My 2 cents. These are definitely a nice upgrade from the gen 1s. My steps are solid. No wiggle I can find.
They're definitely quieter than the gen 1s were. I suspect from the caps pressed in. I have lots more stealth stripping to go. I like the rope system but if I had the choice I'd still use the versa button with the truckers hitch. Just like the first gen, there's still some slack in the line after you set the stick. It isn't much that most would care but I'm absolutely anal about it. You cannot kick out a trucker-hitched beast stick no matter how hard you may try. However, it's much better than the first gen because of the angled teeth. These set much better. I didn't like the pins either but tried vaseline on them and they're much improved now.
I don't care what any tape measure says, these def have less foot room than beast sticks. I tried them side by side on the same trees and over and over the beasts feel roomier. I have to have my feet splayed out usually on these when I go up. There isn't much to grab onto either when going up and down.
Overall I like them. They wont be a complete replacement for my beast sticks. I got them because I can tuck them perfectly behind the stand so there's no snag factor. I mainly hunted thick mtn laurel this year and the snag with beasts is rage-inducing. Wanna punch a tree inducing. Migraine causing bad.
View attachment 78198