So the Packer 274s I bought my daughter is still doing great. Craftsmanship is top notch and I have no complaints
My ONE concern was related to the valves. They just seemed heavy. I thought since it's a new horn, maybe it's just dirty or needs breaking in. I cleaned the valve casings the best I could, and didn't get much black stuff out, but that really didn't help them.
Not sure what to do to expedite the break in period, so in the meantime I decided to order a set of Lite Mead springs. They come in a pack of 4, with the 4th valve one being a little stronger than the others.
When the package arrived, it wasn't really clear which one of the 4 springs was for the 4th valve. there were no visible marking on the package, but later I found out that one of the 4 valves has a piece of paper rolled up inside it, and it had a number 4 written on it (All 4 valves had that paper, and I didn't see the number until I had removed all the paper. the springs all look alike, so I took a guess at which one was the heavy spring. I think I chose wisely
So here's the review. The lighter springs do help the feel of the valves. I was a little worried the heavier springs were compensating for valves that may not come up on their own with a lighter set, but that's not the case. Any improvement from this point forward will just have to come from hours and hours of playing the thing and seeing if the valves get quicker with age.