Tao Bowl Housing (requires a Tao Bowl Insert)

Note: OEM housings will include some beeswax putty to "glue" the insert in place, thus the slight price increase.  A video is provided below to help you understand how to do this.

This is a Tao Bowl Housing which is to be paired with a Tao Bowl Insert.  They are drilled (if OEM or Kitsch-Bent) to fit the Tao Bowl Insert.

The insert can be optionally glued in place with acrylocyanate glue (super glue) or left loose.  If left loose, this will not affect gameplay in my experience.  Leaving the insert unglued has many advantages such as upgrading housings later and/or upgrading/modding the insert.

The drilled KB bowl housings have been tweaked for smooth encoder movement.  The resin housings have been checked and tweaked when necessary (some didn't need it).  Recent revisions of the resin housing print has significantly enhanced the feel of the resin housing to be quite indistinguishable from OEM in side-by-side blind testing.

All of the housings have their pros and cons.  The resin housings fit the insert the tightest (without the need for glue), but you have to be careful when installing your encoders.  Our good friend Shaggy thinks that the resin housings + the Tao insert makes a great bowl.  The drilled OEM housing feels slightly smoother on the gears, but has a looser fit on the insert.  The added complication of whether to glue the OEM housing or not, use beeswax or not can make the resin housing a simpler choice.  OEM housings are the gold standard for smoothness if the insert is fastened into the housing properly.

On the drilled housings, expect a tiny bit of "fuzz" on the bottom of the drilled housing.  I've removed most of this by hand, but some of it was stubbornly attached.  The fuzz will not affect performance in any way.  It is merely cosmetic.

On the subject of resin housings: These resin housings are now quite good in their form and function.  Clear and tan resins are very comparable.  Color choice is more of a personal preference.  The resin housings fit the metal insert almost perfectly, so there is no need to glue or add beeswax to those housings. 

There is absolutely no wiggle room with the resin housings and it takes a bit of force to get the insert into the housing.  We recommend pressing straight down on the insert with a piece of cloth on your thumb on a very flat surface being careful not to drop the bowl+housing.  The arms are very fragile, be careful that you don't break them off.

If buying a resin housing, I highly recommend watching the little video about how to gently install encoders so you don't break off your bowl housing "arms".