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LWCG Ambush Platform

Nutterbuster said:
I'm not sure what exactly the plans are. I'm sure there's a substantial difference in the cost of mailing some bolts and having a machined post sent out. I know when I mentioned it was possibly a problem with the post, he immediately said if I determined that to be the case he'd get me one. But I'd be surprised if they just sent 150 people new posts without them being asked for.

Reach out to them and see. I'll be taking him up on his offer if I can't get my bolt reasonably straight. But I hope I can make it work without doing that because I'm honestly rooting for them now.

I have never paid much attention to lone wolf or the D'acquistos. I've heard some less than positive words about Andrae, but my only interaction with him left me with a good impression. It may be that he's a good dude, or it may just be that he's got enough business savvy to woo me over. But I'm a little more impressed by and interested in his company now.
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I’m interested in what comes out of this like everyone else and hope like you say he is a good guy and will make it right.
But I have a $300 paper weight at home in a box I can’t use so at this point I’m not very impressed with anyone at LWCG.
 
Nutterbuster said:
But I'd be surprised if they just sent 150 people new posts without them being asked for.
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I wouldn’t send 150 people anew post. What do you do when you send out a new post and the the platform itself is not drilled true. At that point you have prolonged your customers dissatisfaction for several weeks and had to eat two more shipping charges to still possibly have a defective product. It would be a tough choice to make. I’m glad it’s not mine to make. It’s going to take time. Whatever they choose finding a new machine shop and getting things made will not happen over night. So once again saddle hunters will have their patience tested. It’s nothing new for us.
 
Treehopper2 said:
I’m interested in what comes out of this like everyone else and hope like you say he is a good guy and will make it right.
But I have a $300 paper weight at home in a box I can’t use so at this point I’m not very impressed with anyone at LWCG.
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Treehopper,
What exact problems are you having with your platform?
 
justinredig said:
Treehopper,
What exact problems are you having with your platform?
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Mine has never seen a tree yet due to the bolt issue. I didn’t see the point using it until I get the replacement parts because it would bend or possibly break under load.
I did try adjusting the leveling bolt but that’s very hard to do because it’s also drilled wrong I now realize.
To be honest I need to look it over better after seeing those two items I was frustrated and realized I couldn’t use it so back in the box it went.
 
Treehopper2 said:
I’m interested in what comes out of this like everyone else and hope like you say he is a good guy and will make it right.
But I have a $300 paper weight at home in a box I can’t use so at this point I’m not very impressed with anyone at LWCG.
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that’s why mine is going back. I might try again when they get their crap together.
 
I've put about 16 hours on the platform and I do really like it, other than the bolt. I fixed the noise by adding some felt to the leveling contact points.
What I've found is this stand bites really really hard. Because of the aggressive teeth, very little cramming is needed or even possible.Takes side pressure better than any platform I've used, including the assassin.
Hoping the replacement button resolves my bent bolt.
 
I tried the side by side comparison with the assassin yesterday, my findings were different. I find that the assassin takes side pressure better. For me the difference is that because the teeth are so aggressive, you have to have it at the “right” level of tightness to cam it over. Too tight and it is impossible. Whereas, with the assassin, you can step on the black step, use the other foot to fold it up, and recam, then it is super solid. You can’t do that with the ambush because the teeth are so aggressive.

Also, if you put slight back pressure on the back corners, the stand folds up on me. Not really a safety issue when your saddle is on - but because of the aggressive teeth you can’t re-cam it because it is too tight after it slides down even slightly. I had to step on the half cam’d platform, loosen my tether, and step down on my stick to readjust/recam.

I actually could live with all of this because otherwise it is really solid .... but I do find that it loosens up as I shift my weight and then it starts making noise - gets progressively looser and louder throughout the sit.

I think if I used a ratchet or OCB on the tabs on the platform to lock everything in, it would be rock solid; but I don’t want to do that.

For me - the bolt, leveling system, noise, difficulty camming it just right, less solid (for me) than the assassin, and the poor fit of the post in the platform - causing noise and metal in metal contact; there are just too many problems for me.

