Abyss falling behind?

[Gaijin]

<Points at the title of the thread> So, *is* Abyss falling behind? If we skip the robotic bells and whistles, what are they offering that can't be found for cheaper and the apparent same quality elsewhere?

[TJ_Foxx]

<Points at the title of the thread> So, *is* Abyss falling behind? If we skip the robotic bells and whistles, what are they offering that can't be found for cheaper and the apparent same quality elsewhere?

You got it with "apparent same quality." Maybe it is apparent to you visually in photos? But across the board, no one else has the same overall quality and durability. That has been discussed at length. Some people will disagree, and that's ok. What Brick pointed out was that some of the comparisons people were making were not apples-to-apples. He's right. There are people who will like a particular feature from Brand A better, or another feature from Brand B. Many look great, but are fragile and not as durable; others might be close to durability but don't feel as realistic. People will agree and disagree. None of it means that Abyss is "falling behind."

[anonymousdfuser]

<Points at the title of the thread> So, *is* Abyss falling behind? If we skip the robotic bells and whistles, what are they offering that can't be found for cheaper and the apparent same quality elsewhere?

You got it with "apparent same quality." Maybe it is apparent to you visually in photos? But across the board, no one else has the same overall quality and durability. That has been discussed at length. Some people will disagree, and that's ok. What Brick pointed out was that some of the comparisons people were making were not apples-to-apples. He's right. There are people who will like a particular feature from Brand A better, or another feature from Brand B. Many look great, but are fragile and not as durable; others might be close to durability but don't feel as realistic. People will agree and disagree. None of it means that Abyss is "falling behind."

On the topic of quality and durability, yesterday the wire end cap of my doll's right index finger fell off and then the wire punctured through the "hard" silicone. Not sure how that happened, but I attempted to fix it with superglue once I got it back in place. Funnily enough it seems that the regular silicone is more durable than the Duracast. Or it seems that every time the elbow is bent for more than a few hours, I get tears in the elbow. to the point where the skeleton is visible. My previous doll, which cost less than half what my RealDoll cost, had issues, but nothing like this. In fact, I still have the arm from that doll. And as an unintentional experiment, mostly because I put it away and forgot about it, it's been bent for half a year at this point. There is zero damage.

[TJ_Foxx]

On the topic of quality and durability, yesterday the wire end cap of my doll's right index finger fell off and then the wire punctured through the "hard" silicone. Not sure how that happened, but I attempted to fix it with superglue once I got it back in place. Funnily enough it seems that the regular silicone is more durable than the Duracast. Or it seems that every time the elbow is bent for more than a few hours, I get tears in the elbow. to the point where the skeleton is visible. My previous doll, which cost less than half what my RealDoll cost, had issues, but nothing like this. In fact, I still have the arm from that doll. And as an unintentional experiment, mostly because I put it away and forgot about it, it's been bent for half a year at this point. There is zero damage.

NGL I have no clue how to fit in that you have the arm from a non - real doll that you put away a year and a half ago, bent. You checked it recently and it has no damage. So you didn't touch something for a year and a half, and it remained undamaged. Okaaaay. And? What did I miss?

The wire end cap (which is a metal ball) of your real doll's finger wire "fell off?" How does that happen on its own? Either way, it resulted in a finger poke. I would NOT use superglue. Use Silpoxy if you don't want to pay for the brand formula; the next best thing is RTV silicone sealant next would be GE-II silicone sealant.

Honestly it is good that you self-report the damage to your doll, but man, it seems like your doll experiences a significantly greater amount of damage than any other Real Doll I have known for close to 9 years. I have no way to know how you store and utilize your doll, but from the damage you have shared over the last 2 years, how you handle her has to be the main factor.

[Gaijin]

<Points at the title of the thread> So, *is* Abyss falling behind? If we skip the robotic bells and whistles, what are they offering that can't be found for cheaper and the apparent same quality elsewhere?

