I thought others here might appreciate hearing more about this from someone who's installed one. I know there are lots of Eastlake 8D's out there, with that awful mechanical linkage. Mine arrived in today's mail, and it was installed 20 minutes later. (That includes the time it took me to find a proper screwdriver for the stop arm screws--I'd misplaced it.) The kit seems a bit spendy for what's included ($150), but there's no denying that it makes a huge improvement in the horn. I may even be able to mix both sides of the horn now, rather than playing exclusively on one side or the other, depending on the demands of the music. The original linkage was just too clumsy to use as part of ordinary fingerings. The original thumb lever remains, so there's no need to remove that and to deal with the spring. Unlike earlier 8D string linkages in which a curved lever partially encircled the valve stem, the new linkage is a straight pivoting bar much like the ones that connect to the other valves. Like them, it has a string that wraps around a new stop arm. As with the other valves, the way the string is wrapped allows adjustment of the lever position. Those with smaller or larger hands should find it a lot easier to operate the thumb lever when it's adjusted for a comfortable reach. The length of throw is now a function of the diameter of the stop arm body, around which the string is wrapped, and it ends up being a shorter throw than with the mechanical linkage. That should translate into slightly more pressure required on the lever to move the valve, but it's not noticeably more difficult to throw. And it's certianly smooth and quiet. It's much more linear in its action than the mechanical linkage. Bottom line: if you have an Eastlake 8D, and the $150 price tag won't adversely affect your standard of living, this kit could make a big difference for you. It certainly did for me.