| Archive for The Unofficial Mamod and Other Steam Forum The Original Toy Steam Forum Established 2006 The biggest, most popular global steam forum around! Accept NO imitations! We have a growing community of regular posting members who chat about all aspects of toy and model steam. |
| Stoker |
JensenitisJensenites ... not to be confused with the historically significant Jacobites ... seem to be the dominant force on the eBay boards these days, by quite a large margin. Has a Jensenitis epidemic really taken hold of the forum members that strongly, or are we just that much more pronounced with our symptoms?  
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| robertosala |
uhhhh nice subject.
Will keep an eye on it.
Rob. |
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| Swift Fox |
I personally think more and more people are buying Jensen engines, myself included. I have to say i'm very fond of the brand and whilst i like engines from Mamod & Wilesco and have examples from both makers in my collection, i really do like Jensens and the quality that goes with them. It is just a shame you don't see many of the older models for sale this side of the pond. 
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| classixs |
I just think the members interested in them are really active right now, if you look it`s only 5-10 peeps (myself included) who regularly lists/links Jensen from Ebay 
Blabbermouth vote from me... Eventhough the "satisfying steamers and represent good value for the money" also is very true IMO...and why they are my favourites 
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| Stitch1615 |
Ok, my two cents.
First I am a blabbermouth. An opinionated one at that. That said, I am sort of prejudiced in that I believe it, being the only mass produced example of an American engine, deserves some credit and are unique for hanging in there since 1932. While they are superior in many ways to many other engines, they have become expensive. That seems to make them collectable. Like the Mamod's and Bowman's, Bing's, Marklin's and some other brands they have durability which makes them desirable. Few will ever see the prices of the great Bing's and Marklin's but they will be in favor for a good long time. |
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| IndianaRog |
I voted for the good value option...though I do have verbal/keyboard diarhea at times
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| St. Paul steam |
While i do not own many other engines, i have found Jensen engines to be a solid value for the money, & as long as you don't leave them in some undesirable location they will last for along time with simple & easy maintenance. | ||||||
| The Denying Dutchman |
Option 2 is nonsense and I don't have a Jensen yet so I couldn't vote for option 3, that left only one option to vote for.  
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| ozsteamdemon |
I`ve said it before , and i`ll say it again , Jensens are the best bang for your buck in toy steam !
Why ? ..... I`ll tell ya why ! Great engine designs Nickel plated and silver soldered boilers and those salmon pink fireboxes are to die for ! 
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| Steam Models |
I voted for,
"Jensen's tend to be satisfying steamers and represent good value for the money." And let me add another good point, The Mazac that they use on their Flywheels appears to be of a much better quality than their competitors. And that says everthing I guess, But the Salmon Pink that they use for their Fireboxes well, ... that is a disaster, and I can't understand why they continue with it. |
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| mikethenerd2 |
Why I love Jensens: Longevity and ruggedness, wood bases and cast iron engine bases (higher-end models), and the fact they are hand made using tooling from the 30s and 40s.
The downsides are the salmon pink fireboxes and simplicity compared to the larger Wilescos (this can be a positive depending on perspective). I think Jensens are like wine, you have to develop a taste for them. Most “non-steamers” are much more impressed by the appearance of my Wilesco D21 than my Jensen 55. Although I think a Jensen 51 Powerplant would impress anyone. |
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| Wallace |
3rd option for me.
I bought my 75 in 2007 and it was $275 in Australia. 5 years on and whilst our dollar is a lot stronger I could still buy one, shipped to OZ for about $300. It's seems $200-$400 is a general price range for a new toy steam engine from the 3 big makers. With the 75 being in the middle of that price range it outperforms the other makers in both cost and quality. The only thing I could fault my 75 on is the underside of the base, like a primer. But if that's all I got to complain about they've done well and it probably keeps costs down. In fact I really don't know how Jensen make them for the price they sell. Either it's a bargain or the other makes are over priced I also own the 95G. Even though Jensens in my opinion are best bang for buck I only plan to add one more, the #20. No fault of Jensen, I just don't buy much anymore |
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| xlchainsaw |
im not voting!!!! but it worries me why so many are for SALE????
not worth keeping??? paid too much in the first place??? can get them wholesale (public auctions) and sell on for profit??i dont know...but its jensens ...jensens everywhere and!!! what bothers me even more!!!!!!!! dont look as if they have been steamed all that much????? WHY??????
