I understand everyone's concern about losing a significant percentage of trichomes in an auto trimmer, but where's the empirical data to prove or disprove as such? During the hand trimming process, the trichomes that are 'lost' or stuck to your trimming scissors is basically stuck like glue because of the physical contact of trichomes to the scissors. I've never look down and seen trichomes that have fallen off in the tray or tub from rough handling. So how much violent spinning can the buds take before trichomes fly off?
I've seen a number of videos of auto trimmers that tumble the shit out of the buds, spinning and tumbling the buds themselves at 1000 rpm (exaggerated.. probably less). The buds are spinning and rubbing against the trimmer blades, the rotating drum (maybe 60 rpm), and against all the other buds in the trimmer. What percentage of trichomes are rubbed off from all of this contact? Wouldn't most of the trichomes that are rubbed off become stuck to other buds as they rub together so the net effect is a minimal loss in the drum and on the trimmer blades?
Any chance someone at the BBQ can bring a bud that's been auto-trimmed versus an 'identical' bud from the same plant, the same size and shape, that has been hand trimmed? My speculation is that the surface of the auto-trimmed bud 'may' and possibly should have fewer trichomes, but how deep is that reduction in trichomes? Is any trichome loss too much for purists?
And ultimately is the end product less desirable?