Rudolffzigray: I have a Basis turntable. The tonearm mounts to a very heavy and solid insert that sits in the chassis of the table. I have transported it many times this way without incident. In any event, the stylus was found to be missing at the tech's shop, after we had disassembled the table (removed the belt, the platter, and the tonearm + base) and moved the pieces to the front of his shop for loading into my car. I noticed the tip was missing, he confirmed this, and we were both struck by how bizarre this was, since I had watched the entire process, and nothing had touched the tonearm (he handled it by the base).
I share your sense of disbelief, since that was my initial reaction as well. But it happened.
The VdH cartridges are relatively easy and inexpensive to re-tip, and I believe this is because the stylus is part of a "sleeve" that slides over and attaches to the cantilever. It makes sense that if the adhesive was not properly applied, or otherwise failed, the sleeve could fall off. And this did occur after only the relatively brief number of plays needed to mount and test the cartridge. If in fact there was an adhesive failure, it would be more surprising if this had occurred after several hundred hours.
I share your sense of disbelief, since that was my initial reaction as well. But it happened.
The VdH cartridges are relatively easy and inexpensive to re-tip, and I believe this is because the stylus is part of a "sleeve" that slides over and attaches to the cantilever. It makes sense that if the adhesive was not properly applied, or otherwise failed, the sleeve could fall off. And this did occur after only the relatively brief number of plays needed to mount and test the cartridge. If in fact there was an adhesive failure, it would be more surprising if this had occurred after several hundred hours.