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| scalex |
For me I just wanted some engines I can steam inside the house and Jensen are a great looking and very well made engines with that added bonus Of being electrically heated Just awesome the wife dose complain about the smell and I can steam engines all night.
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| scorpion2nz |
not exactly a valid reason Andrew
as Wilesco also have electric . While I also have a Jensen and run it occasionally I would not rave on about them . they have the pros and cons just like every other brand . |
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| sarfraz |
I dont have a Jensen yet, however I saw a few at STDU this year, and it impressed me a lot.
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| IndianaRog |
Dennis, I agree with you that Jensens have their pros and cons. Negatives I can think of include pink fireboxes, cylinder splits on older engines, 110 volt electrics if you life in 220 volt country, pop rivets on hobby line, simplistic designs, primer only painted undersides to the hobby line, no factory email (though this has improved of late via email to CEDGE) and maybe limited engine availability outside the US. Positives...I consider Jensens among the strongest built commercial engines out there featuring very thick nickel plated boilers that are silver soldered and very forgiving of running dry. Their cast iron engines particularly are built like an Abrams tank and the same running gear is carried over to the hobby line. Customer service is legendary and even for older engines parts are available. BUT, I would be curious what other flaws you see? I looked at your website to see what Jensen(s) you might be referring to, but none are listed that I could find. You do have a number of nice Wilescos. At times some of us can become blinded to the virtues of a given brand and I would sincerely like to hear the other side of the story if there is one. |
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| scorpion2nz |
first up Roger my website is way out of date consequently my sole remaining Jensen is probally not there I only have the #25 cast base along with the cast generator and workshop. The 110 volt maybe considered a fault but that is easily rectified . The pink paint ?? well we all know about that . I did have the #30 but I passed that on in return for a NZ engine that had eluded me . The biggest fault I see with Jensen in the cylinder splitting where the endcap is pressed in because (in my opinion) the endcap is to big thus stressing the cylinder . all brands have there faults and that includes NZ David Aulds which have Hard solder boilers (flywheel issues)(no longer in production) I will one day acquire another Jensen but it will be the twin cylinder cast base as I think the tin base ones are to tinny |
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| redryder |
Perhaps I can help clear this up. I went to ebay which is the most widely used place to buy and sell all of these items. I looked up the 3 makers still making them. Right now the offerings are as follows: Search words: "mamod steam" 94 offerings (19 from ministeam) "jensen steam" 94 offerings (52 are from dealers) "wilesco steam" 336 offerings (I don't know who their dealers are) As for not looking steamed as much.....EASILY explained... Jensens are built of very high quality parts and all the brass parts are given a high qualty nickel plating. Also many are electricly heated and will never show the blackend boilers found on used flame fired engines. Because of this many well used Jensens that are 40 to 70 years old will look fantastic with a gentle cleaning or even without it if stored properly. For example, the prototype for the #51 has over 8,000 hours on it and I'd say it looks pretty good! Gil The prototype for the #51 Photographed in it's builder's home. He built it in 1977 and still owns it. 
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| benchmark |
They are solidly built engines...well most of the engine is. You can not go wrong having one in your collection.
Personally i will be very happy if they dropped the cheezy firebox pink and the particle wood boards they use as bases. That does not change the fact that Jensens are fine engines, good in thier own way but i agree with Dennis they also have thier pros and cons. |
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| IndianaRog |
Kenneth, I can't agree more on the pink fireboxes...that input has been shared loud and clear with Tom Jensen, Jr. owner of the company...but he chooses to keep on using them. Either he has a lifetime supply of the pre-painted metal used for fireboxes OR he is color blind!!! As for the wooden bases...it might be translation, but to my knowledge they have never used "particle board" (chips of wood glued together) for bases...They have used plywood (layers of wood glued together) since the early 1960's and before that solid pine with routered edge. I prefer the solid pine, but the plywood serves the purpose too, though less elegantly. |
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| 46u |
The plywood base started in 1949 or 1950 do to the solid base warping much easier which plywood is MUCH less likely to do if at all and is why plywood was made. | ||||||
| Swift Fox |
I do have to agree with comments about the firebox paint as it does let them down, i'm also not keen on the paper gaskets they use and i replaced all mine with teflon ones.
Like people have said already every brand has it's pros & cons. |
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| redryder |
Rog, was that a typo........ Plywood was used since about 1950. Gil |
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| Stoker |
I have do one engine with a warped plywood base. But it was shipped extremely well wrapped in plastic and bubble wrap, with a boiler full of water, and the whistle valve open, so it spent a couple of weeks stewing in its own juices, as it were! It also had rusty screw heads as well, but nothing else rusted or corroded, thanks to Jensen's excellent nickel plating.