You got it with "apparent same quality." Maybe it is apparent to you visually in photos? But across the board, no one else has the same overall quality and durability. That has been discussed at length. Some people will disagree, and that's ok. What Brick pointed out was that some of the comparisons people were making were not apples-to-apples. He's right. There are people who will like a particular feature from Brand A better, or another feature from Brand B. Many look great, but are fragile and not as durable; others might be close to durability but don't feel as realistic. People will agree and disagree. None of it means that Abyss is "falling behind."

Okay. This was more of what I was looking for. Thank you.

[anonymousdfuser]

On the topic of quality and durability, yesterday the wire end cap of my doll's right index finger fell off and then the wire punctured through the "hard" silicone. Not sure how that happened, but I attempted to fix it with superglue once I got it back in place. Funnily enough it seems that the regular silicone is more durable than the Duracast. Or it seems that every time the elbow is bent for more than a few hours, I get tears in the elbow. to the point where the skeleton is visible. My previous doll, which cost less than half what my RealDoll cost, had issues, but nothing like this. In fact, I still have the arm from that doll. And as an unintentional experiment, mostly because I put it away and forgot about it, it's been bent for half a year at this point. There is zero damage.

NGL I have no clue how to fit in that you have the arm from a non - real doll that you put away a year and a half ago, bent. You checked it recently and it has no damage. So you didn't touch something for a year and a half, and it remained undamaged. Okaaaay. And? What did I miss?

The wire end cap (which is a metal ball) of your real doll's finger wire "fell off?" How does that happen on its own? Either way, it resulted in a finger poke. I would NOT use superglue. Use Silpoxy if you don't want to pay for the brand formula; the next best thing is RTV silicone sealant next would be GE-II silicone sealant.

Honestly it is good that you self-report the damage to your doll, but man, it seems like your doll experiences a significantly greater amount of damage than any other Real Doll I have known for close to 9 years. I have no way to know how you store and utilize your doll, but from the damage you have shared over the last 2 years, how you handle her has to be the main factor.

What you missed is that the non-RealDoll arm that I found while cleaning can remain bent for half a year with no damage, while the RD arm gets tears at the elbow that go down to the skeleton if it's bent for more than a few hours.

The end cap is not a metal ball. It's hollow in the middle, and I've found that if it's twisted, in my case even slightly, it will become loose and fall off. I'm not sure what Abyss uses to secure the end caps, but there wasn't anything there when I fixed it. What's especially strange is that I am very careful with that particular hand because it's the hand that has the finger wire that is too long, which causes the thumb to get punctured very easily.

You can see a picture attached showing the wire poking through the end cap:

IMG_20231215_040107136.jpg (1.53 MiB) Viewed 1681 times

I used the superglue to reattach the end cap to the wire, hopefully permanently this time. I did not use superglue on the silicone, and I ensured that the superglue did not come into contact with the silicone. I'm not an idiot. I use Sil-Poxy for all silicone-related repairs.

I store my doll by either laying it flat it on my bed, or on top of a flight case in my bedroom. I don't handle my doll in any unusual way. All damage up to this point has been caused either directly by manufacturing defects, in the case of the defective first doll I got, or the usual finger pokes that every single doll experiences. Exceptions would be the sealant peeling on the wrist, near the heel, and between two fingers on the left hand. That could be caused by abrasion, but I can't explain why it would be there and not anywhere else on the body. Plus I'm not rubbing anything rough against the doll, because that would cause damage, and I'm not trying to damage a doll I paid five figures for. But it is important to note that the original body did have significant issues with sealant peeling literally out of the box, so it would be wrong to assume that Abyss is perfect with their sealant.

[Chronos]

Do Realdolls have a standing feet option, that is, for standing for a long time?

Do Realdolls have articulated fingers?

Do Realdolls have double-jointed elbows and knees?

Do they still have like 18 ugly faces and just one attractive one or has that improved?

Is the robotic jaw still really noisy everytime it opens and closes to talk?

Honestly, just asking (I haven't been to their website in a few years)!

[anonymousdfuser]

Do Realdolls have a standing feet option, that is, for standing for a long time?

Do Realdolls have articulated fingers?

Do Realdolls have double-jointed elbows and knees?

Do they still have like 18 ugly faces and just one attractive one or has that improved?

Is the robotic jaw still really noisy everytime it opens and closes to talk?

