From the "most helpful" review on Amazon:
"UPDATE (7/7/2014): It's back in Amazon's hands now. I was getting tired of using my Retron 5 in paranoia, checking the NES slot after each cartridge removal. I called Hyperkin, wanting to speak with Tech Support. First time I tried, they were out to lunch. Second time I tried, which was 3 hours later, they had left for the day. Instead, I was put in touch with the lead product developer himself, Chris Gallizzi.
I told him of my experience with the console & wanted to know if there was a set-in-stone recommended way to remove NES cartridges. He said the way he takes them out was the same method I'd been using--lift from one corner and remove. He wrote down a bunch of feedback from me and relayed some curious info. Evidently, MANY people are reporting the pin connector issue. Hyperkin made the connectors tight enough to ensure the best connection possible, but on hindsight, Chris admitted they made them TOO tight. They're only seeing the misshapen/popped pin issue with the mass produced consoles, NOT the beta units. They are looking into a possible hardware revision with a looser grip for all slots & stronger pins. With that, I thanked him for his help, and settled on holding onto the system for a bit longer.
Knowing that I was removing the NES cartridges the correct way from the product developer himself, I set my worries aside and had fun with it. First game of choice from my arsenal was Wrecking Crew. Inserting it felt a bit snug to me, but it played fine. After 30 min., I took the cart out, which was still a hassle. Checking the pins again, I noticed now there were two more pins popping up. I put in Dr. Mario, Othello, and Mega Man, all of them played fine with no pin trouble. Tried Wrecking Crew again, and after removal, another pin popped up. For whatever reason, my copy of Wrecking Crew was pulling the pins out. A fellow Retron 5 owner with my exact problem had theorized a week earlier on the Hyperkin Facebook page that the various sizes and thickness of NES cart PCBs could be a factor to why the Retron 5's NES slot pins were getting destroyed. Coupled with the unnecessary tightness, it seemed to be exactly right, in my case. I packed it up & returned it to Amazon for a complete refund.
Hyperkin is aware that it exists as a problem among mass-produced units. They haven't said anything publicly, and seem to be dealing with it on a case-by-case basis. With the product developer telling me they are possibly looking at a hardware revision with a looser grip & better pins, I cannot recommend the Retron 5 as it stands right now. I docked it a star after discovering the pins were still very much faulty on my "tested" refurb unit, leaving this as a one-star product in my eyes."
Seems to me like $40 is all its worth until it gets revised.