Xuyiyue Vs. YZN Life Piano Tuning Hammer Kit Review
Disclosure: Some of the links in this article may be affiliate links, which can provide compensation to me at no cost to you if you decide to purchase.
Both of these piano tuning levers are some of the best piano tuning kits available on Amazon (without going through specialty Piano industry warehouses).
Both of these hammers have had extra effort built into the design at a reasonable cost for the beginner piano tuner.
I prefer the Xuyiyue tuning lever over the YZN Life piano tuning hammer due to the fact that it's lightweight and feels more ergonomic than the other.
Xuyiyue Piano Tuning Lever and Tool Kit
This lever is a "knock-off" of the Steve Fujan CarbonTube Piano Tuning Lever.
To support Steve, buy your lever here
The Xuyiyue is a lever that has great rigidity to it and weighs less due to the carbon fiber material
The designer made an effort for the handle to be ergonomic, though it isn't perfect.
Xuyiyue Piano Tuning Kit
This kit includes:
1 Xuyiyue Tuning Lever
1 add-on extension
1 interchangeable handle
2 extra long rubber mutes
2 small rubber mutes with handles
1 piano tuning kit case
There are few extra accessories in this kit, which may not be helpful especially to piano tuners who are starting at the very beginning.
Here's the pro's and con's of this particular lever, which in general is much better than the previous lever discussed.
Pros:
lightweight
rigid
ergonomic
also relatively inexpensive
extendable
different types of handles
less energy loss (rigidity)
replaceable tip
Cons:
Heavier than state-of-the-art tuning levers
More expensive than the YZN Life lever
May feel awkward to tune with; design could use further refinement for feel
The Xuyiyue Piano Tuning Lever
Owners may prefer to opt against the ergonomic handle provided.
This silver handle keeps to the general shape of the lever at the end. Personally, I would prefer the ball shaped end rather than the straight edged handle.
The lever may be extended for extra leverage.
I think that this was a good concept, however, when it comes to implementation it's more of a gimmick that doesn't offer much of an added benefit.
I credit the designer for trying the idea of extending the lever with add-on pieces, though I think it falls short of having much of a benefit.
Below, it's apparent that the tuning lever tips can be interchangeable.
This is helpful to those seeking a higher quality tuning lever tip which can provide:
tight fit around the tuning pins
better feel
replace worn tips
All in all, I would rank the Xiyuyue hammer as a better option than the YZN Life tuning hammer to get your piano in perfect tune!
YZN Life Piano Tuning Hammer and Tool Kit
This kit is a good option, especially if you want a few of the extra accessories that come with it.
This kit includes these basic tools:
1 higher quality piano tuning hammer
1 Flat head and Philips head screwdriver
1 Wooden Pin polisher
1 Tiny hammer/mallet
1 Temperament Strip
1 Felt Mute
1 Papps Mute
1 Tuning Fork
1 Tweezers
1 Awl
2 Small rubber mutes with handle
2 extra long rubber mutes
This kit has a comparatively heavy tuning lever for the piano technician while it provides more accessories comparatively.
The YZN Life Piano Tuning Hammer
This piano tuning hammer is not as good as the Xuyiyue piano tuning lever mostly because it is heavier, and therefore takes more energy and time to tune a full piano.
One of the most important attributes to a good piano tuning lever is that it is rigid, not "flexible." The more flexible a tuning lever is, the more energy is wasted working on getting the tuning pin in the correct position.
Both levers are relatively rigid, though the Carbon fiber lever is more rigid.
Another valuable attribute a tuning lever should have is that it's lightweight. The YZN Life lever isn't lightweight, so I would choose against the YZN lever if opting for a lightweight hammer.
The YZN Life Piano Tuning Kit Accessories
The accessories in this kit are a strong point for this product when compared to the Xuyiyue.
Cleverly, there's only about 1 of each of the tools provided in this kit, so there isn't much redundancy.
Oddly, the piano tuning fork is not correctly calibrated to A440. This means that the tuning fork would actually make the piano tuner tune the piano sharp if he/she were to use the pitch from the fork to tune the piano. The tuning fork emits a pitch between A442 and A444, depending on the temperature of the metal.
This kit includes a Pin Polisher. Though, this tool doesn't provide much added value in my opinion in my many years of experience as a professional piano tuner.
YZN Life Piano Tuning Kit Pros and Cons
Pros:
Rigid Tuning Lever
Includes at least 1 of each unique accessory
Cons:
Heavier tuning lever
No redundancy in extra piano tools
Bare minimum accessories
Weak branding
The tuning fork is not accurate (wrongly claims to be calibrated at A440)
The bottom line is that the piano tuning lever is good, includes additional accessories, though it it is a heavier tuning lever.
Xuyiyue Vs. YZN Life Piano Hammer Bottom Line
The Xuyiyue is the better tuning lever when compared to the YZN Life lever.
While the tuning kit lacks in accessories, the tuning lever is lightweight, rigid, and has interchangeability where the YZN Life doesn't.
I recommend getting the Xuyiyue over the YZN Life.
Keep in mind that choosing either of these kits will require gathering your own accessories due to the limited accessories provided by both of these kits.
Piano Tuning Hammer Reviews/Articles
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Disclosure: Some of the links in this article may be affiliate links, which can provide compensation to me at no cost to you if you decide to purchase.