Shalom!
I am Yerachmiel Askotzky, owner of stam.net. If you e-mailed us then we’d have replied within hours, if that, unless it was after hours. Apparently we didn’t receive your e-mail or you didn’t receive our reply. Sorry about that. Feel free to call or e-mail again and we’d be happy to assist you.
Had I not seen this discussion and set the facts straight, it may have been assumed that we were not a serious source since we didn’t respond to hrolfr. Havei dan es kol adam lekav zechus!
Zalman’s comment is nothing more that than motzei shem ra and should never have been accepted by the moderator! This is one of the few frum sites I read or comment on, as comments allowed on most other so called frum sites are filled with lashon hara and motze shem ra and are far from daas Torah and I don’t want to be associated with them. I suggest that the moderator be more responsible.
We and hasofer among some other online sources (most of whom are actual businesses with an online presence) are as or more reliable, experienced, highly recommended and reasonable than most of your local neighborhood sofrim. A reliable website like ours, provides information about ourselves and what we offer, our standards and letters of approval from rabbanim. We are also accessible by phone, e-mail and in person and everything is transparent and can be confirmed.
We are not fly by night sources but have been doing this for years and are respected experts and well published (go to the kashrus Korner of this website).
As i write this, a rosh yeshiva came by to pick up mezuzahs he brought to have checked and to purchase some more. This is besides the shul rav who ordered a new pair of tefillin for himself a few hours ago after we checked his tefillin and uncovered problems overlooked by others and another shul rav who is deciding which parshios to choose for his son….
Choosing a source for STAM requires research and consulting with rabbanim, particularly those who are experts in STAM.
I do agree that Gid (or a synthetic string, which is acceptable according to most) works better to hold the kesher against the bayis.