Honestly, just asking (I haven't been to their website in a few years)!

1) No. Not only do they have no standing feet option, they can't stand at all because of how the skeleton is made.

2) No. Only wires are available.

3) No. This feature not available.

4) The answer is just personal opinion, so I can't answer this question.

5) Yes. The entire robotic head is very noisy.

[TJ_Foxx]

Do Realdolls have a standing feet option, that is, for standing for a long time?

This has been discussed at length.

DO Realdolls have articulated fingers?

.

RD's don't. I am not sure how many companies do. Read the forum; many are fragile- I can't mention or link them here as competing brands. .

Do Realdolls have double-jointed elbows and knees?

.

Most women aren't double-jointed; why should a doll be? But the RD hips, knees, wrists, elbows, and shoulders do bend and rotate different directions. They just don't bend backward.

Do they still have like 18 ugly faces and just one attractive one or has that improved?

.

"Ugly" is matter of taste and preference. I met you in person at a Doll Meet and saw your dolls. Perhaps you think Real Dolls are ugly because they look too mature, like adult women?

Is the robotic jaw still really noisy everytime it opens and closes to talk?

.

Ask Brick; he probably has the latest version. Do you have a robotic head with AI or know of one that is better/less noisy?

Honestly , just asking (I haven't been to their website in a few years)!

Right, no agenda. LOL.

[Voltage]

Do Realdolls have a standing feet option, that is, for standing for a long time?

Do Realdolls have articulated fingers?

Do Realdolls have double-jointed elbows and knees?

Do they still have like 18 ugly faces and just one attractive one or has that improved?

Is the robotic jaw still really noisy everytime it opens and closes to talk?

Honestly, just asking (I haven't been to their website in a few years)!

1) No. Not only do they have no standing feet option, they can't stand at all because of how the skeleton is made.

2) No. Only wires are available.

3) No. This feature not available.

4) The answer is just personal opinion, so I can't answer this question.

5) Yes. The entire robotic head is very noisy.

I think it's fair to say they have fallen behind based on these answers alone. Not to mention the lack of emails for a year straight by multiple sources. The moderators may be shackled by financial incentives - but the community itself knows better than hedging your bets on a bad deal.

[TJ_Foxx]

It much better when complete ideas are expressed. Thanks for adding info.

What you missed is that the non-RealDoll arm that I found while cleaning can remain bent for half a year with no damage, while the RD arm gets tears at the elbow that go down to the skeleton if it's bent for more than a few hours.

Tasha's elbows are bent 45–90 degrees most of the time. Her elbows are not torn. Again, I have never seen you handle your doll.

The end cap is not a metal ball. It's hollow in the middle, and I've found that if it's twisted, in my case even slightly, it will become loose and fall off. I'm not sure what Abyss uses to secure the end caps, but there wasn't anything there when I fixed it. What's especially strange is that I am very careful with that particular hand because it's the hand that has the finger wire that is too long, which causes the thumb to get punctured very easily.

You can see a picture attached showing the wire poking through the end cap:

IMG_20231215_040107136.jpg

I used the superglue to reattach the end cap to the wire, hopefully permanently this time. I did not use superglue on the silicone, and I ensured that the superglue did not come into contact with the silicone. I'm not an idiot. I use Sil-Poxy for all silicone-related repairs.

A ball with a hole through it. Some are metal, and some are plastic.

I store my doll by either laying it flat it on my bed, or on top of a flight case in my bedroom. I don't handle my doll in any unusual way. All damage up to this point has been caused either directly by manufacturing defects, in the case of the defective first doll I got, or the usual finger pokes that every single doll experiences. Exceptions would be the sealant peeling on the wrist, near the heel, and between two fingers on the left hand. That could be caused by abrasion, but I can't explain why it would be there and not anywhere else on the body. Plus I'm not rubbing anything rough against the doll, because that would cause damage, and I'm not trying to damage a doll I paid five figures for. But it is important to note that the original body did have significant issues with sealant peeling literally out of the box, so it would be wrong to assume that Abyss is perfect with their sealant.

