First Beach Run Of Steve's Deus II Shaft

[ColonelDan]

First off, I'd like to echo F350Platinum's assessment of Steve's Deus II shaft in field use.  I found it top notch, just as he did.

It was so solid that if you didn't know better, one might think they were swinging a one piece carbon fiber shaft.  It had no wobble whatsoever .  One very important aspect to making it so is the proper tightening of the thumb screw that adjusts the tension on the cam lock.  If you ensure this is tightened down sufficiently to allow the cam lock to put enough pressure on the shaft, it will not move...period.

I tried rotating the upper shaft to several angles of the RC and settled on one that fit me best.  That's a nice feature in my opinion. 

It was very comfortable to handle and I could just feel the quality.  My hunting buddy was so impressed that he contacted Steve and put his name on the list.

I didn't take it in the surf as the ocean, somewhat north of Daytona Beach, was angry today.  However, the numerous surfers there loved it but this 74 year old knows his limitations.  As a young LT and CPT I was sure that I was bullet proof...not these days however.😁

Again, as F350Platinum said, it is very easy to clean up after a long day at the ocean.  Super slick and professional looking in every way.

The only shortcoming I can point out is that it just can't dig the targets for me once I find them!  Steve will have to work on that....   🤣

All in all....a super shaft for the Deus II.   GREAT job Steve.

 

[steveg]

Dan,

I am so glad to hear that the shaft is performing for you the way it should, and that you are pleased.

EXCELLENT point, about the cam locks.  Those are adjustable FOR A REASON.  USE THAT ADJUSTMENT, folks!  Fine-tune the clamping tension to where you like it, but in most cases, you should adjust it so that when clamping the lever closed to lock it down, you should hit a point in the rotation where you have to apply a bit of force to push that lever closed.  RIGHT AFTER you pass that point, the amount of pressure needed to finish clamping the lock closed diminishes just a bit.  But you should set it to where right at that one point, it takes a decent amount of pressure.  When you have it fine-tuned in that way, then -- like Dan said -- your sections are LOCKED and WILL NOT MOVE.

Meanwhile, I'll work on that "shaft digging the targets" part!  😉

Thanks, Dan!

Steve

[F350Platinum]

Nice beach report, Colonel. 👍 Are you using the 13" or the 11"? Centered or standard offset? I had to go to the centering device even with the 11".

When I first started swinging the coil in the field, I noticed one of the camlocks wasn't tight enough, there was a tiny "knock" on each swing. A quick turn or 2 on the thumbscrew got it gone.

The 13" will definitely put a shaft through the paces. Weight and corn stalks... 

Another thing about Steve's shafts is that the tolerances are tight, with any detector I bought one for, prior to that I had to get both sand and fine dust out of the tubes after a short while, that "crunch" when you shorten the XP shaft to charge it it's telling you something. With Steve's creations that is much less of a problem, as a matter of fact I've never had to do it. 🙂 

[ColonelDan]

I use the 11” coil, factory standard offset.  I made sure the cam lock screws were properly adjusted before swinging it….I learned that with other shafts from Steve!  👍🏻

You and I are of the same mind regarding Steve’s shafts!  Simply the best….period.

[CPT_GhostLight]

Well I'm all out of likes for the day... where can I buy a few extra likes? 😏

But great report, Col, and I echo that sentiment. Steve's shafts are works of art by someone who really knows his craft. They are unrivalled in the field.

[ColonelDan]

I wanted tI take it into the surf but it just wasn’t to be.  I have no doubt that it will be solid there as well.

I have a second shaft on order that I’ll install on my Deus II that’s set up specifically for water hunting.  I’ll report on that when the time comes.

[Brad Plohman]

I thought I'd tag my review of Steve's XPD2 shaft on to this thread otherwise Steve H is going to have to give Steve G his own Deus 2 shaft forum, lol. 

I ordered a Deus 2 shaft as well as a custom CF scoop handle for my 720i.

Steve G; outstanding my friend, your craftsmanship is impeccable! Every part of this shaft is well thought out and the tolerances are exact. The cam locks hold the shafts so securely that there's no wobble or need for spring pins to control torsional rotation. That and the non-fixed cuff gives me flexibility tilt the handle slightly inboard for comfort while still being able to adjust it so the when the coil lays flat the cuff stand is level.

The recessed positioning of the remoted is excellent. It makes it easy to access the buttons with my thumb while maintaining a grip on the handle. I also discovered some hidden genius in the design of the remote mount in that it's not glued in, but rather threaded in to an insert in the middle shaft, so if it ever does get damaged or broken it's an easy fix. This also makes it easy to break down for travel, just unscrew the remote mount and you can easily remove the middle shaft from the handle. 

The scoop handle was no different, and fit perfectly into the receiver on my scoop.

Great Job Steve!

Merry Christmas Everyone!

 

 

[steveg]

Brad,

THANK YOU for your comments, and THANKS for noticing a couple of small details that I thought were important, but maybe not so much that it required a bunch of fanfare.  I just hoped that folks would notice the details, and appreciate them.  The "recessed" position of the remote-control mount (that allows for easier access to the buttons on the remote) was important to me to accomplish, from an ergonomic perspective, and you noticed it!  Kudos to you!

Same thing with the screw-on mount.  I did it for exactly the reason you noted (and for some other "antenna wire inside the shaft" ideas that I won't get into right now).  I'm glad these small details matter to some, and I'm SO glad that you are pleased with the shaft and scoop handle.  I know it was a LONG wait for you, since we started with the scoop handle part of your order WAY,  WAY back in the early fall, I think; I appreciate your patience with me.

Thanks!

Steve