Raffi, Thanks so much for the chance to test-drive your beta version of the shift knob. I'll try to explain my impressions calmly but please keep in mind that I'm a bit more than just a little overwhelmed :) Ok, the package... It arrived as scheduled and my first impression about the "item" was: "Wow, that's heavy!". Looked nice and professional, though :) Taking off the OEM knob was no brainer (quite frankly I simply grabbed the package and went downstairs to the garage, couldn't wait till morning light). Three minutes and, instead of a stylish OEM knob, I had one little ugly dirty "pinky" sticking out of the gearbox. Removing the "plunger" boot from the OEM "neck" was more difficult that sticking a new "neck" back through the boot. Ok, that part's taken care of, let's put the boot back where it belongs and screw it (literally). Heavy "pear" of the shifter finished the ensemble and the whole piece looked great and extremely appealing, even the dimples got aligned perfectly, knob stopped turning right where it should. Time to see how it works "on the go". In order for me to get out of the parking "stall" I needed to switch to reverse and back off a little. The shape of the knob is perfect for that - flat top is made for pushing down in the reverse position. It shifted into reverse like a dream, thanks to heavy weight. Now it would be a good time to shift to the first gear and get going. Just pull the knob slightly and it pops out of the reverse and gets erected in the neutral position. Again, smooth and happy. All I need is to push it to the left and then forward to get it fixed in the first. Here comes a little "but" - because of the flattened top of the knob, the palm feels a little uncomfortable when you wrap it around the knob from top-right - the "edge" between the knob's side and its top is noticeable compared to the perfect sphere of the OEM one. It would be better to keep the top spherical, not flattened. However, that's just a momentary feeling when you need to shift into the first gear and not as noticeable as, say, OEM dimpled ring's movement. And, again, the shifting itself goes above and beyond, better than I expected and much better than with the OEM knob.