I purchased (2) Sets of the Hawk Helium Mini climbing sticks about 2 weeks ago. I'm pretty happy with the sticks, but the suction cups broke immediately after purchasing on both sets. Most common problem was that the male heads broke off inside the female receiver part. I ended up just lashing the sticks together with a couple of Titan straps, which I think I like better anyways because they hold together tighter and I don't tear my rotator's cuff trying to separate them!.
I had contacted Hawk twice via their website about replacement parts, but never got a response. I sat on hold today for a phone representative for about 30 minutes. Once I finally connected with someone, they were super friendly and explained that "Hawk had a widespread problem with that suction cup design and had to re-engineer it. Due to this fact, the new style suction cups are on back order". They did go ahead and order me (2) sets, but couldn't forecast when I would receive them.
The company that handles Hawk's claims is GSM, who also handles a dozen other outdoor companies' customer service. It takes a long time to get through, but if you want to get some replacement suction cups, it's worth sitting on the phone. I utilized this time to work on some Amsteel Daisy Chains!!
I had contacted Hawk twice via their website about replacement parts, but never got a response. I sat on hold today for a phone representative for about 30 minutes. Once I finally connected with someone, they were super friendly and explained that "Hawk had a widespread problem with that suction cup design and had to re-engineer it. Due to this fact, the new style suction cups are on back order". They did go ahead and order me (2) sets, but couldn't forecast when I would receive them.
The company that handles Hawk's claims is GSM, who also handles a dozen other outdoor companies' customer service. It takes a long time to get through, but if you want to get some replacement suction cups, it's worth sitting on the phone. I utilized this time to work on some Amsteel Daisy Chains!!