Dead In The Scrub !!

[Au4Gold2]

This is more of a complaint issue post than anything else. My first GP handle lasted me 2 years or more before it gave wY and broke. The new one I have I bought about 6 months ago and just left be dead in the scrub with no paddle. My observation is Minelab is cutting costs and producing the new handles with a softer grade plastic and for people like myself who hunt daily it's not adequate. I am going to send these pictures to Minelab so they are aware that softer plastics Just don't cut the mustard! Anyone else had the same issue ? 

[Au4Gold2]

Sorry about the spelling I am out in the field and iPhone pad is small for my fingers. Any how , I have to tape the dang handle and make it work as I am out in the field. 

[fredmason]

what a pain...some things should be made for sturdiness not to save weight or money...The handles on the Minelab Pi takes a huge amount of force. That is especially true if one is swinging to and from in a rapid manner.

fred

[Au4Gold2]

Hi Fred i, it is a pain in the rear! I made so with some tape from first aid kit and some duck tape strips, it makes the handle shorter not to great for my paws, but I can finish the day out. I think they need to consider coil weight , and also when grass is high you have to use some force to get the coil down low. The handle as you say takes a lot of force, but than again my first handle was tough. not sure if plastics the same or maybe made abroad with sub standard plastics. Regardless , Minelab needs to design much better handle replacements , I think this one cost me 100 bucks or so with button. I don't want to be replacing these every six months. 

[fredmason]

I totally agree...pushing a large coil through grass or under bushes, as well as the side to side swing is a living-stress test...

The handle seems like a good candidate for some after-market designer...I believe the going rate for the handle with the button is about 120 bucks...

I know of several button failures as well as the handles...common Doc get to work!

fred

[WesD]

Minelab is very good  about warranty on these. email them with pics for a free replacement this time

[Au4Gold2]

Hey Wes, 

 

I will give it a try..see what happens. When I started this morning  I notices a crack on the lower of the handle. It was starting to give, half hour latter, the whole dang thing snapped !! Hope Minelab sends me a new handle....I usually don't complain about stuff like this and just call it part of the job, things break. But this handle did not even make it one year. Anyways on a good note, did find a small picker 1 gram.

[Trent King]

Detinately very dodgy and a known problem for several years.  Nearly everyone I know has broken them multiple times, you would think they would have made some good ones by now!

[RickUK]

I had 2 similar handles break in the same fashion on the handle of my Sovereign straight shaft,albeit the Sovereign one did not have the push button as with the GPX,but non the less i also feel it was either a design fault of wrong type of plastic or what ever its made from.

[Au4Gold2]

Sent Minelab U.S and Australia a email , let's hope they come thru. Appears this is very common according to the comments I have read.