I had one which was brilliant for about 6 months, which was mostly being used as a stick brush when bouldering. It got fairly heavy use like this, which puts more load on it then when used as a clipstick (the clipstick head is solid metal and would last forever.) Unfortunately after that I lost it They were kind enough to send me a replacement for a discount as I hadn't lost the clipstick head. I have had that for over a year now, again mostly used as a stick brush. Unfortunately it hasn't been quite as good as the first, the brush often rotates in the pole. I think this must be because it wasn't quite crimped tight enough originally, or else I unwittingly bashed it somewhere. It's no doubt fixable with some elbow grease though.The pole itself is very long and very sturdy. Not had any issues with the extension mechanism. The clipstick head works well once you are used to it.
I think the head is way better than the beta design, the quickdraw actually sits in it nice and snuggly and doesn't feel like it's about to fall out the entire time. Way easier to do all the advanced clipsticking tricks too (clipping a rope in, unclipping a quickdraw from a bolt). Personally I'd prefer a 'camera tripod' style pole as the twistlock ones always seem a bit flaky to me, but having said that the pole on my pongoose works fine after a couple of years.Overall I reckon it's worth the extra wonga.
One day, somebody will rise up from among us to make a clipstick that is stronger than wet tissue and free us from tyranny.(I have the new design green-headed one and one of the clamp things was slack after about 5 trips to the crag. Fucking shite).
One day, somebody will rise up from among us to make a clipstick that is stronger than wet tissue and free us from tyranny.
Personally I'd prefer a 'camera tripod' style pole as the twistlock ones always seem a bit flaky to me
Quote from: Will Hunt on June 29, 2020, 08:13:50 pmOne day, somebody will rise up from among us to make a clipstick that is stronger than wet tissue and free us from tyranny.I’ve said it before but if you do what Americans do and get a ceiling painting pole and a Superclip you have a rigid, sturdy clipstick whose length depends only on the pole you buy. It’s just big and heavy so you can’t take it on holiday and everyone will ask you questions about it at the crag.
Three years ago the superclip head was unavailable other than as an expensive import but might be a (less versatile) alternative.
I feel compelled to defend the beta stick, as it seems to get an undeserved bashing in my opinion. I've had one for about 8 years and I've used it a lot. It's now pretty battered but all sections still lock and it does the job. In terms of the draw falling out, I reckon this happens less than 1 in 50 uses. Downsides are that its pretty useless for brushing holds and the red end section will snap if used carelessly.
I treated my green beta stick like royalty and one of the sections became loose after a single digit number of trips to the crag.Has anybody got any clue whether the green version can be fixed? Is there a way to retighten the clamps so that sections don't slide open? It's not so slack that it's completely without resistance but it doesn't take much to open it up.