Chris,
Thanks for introducing your5self! And many thanks for your substantial article! Summing up in short as your say: "All systems will have flaws" but maybe wa can discuss a couple of items anyway!

Generally speaking the radial arrangement of reeds and consequent radial arrangement of the action IS asking for mechanical trouble - not to call it a nightmare. It seems obvious from your exhibition that makers have in different ways tried to either effectuate a reasonably technically *good* solution and/or some compromise with
material choice/processing/assembly time/service practise and costs in general. What we experience 100+ years later is also reaults from wear and violent handling of the parts. Some posts for example are terribly breakable or tricky to replace.

It is also rather easy to find conflicts between ideal technology, makers preferences AND *musical* needs from the user and finally needs from the possible repairer...

We probably all agree - as said - that straight levers are desirable, so IS a stable but frictionless connection BUT I would like to point out one detail curious to hear readers reaction to that:
When comparing say common riveted actions with loose saddle connections with the endplates off the difference in stability of the post/lever connection is obvious and it is very easy being fooled by this fact believeing that post/lever stability is an important issue itself. It mostly is not! The stability of *button travel* - which is teh important issue för the player is NOT depending on the lever/post stability but 1) on the accuracy/tolerance between guiding pin and guiding hole and 2) the accuracy/tolerance between button and endplate hole and 3) the distance between ation board and endplate!
It is surprising to me that makers in general have not arranged for better and more adjustable conditions concerning a) button stability b) button travel friction c) button height and damping d) button touch pressure or rather...that demands from players have not stimulated improvements based on these interests

So,"ignoramus", although I agree that technical perfection of the lever and lever/post connection system would be nice I see some other improvements desirable as well from the players viewpoint.

WHAT are the most important factors for the user? And in what ways have these possibly been overlooked to suit maker preferences?