Originally Posted by
randyjawa
That is kinda interesting. I always thought the Balillas were inferior (not sure why I thought that) though I never tried a set out. That said, I still have a couple of complete sets left in The Old Shed. The hood material seems to be able to withstand the ravages of time much better than those of Universal offering.
atmo, Balilla was a superior brake up until 1961. The side pull Balillas I have that are the same era of the Universal 51s have a superior stopping power. I think the same for prewar Balilla and Universal.