The perfect alternative for going to LA
Although the Los Angeles trip (which is now canceled) didn't happen today & I didn't fly on the plane I was supposed to fly today, or didn't stay in the angelic 23-story hotel in LA's sister city that I was supposed to stay at, my lift experience in Cromwell has definitely made up for it.
Modernized 80s OTIS #2
I have some pretty sad news about the 1985 OTIS lift that I filmed back in October (which was original back then). It sadly got modernized & this mod was from 2017 while the other mod was from 2014! I felt pretty enraged about the mod, but after going back in thought to all the terrible Monitor TR's NYC has, I accepted the mod & dealt with it.
However, I would like to point out that there were some problems with how the lift was running, however, not serious.
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This mod was not the worst, but I have seen better. |
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Notice how they used green Series 2 buttons to keep the original 1980s/1990s feel of original Series 2. |
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The mod on the other lift was from 2014, this mod took not even 3 months to complete & as of right now, the former vintage Series 1 lift has now been modernized with this HydroAccel package. |
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The call buttons on this lift have been replaced. |
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Brand NEW down directional indicator on the Otis Series M2 lift that did not work when this lift was a Series 1 |
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Lift cab original from the 80s untouched since the earlier 2010s |
- Strange continuous screeching sounds on the way up & down. This one really made me question the quality & reliability of this new hydraulic lift. Usually, OTIS makes amazing products which are designed to last many, many years, but I just see this mod as cheaply done, more so the motor. A hydraulic lift should not normally screech on the way up or down, unless it's a crappy KONE.
- Very fast leveling speed on the way down. This ALARMED me because usually, new hydraulic lifts have a controlled leveling speed. This one seemed to sink at uncontrollably high speeds when it reached the floor. I thought we were going to sink to the bottom of the lift shaft. Bloody hell this is not normal at all! I have been on a couple of KONE hydraulic lifts since my July Fort Lauderdale trip & not even the KONE lifts did that!
Getting stuck in the lift
The 2014 OTIS Series 2 lift decided to play a little trick on me when I tried to call my FRIRND (FRIRND from my current high school). As soon as the reception failed, I quickly hung up & put my phone away. I tapped the door open button, only to become horrified when the door tried to open, but couldn't. The door was struggling. I was stuck in the lift!
Luckily, I only got stuck in the lift for three minutes, but those three minutes were sure quite alarming. I would expect better from OTIS's products, but after watching numerous hydraulic lifts made by them from 2000 to now, I am not very impressed by the quality of the hydraulic products made by OTIS. However, the traction lifts are absolutely amazing, 100 percent reliable & predictable almost 100 percent of the time, making them fun & comforting lifts to ride on your own.
When I got stuck in the lift, I forgot to film the ordeal. Basically, what happened was I tried to open the door, but it wouldn't work. I then tapped the button for the second floor & to my amazement, the lift went down to the second floor at normal speed, started leveling & the door ACTUALLY OPENED! I quickly got out of the lift before falling through the floor laughing.
Other problem I noticed when filming the lift
When I filmed the lift before it got stuck, I noticed that it took a super alarmingly short time to level with the floor & the lift did it rather quickly. It did not do that the last time I filmed it in October!
For now, I definitely have plans to film both lifts even more tomorrow, but I will think twice before going back to the third floor on the first lift, or just avoid going to the third floor altogether to save myself the headache of getting stuck in the lift for a few hours. I will be in the hotel for some of the day, so now I have definite plans to film both of the lifts, with a lot of detail.
Comparison
When comparing this experience to my last experience filming both of the lifts, I will have to say, this experience was more adventurous, but at the same time, it leads me to question the truth of the reliability of OTIS's hydraulic products. I wasn't too impressed by how the new lift was running & I was certainly not impressed with how the first lift was running, especially the alarmingly fast leveling times. I expect leveling to be slow & time-consuming on a hydraulic lift, not fast. Last time was the better time out of the two.
Other plans for lift filming this weekend
My other plans for lift filming this weekend include going to downtown Hartford to film the 20+ story OTIS lifts at the Marriott hotel & 20+ story Schindler lifts at the Hilton hotel. Otherwise, I am expecting to go to IKEA in New Haven, CT, which has generic Schindler hydraulic lifts. Although I'm not planning on filming them, I might only take pictures of the different parts of the lifts if I get to ride them & put them in a slide show video.
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