I emailed them about returning it, but haven’t heard back yet. I don’t question their integrity at all; I have found their customer service to be good so far. I do want them to make it better and if a new post would fix it, I would try it. I like enough about the platform to give that a try. I do feel bad for them; it would suck to have sold this many units so quickly and have most dissatisfied. I am rooting for them to make it better - and I will continue to try their products/improvements as they make them.
 
Going to give this a try today
4aef2fa454425c46cab15dc172a55b58.jpg



Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
 
Standing on mine as I type this.

Pros:
Size
Size
Size

Cons:
Aggressive teeth that aren’t as simple to cam. (This can be learned)
I believe the angle of the teeth will also cause problems even with a properly tensioned cam.

Overall, I’m not too mad at it. But I do look forward to the 2.0.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
 
tedk said:
I tried the side by side comparison with the assassin yesterday, my findings were different. I find that the assassin takes side pressure better. For me the difference is that because the teeth are so aggressive, you have to have it at the “right” level of tightness to cam it over. Too tight and it is impossible. Whereas, with the assassin, you can step on the black step, use the other foot to fold it up, and recam, then it is super solid. You can’t do that with the ambush because the teeth are so aggressive.

Also, if you put slight back pressure on the back corners, the stand folds up on me. Not really a safety issue when your saddle is on - but because of the aggressive teeth you can’t re-cam it because it is too tight after it slides down even slightly. I had to step on the half cam’d platform, loosen my tether, and step down on my stick to readjust/recam.

I actually could live with all of this because otherwise it is really solid .... but I do find that it loosens up as I shift my weight and then it starts making noise - gets progressively looser and louder throughout the sit.

I think if I used a ratchet or OCB on the tabs on the platform to lock everything in, it would be rock solid; but I don’t want to do that.

For me - the bolt, leveling system, noise, difficulty camming it just right, less solid (for me) than the assassin, and the poor fit of the post in the platform - causing noise and metal in metal contact; there are just too many problems for me.

I emailed them about returning it, but haven’t heard back yet. I don’t question their integrity at all; I have found their customer service to be good so far. I do want them to make it better and if a new post would fix it, I would try it. I like enough about the platform to give that a try. I do feel bad for them; it would suck to have sold this many units so quickly and have most dissatisfied. I am rooting for them to make it better - and I will continue to try their products/improvements as they make them.
Click to expand...

I agree about the camming, but my experience with side and even back pressure has been vastly different than yours.
I wonder if instead of using the cam strap an OCB or Daisy chain would work better. Or maybe even the buckless method.
I think I got lucky in that all the holes on mine appear near square.
 
For the AlumiButton, you can also grind a 1 inch bolt down by 1/8 inch instead of using the washer. This is what I plan to do.
 
Just got off the phone with Andre and had a good substantive chat. Couldn't have been more pleasant and understanding. He's actually beginning to hunt out of a saddle and is aiming to shoot the biggest buck taken from a saddle.

I think they are handling this situation about as well as one could.
 
I think I should state again that while I’m disappointed with the product; I’m not mad at LWCG. I don’t want people to think I am badmouthing them. I’m encouraged to hear that they are communicating with the customer base and looking to improve. I’d definitely be open to hold off on the return if they had a solution for the post issues - even if it cost me a few bucks. I’d love this platform to be in the arsenal.

... as for our different experiences with the assassin vs ambush - could be that I am just more experienced with the assassin and know how to work it better, while I’m still in the learning curve with the ambush; but so far, I haven’t gotten the ambush the way I like it.
 
I received mine on Thurs, headed to camp on Fri, and used it for the first time this morning, in the dark, for opening day of MO rifle season. I've never used this style platform before, only bolts, WE Stepps, and the Perch. I'm only 5hrs in, but there's no way I'm gonna give this thing up. Absolutely awesome piece of gear.

Are my bolts off center? Yep. Did it bend? Nope. Does the post rub? Yep. Any noise? None. Hard to cam? No, piece of cake. Heavy? Barely noticed it on my back. Worth it for the extra space? Absolutely.

It's definitely not the finish quality (non-centered bolts) I'd expect from LWCG for $300, but there is nothing wrong with it functionally. Looking forward to pairing it with the mini sticks.

Hopefully I can follow up with a kill out of it this weekend. Already had a shooter walk by at first light, no clean shot though....

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