I would guess if ten of us were to answer you'd get about ten answers. Personally, I tend to think that overall Parker Bros guns tended to have the best finish. As to design I favor the early Lefevers.
I will now come back with a question for you. Name me one design feature of a 21 which you think makes it superior to the early Classic American doubles. gain personally but I have never seen anything in the design of a 21 which was any better than other doubles.
My old low end J Stevens which preceded it by around 20 years had a very similar cocking system. The 21 was bolted with a single under bolt, so was the Parker. The frame was a Cigar box shape with a pointed slab on each side that looked like it was hewed out with a foot Adz. Nothing graceful about it at all in the aesthetics line. Etc Etc. It did of course have that "BIG RED W" name on it. Just my humble opinion of course.
