micro enginerings new HOn3 #5 switches.
I have been using both some shinohara #4 switches, and some of micro engineering's new HOn3 #5 switches with plastic ties. One big difference is the ME switches are DCC friendly straight out of the box. The points are ries electrically to the stock rail they are next to, to prevent shorts. the frog is Isolated from the points, and the inside rails of the diverging tracks.
due to this, if you are using traditional DC, and want a power routing switch, with a hot frog you have to wire the two inside rails from the diverging tracks together with the frog, and power it some kind of way. I use tiny double or single pole double throw switches for that ( Se logging in eastern TN. in 1928, where I am building Gegoukayoosa NC. on my filth level .
so far I really like the ME switches > with the Shinohara , you can get power routing through the contact of the point rails without modification; but that tends to become unreliable due to oxidation, so I use the DPDT or SPDT switch both as a ground throw and to power the frog. It is much less work to set up a ME switch for DC power routing than it would be to make the shinohara switch DCC friendly.
The flangeways on the ME frog are finer. This causes no problems with any cars so far My Westside C-16 bumps a little through the frog, which may be a gauge issue or be due to the flange thickness. It is minor enough that I can live with it, and haven't investigated yet.
Shinohara switches are produced in batches overseas, and because of this are not in constant supply. The ME switches are built in the USA, and are, I believe produced on a continuous basis, so there should be less availability issues with them.
The ME plastic ties are a little finer than the shinohara, but are plenty sturdy. the throw bar between the points on the ME switch is finer, and thus more fragile. the points are sprung, so could could use the switch without a ground throw if you were using locomotives long enough to not need the hot frog, Tiny locomotives is the whole draw to HOn3 for this writer, thus I will do with a hot frog, powered by a ground throw every time.
Availability -- advantage ME
tracking of larger equipment-- advantage ME ( #5 vs #4 switch, not fair)
looks--advantage ME
sturdiness over time -- Yet to be determined
the photos are a ME switch prepped for installation and just after installation of ground throw.
I will use code 70 flex track from either source interchangeably. I have found code 55 flex to be to fragile for my tastes, even though it looks awesome.
Bill Nelson