As far as I can remember the majority of people I have heard talk about the cortessi have been complaining about it's build quality so maybe in reality it put more people off using a pin than what it encouraged to use one?
I very much doubt that and I would say the growing interest in pins was probably down to a combination of a Passion for Angling seris and the price of pins dropping. If the early cheap pins such as the Cortesi had been so bad then it would have killed the interest in the bud but it didnt and pins appears to be even more popular than ever now.
Yes I have heard some stories about people getting a duff Marco Cortesi...I also hear allot of positives things said about them too.
I hear ALLOT of bad stories about Acolytes...and they are not cheap. Point being that you can always get a duff unit of anything from time to time.
I have 2 Marco Cortesi's...I stress both are MK1s ...i have not handled the later MK2s ...
Both seem solid enough to me ...now I have also opened one up to replace the bearing (knackered by my own stupidity & not the reels fault) I am even more impressed by the build quality, yes its a bit heavy but keep in mind its £30...not £300
All I can say is what I see ...bad finish on the exterior ? ...nope ! ...flakey bit of paint or metal ? ...nope !...screws or springs falling off or breaking ? ...nope !...wonkey spinning or wobbling about after a couple of trips ? ...nope !
And belive me I dont treat mine like a small pet as others appear to treat their pins...mine are tools that i use not ornements I admire.
Have you handled a MC MK1 Ian ? ...yes of course you can get a duff one but what exactly should I be looking for that demonstrates the bad build quality ? ...And really I am not trying to be facetious ...I am genuinly interested.