I always thought the Hix (and IIRC, Diamond Chase makes some really similar square retens too) were a pretty cool design, especially for their flexibility on press, but IMHO the biggest prob with Newmans is worse with many square bar designs, and that's the weight. If it wasn't, I wouldn't have statics here at all. I think the Hix style are different from the DC roller in a square design though, are they as light/lighter than Newmans?
I was thinking the other day that the old draw-bar style stretchers seem as if they would be more similar to a good segmented clamp stretcher, i.e. superior to the way a newman style frame stretches the whole length regardless of difference in elongation.
Gilligan--"LIKE"
