Cozee,
I BOUGHT a Sorby 1" oval skew - they were on sale at 30% off at Woodcraft and I teach there, so I thought I SHOULD use at least one GOOD tool. THAT's why I BOUGHT it. I USE it, at home when no one is watching, cause I LOVE the tool. Dampens vibration, cuts like a VERY sharp knife through >>>>>>whatever>>>>>>>. Is it WORTH 75 bucks or so???? Well, I SELL pens. The more I turn, successfully, the more I will sell. And, I think I've mentioned I ENJOY turning - I enjoy it a lot more when things are "going well" and they have "gone well" ever since I started using it.
I DO use the really small one (1/4") to fine tune the ends and just touch the bushings when I have more time than the demo took. But, the small tool DOES catch once in a while - usually on exotic skin blanks that cost a fortune, but the "Skin" or coconut or whatever has a lot more dimension than a normal blank. BE REAL CAREFUL if you do any of these.
Oh, and I do have several PSI oval 3/4" skews (the $15 variety). They are a lot lighter, but if the blank is round (not square), these work fine, too. Just a lot more vibration than the "mother" tool.
Hope this helps!!!