to prompt anyone to produce a better hinge.

As for modern hinges arriving damaged, I suppose you could send them back to the seller and point out the problem. Nothing will change if buyers don't do that. I haven't had this problem, myself, however. When I do come across a deformed hinge, I generally just refold it back to its proper shape. It takes only seconds. Even the old Classic Era hinges sometimes were deformed, though not so often.

Perhaps if they came in little boxes (cardboard or plastic) instead of envelopes, they wouldn't get damaged? That's the way a lot of hinges used to come back "then".