XOP-XTREME OUTDOOR PRODUCTS Bottomland Climbing Sticks - Lightweight Aluminum Hunting Climbing Sticks for Tree Stands, Secure & Quiet for Deer Hunting & Outdoor Adventures

i bought a Air Raid and a set of the sticks this year and i have only been able to use them 5 or 6 times before i started seeing issues. im 6'2" and 285lb and with all my gear im around 300the sticks all the turn locks broke off 3 of the 4 thin junk pins doing nothing more than practicing setting them up. so i drilled them out and put steel SOLID screws through them and grinded them down. now they are 1000x stronger.last night i went to hang them and one of the poorly designed poured cast feet on the sticks snapped at the drill point for the bolt. why it is designed to cut out 75% of the structure on the feet to place the bolt is beyond me. im gonna drill it out and insert steel rods on both sides to join it back together and JB weld them back together.the stand was amazing at first now the straps are beginning to stretch and slide through the retaining clips and the cold air is causing it to creek and scream alot while im in it. not to mention the seat tore at the strap after only 2 trips out so i had to order the thicker one off amazon to replace it.All and all i liked them at first but now im not sure they will last the rest of my bow season. especially if i keep doing 2 a days.id like to get replacement feet for the steps but at the price i payed i shouldnt have to spend another dime on bad design. thanksI HAVE SINCE MADE CONTACT WITH THE COMPANY AND THE OWNER NOT ONLY REPLACED THE BROKEN FOOT BUT EVEN TOOK MY DESIGN IDEA INTO CONSIDERATIONGOOD COMPANY WOULD AND WILL ONLY BY FEOM THEMPurchased these from Amazon and used them the first time Saturday November 28, 2020. Only attached 2 sticks to the tree before a bolt that secured the bracket to the stick pulled through! Thankfully I was using a lineman’s belt! These sticks are supposed to be safe up to 350 lbs and I’m at 260. This is my first time using XOP products and will definitely be the last. Out of the box I was impressed. The first one went on the tree (red oak) simple enough with room for my size 13 hunting boots, but I’m very disappointed in the quality. What if this happened coming down in the dark with no climbing harness?! I haven’t reached out to XOP yet but I’m interested in what they have to say about this.Update- I reached out to XOP and their customer service went above and beyond to remedy this.Everything that they’re supposed to be I use them for bowhunting tree standFor the money there are better sticks out there, these things are loud and are eating themselves apart. The cam and slot both shave metal off each other every time you lock them together. The cam is held with a pin to allow movement so it can lock, but it is loud when putting it in the tree along with the grips. The buckles are atrocious and loud when climbing because the metal buckle can hit on the sticks. The proof of concepts is good, but needs some work, I would recommend something else.Good quality for the money. They're not the lightest sticks but I can't complain. I'm 6'2"-250 lbs and I feel confident when using these. I made amsteel daisy chains for all of them to shed the weight of the straps.I recently purchased these sticks for use with a lone wolf hang on as a mobile setup for this upcoming hunting season. These sticks are truly a great product. They attach to the tree very easily, quickly, and safely. Once you attach them to the tree, they are rock solid to climb on. The steps are great because of the "tread" on them so that your feet won't slip if they're wet. They attach to each other quickly and securely. Also the addition of the Mossy Oak Bottomland camo pattern on them is a great feature. Overall these sticks are the best sticks I have used and they are definitely worth the money. If there was one thing about them that I could say needs improvement would probably be the weight of the sticks. Don't get me wrong, these sticks are much lighter than the majority of them on the market, but just be aware that if you're packing them in and out of every hunt like I'll be doing, you'll want to realize that it will feel more like carrying a 20 lb climber. For me, that's perfectly fine, but it may be different for another person and their needs. But make no mistake, the bit of added weight goes a long way in making these sticks feel rock solid. So overall I love these sticks, highly recommend them, and will definitely make them worth their money this coming fall. If you need mobile climbing sticks, these are the ones!A little heavier than some models, but the lock together feature is great, zero noise during transport.Not sure why they lie about the weight but they are definitely not light ... Almost 16 lbs for 4 sticksWell made but especially heavy compared to lone wolf sticksAnd the little tab that is used for locking the sticks, rattles when not engaged.To me that are not near as good a stick as the lone wolfs