I have been soo tempted to go to Plastic too for lower weight and rotating mass. But about every time I say "I'm going to order that this monday", some guy strips a plastic gear at the track. This has happened to me at least 6 times over the last 1 1/2 yrs. I'm glad they put the metal, set it and forget it. Especially with that big plastic cover on the 811E you can't easily check to see if your mesh is good.