VNM Shifter V1 Review

Final thoughts on the VNM Shifter V1. These are manufactured at a small shop in Vietnam. Out of the box, it has a very solid feel to it. The case is made from aluminum that has nicely done anodization on both the outside and inside. It comes with two shifting knobs. One for H-Pattern duties and one for sequential use. There is an adjustable knob mounting unit that allows you to
adjust the height of the shifter knobs. It is secured to the shaft by two opposing set screws. You want to make sure you get these tight to prevent slippage during hard shifting use. This shifter comes with a 7 speed gate and sequential gate. They do have an 8 speed and 6 speed gate available as an add-on product. The gates have ramps cut into them to help guide the shaft to the proper gate. The shifting mechanism is made from CNC aluminum. It is a complex looking piece of kit that gives the impression of a high quality build. It uses sealed bearings at crucial pivot points. There is a tension adjustment element that uses a spring tensioned ball bearing riding on a nylon plate with indentations to simulate shifting gears. The good news continues with the electronics solution that I found. A custom circuit board that looks to be well done. There are contactless switches which should give a long life cycle. I was able to find a good mounting solution using the included dual clamp system. Resulting in a very solid mount. Which is what you need to really tell how a shifter performs under pressure. During H pattern shifting I found I had to adjust the tensioner screw to its maximum range to get the feeling I wanted during shifting. I found it easy to get up to speed with this shifter. The gate spacing felt familiar and allowed me to make shifts with minimal error from the start. And never missing shifts soon thereafter. In sequential mode it didn’t feel like I was turning a selector shaft, but it did have enough pressure available in the spring tensioned ball bearing to get the job done. I think it’s H pattern performance felt better. I did hammer on this shifter for a few hours worth of driving. And it never gave the impression of weakness. It’s solid all metal construction came into play here. At a current price of 200.00 plus shipping, I believe the VNM Shifter punches a bit above its weight. Currently, to purchase this shifter you will need to join VNM’s Facebook group. Or, go to their Discord server and inquire. VNM is working on completing their website sometime in March. Overall I liked using this shifter. And when considering the price point, I would give this one a serious look.