Usually, sealant peeling is caused by rubbing, your body, clothing, or whatever you clean your doll with. Using anything too abrasive, even a certain towels, can start the peeling. Using anything but what is recommended in the manual could damage the sealant. Again, it seems your dolls have more issues than most. it can't ALL be manufacturing QA failures.

[TJ_Foxx]

Do Realdolls have a standing feet option, that is, for standing for a long time?

Do Realdolls have articulated fingers?

Do Realdolls have double-jointed elbows and knees?

Do they still have like 18 ugly faces and just one attractive one or has that improved?

Is the robotic jaw still really noisy everytime it opens and closes to talk?

Honestly, just asking (I haven't been to their website in a few years)!

1) No. Not only do they have no standing feet option, they can't stand at all because of how the skeleton is made.

2) No. Only wires are available.

3) No. This feature not available.

4) The answer is just personal opinion, so I can't answer this question.

5) Yes. The entire robotic head is very noisy.

I think it's fair to say they have fallen behind based on these answers alone. Not to mention the lack of emails for a year straight by multiple sources. The moderators may be shackled by financial incentives - but the community itself knows better than hedging your bets on a bad deal.

If only I got paid. This is a 100% volunteer position. What is your experience with Real Dolls again?

[anonymousdfuser]

Tasha's elbows are bent 45–90 degrees most of the time. Her elbows are not torn. Again, I have never seen you handle your doll.

YMMV, I guess. It's just that the silicone near the elbows on my doll is quite thin, and thus, easy to tear.

A ball with a hole through it. Some are metal, and some are plastic.

Yep, and the cap somehow became disconnected from the wire. Which isn't supposed to happen. And again, I barely touch that hand because of that other finger poke that won't stay sealed, so I'm even more confused as to how it happened. The problem could be solved if Abyss either 1) used articulated fingers like most manufacturers these days, or 2) changed the end cap design so the hole doesn't go all the way through.

I store my doll by either laying it flat it on my bed, or on top of a flight case in my bedroom. I don't handle my doll in any unusual way. All damage up to this point has been caused either directly by manufacturing defects, in the case of the defective first doll I got, or the usual finger pokes that every single doll experiences. Exceptions would be the sealant peeling on the wrist, near the heel, and between two fingers on the left hand. That could be caused by abrasion, but I can't explain why it would be there and not anywhere else on the body. Plus I'm not rubbing anything rough against the doll, because that would cause damage, and I'm not trying to damage a doll I paid five figures for. But it is important to note that the original body did have significant issues with sealant peeling literally out of the box, so it would be wrong to assume that Abyss is perfect with their sealant.

I'm not saying the sealant on this body is a manufacturing issue. However, it absolutely was a defect with the original body, where it was peeling off by the time I had first opened the crate.

[TJ_Foxx]

I am not so sure that "most" manufacturers have articulated fingers in all the models. Again, the ones I was aware of that a friend from here has are very delicate and fragile. There are a few threads about fragile articulated fingers.

The point here is it is great you are sharing yoru experience. You might not get the answers you want to hear from those of us who are more experienced.

However, the majority of posts here are trying to play "gotcha" with cherry-picking arguments and misinformed "opinions." I have never said RD's are perfect, but they are damn good dolls at any price. Are other companies improving? Yes, it is about time. It is sad that some people feel the need to waste their time nit-picking. Why not go to their favorite brand's second and say how wonderful that brand is? Like I said, you won't see Brick, me or any RD owner dropping in to other companies' sections and talking crap.

[Nackers]

I'd like to see RD taking a crack at articulated fingers. Mostly because they seem to be a "spare no expense" type company rather than some of the others that are trying to make stuff cheap as possible to squeeze out budget sales and maximize profit. There are a lot of of companies running with articulated fingers (at least 10 of the major ones on TDF alone) and some of them are up to version 3 or 4 of the design. I feel like if you're getting a premium doll (and 10k+ makes a doll premium in my book) they could be putting research into the finger design and coming up with something that is actually robust, even if it does add to the cost. Something that is less prone to breakage than the competition.

But maybe they are, maybe there is development happening behind the scenes and they just don't plan to release articulated fingers until they believe they're ready for prime time.