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| IndianaRog |
Right you are Gil...brain fart on my part! |
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| 46u |
Plywood can warp but not near as likely as solid. When Mr. Jensen started using plywood it was a fairly new discovered way to make wood and was not as cheap as solid at the time but was better suited for his needs and MUCH stronger. Plywood did not come in common use till after WWII. During the war it proved how strong it was as all the PT boats where made from it and most of your landing craft. |
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| scorpion2nz |
at the end of the day Jensens biggest let down ??
where are the wheels ? |
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| redryder |
At the end of the day.... There are no big let downs. There are only addressable minor details. The one that comes to mind most is the pinkish paint which can easily be fixed by removal and or replacement with a better color. Again, this is a detail. I could not call it a let down as we all know what color they are before we buy them. Gil |
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| trentbradbury |
I saw somewhere that somebody took the time to strip the pink paint and reveal the copper under it, I hope this is true cause I am gonna look like an ass for posting it without checking it out first. | ||||||
| redryder |
Trent, a couple of us have stripped the clear coat and salmon pink paint off to reveal the copper beneath and they do look better that way. One of the nicest examples of this was Roger's alcohol fired #75 which might be in Australia by now. The steel is copper clad. Gil |
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| IndianaRog |
Gil is right...but let me add that removing the clear coat finish and the pink beneath is best done before the firebox is ever heated, especially with flame. I purchased a brand new firebox and smokestack support for a Jensen 75 and stripped it to copper plated steel...it looked grand. It now resides in Whistleman's collection in Australia, but here was a photo where you can see the copper finish on the firebox that was once a pink one: 
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| benchmark |
Exactly Rog, plywood is what i was trying to refer to ( The layered wood). I personally think using one solid piece of quality wood looks more classy and distingushed. Lucky for me the 20G i own has already had its firebox stripped back to copper by a dear forum member before i bought it. I have also considered on many an occasion to make my own solid wooden base With routered edges like i have done for many of my Stuart engines. I probably will do this someday . |
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| IndianaRog |
Kenneth, we are in agreement...solid wood always looks nicer than the plywood in my opinion.
I too have replaced the base wood occasionally when I can produce a nicer example using a better grade of plywood or a nice piece of solid wood. |
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| Sandman |
I have only two Jensens and I voted number three.
I am very attached to those engines, as I see Jensen as a top quality well engineered product, that suits me down to the ground. I like a well mixed collection, and without Jensen, it just wouldn't be right. |
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| verithingeoff |
Never really understood the "Jensen" thing
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| scalex |
Just buy an old cast engine 25 Geoff and try it its all maaaadnesssss after that  the bug will get you
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| redryder |
He's right !!!!!!!!!!! Try one on...... You might wind up liking them the way you like those thin guitars! Gil |
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| 46u |
Unless you own one hard to pass judgment. In my opinion the older ones are better then the new ones.
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| redryder |
The Jensen thing is a lot more than a steam engine maker. It is also a story of the success of a determined man who was a genious of an engineer. He came to America with little more than the shirt on his back. Here was a man who, when he came upon a mechanical or machine task of any kind could visualize what he needed to do and then fabricate the required tool for the job. There are thousands of tools all made by Tom Sr., many of which are still in use today. The rest are still all there, in that little factory, behind the barber shop in Jeannette. It's also a history lesson on how one man can become a manufacturer soup to nuts, start to finish. A lot of the fun for me has been the endless hours spent digging up the history of this little company. So you see, to me these are much more than just another steam engine. I have thoroughly enjoyed learning little details.... for example, that it was Mrs. Jensen who painted the castings robins egg blue on her kitchen table in the 1930's.
I could ramble on but I think you get the picture. Gil |
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| Wallace |
There are engines I just don't get or see what the attraction is either. I think that's one of the many things that makes this hobby so interesting and diverse. You pick what appeals to you. 
I did originally stick with a brand but decided to go with whatever engine caught my eye. |
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| MrDuck |
As a non-owner I find this thread very interesting and I will in due time get to Jensen but I will then prefer a cast base variety for reasons those who can compare will surely understand
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| 46u |
Watch the video and you might understand. Everything on a Jensen is hand built NO CNC machines or assembly lines! Each part is machined one by one by hand NO CNC!
http://s178.photobucket.com/album...=view¤t=Jensenhowto.mp4 |