Centerpins I think its a combination of things…the precision aspect I think plays a part, its almost like an office executive toy like those Kinetic balls that knock against each other..you cant help but spin it.
I also think there is something of a novelty aspect to them. Since they came back into fashion so allot of people brought up on fixed spools and are trying pins for the first time are taken in by them.
I agree - they're somehow special. For all their greater efficiency for most ( but not all) jobs, especially so with my limited cp skills, my expensive fs's still look ungainly and ugly next to the cp's. It's not for nothing the circle is a symbol of perfection, and with cp's their form and function is beautifully integrated, unlike fs's with their hidden workings, mouse-trap bail arms and spindly stems and handles. Fs's may have mechanical ingenuity, but cp's have mechanical beauty. I'm aware this may belong on the What Are You Drinking Tonight thread.