• The SH Membership has gone live. Only SH Members have access to post in the classifieds. All members can view the classifieds. Starting in 2020 only SH Members will be admitted to the annual hunting contest. Current members will need to follow these steps to upgrade: 1. Click on your username 2. Click on Account upgrades 3. Choose SH Member and purchase.
  • We've been working hard the past few weeks to come up with some big changes to our vendor policies to meet the changing needs of our community. Please see the new vendor rules here: Vendor Access Area Rules

Most disappointing products you bought

bigmike23

Well-Known Member
Jan 29, 2020
1,701
4,331
113
NE PA
Please don't bash companies and keep it civil, but curious what stuff you bought over the years really let you down. Anything hunting related.
Bought a pair of Gumleaf boots which run double the cost of any other rubber boot on the market, and not even 2 years later the right boot leaks like a sive. There's no hole in the boot. Seems like the glue failed. What about you guys
 
  • Wow
  • Like
Reactions: skydoc and Plebe

NMSbowhunter

Well-Known Member
SH Member
Jan 3, 2022
4,310
9,034
113
51
Please don't bash companies and keep it civil, but curious what stuff you bought over the years really let you down. Anything hunting related.
Bought a pair of Gumleaf boots which run double the cost of any other rubber boot on the market, and not even 2 years later the right boot leaks like a sive. There's no hole in the boot. Seems like the glue failed. What about you guys
Oh, that stinks. I think they have a good warranty. Contact them and see if they will replace them.

Generally, the biggest thing that has let me down hunting wise over the years and cost me hunts has been vehicles.
 

josh9284

Well-Known Member
Nov 24, 2021
223
246
43
39
Florida
Trail cams...really don't tell you the whole story, We have come to rely on them as hunters but I must say I do better when I scout more instead of relying on a static camera. pics that are blank, wind setting them off, to much light in the nighttime photos to actually see anything, only pics of asses...no pun intended...could go on and on but the only thing I use them for now is to see what critters are around the house!
 

Westdesign03

Well-Known Member
SH Member
Nov 3, 2019
1,941
1,558
113
39
Ohio
One of the earlier model cuddeback trail cameras. When they had those tall slender bodies. I’m sure they’re better now but this one is difficult setup because it showed codes on the little LCD screen that made no sense and had no reference to what it was. Battery life is TERRIBLE. photo quality is TERRIBLE. But boy does it have a fast hair trigger. That’s probably the best attribute. It’s still a camera that works so I continue to keep it around.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
 

boyne bowhunter

Moderator
Staff member
SH Member
Aug 17, 2016
7,597
20,321
113
61
NW Michigan
Anything I have tried to save some money on. There has been things I don't like. Or didn't fit me. But mostly something I tried to go cheap on, and was never happy with it.
I'm with you. My most disappointing stuff seems generally to be things I was trying to repurpose into something they were never intended to do. Most often this was done to save a few dollars. I have found I'm better off buying something built for purpose and if I need to making a minor mod to it.
 

John 35

Well-Known Member
May 19, 2021
599
912
93
39
Slick trick broadheads lose blades on a hard impact. I wish I had spent less time and money on food plots. I hate climbing sticks and public land legal climbing methods in general. I broke my tree hopper drill bit after about 20 trees. Love the cranford double fold screw ins.
 

woodsdog2

Well-Known Member
SH Member
Jun 28, 2019
8,176
10,411
113
Mantis saddle
Aluminum ferrules and thin blades
Any rangefinder with a black display
Twist lock gate carabiners, they snap and pop and are impossibly loud for the deer woods
Mass produced turkey calls of any kind...... cheap junk. They may call in turkeys fine but I don't like 'em!!
HME Deer Drag. I went back to my home made drag that has a simple loop of paracord and a 6 inch long piece of white 1" diameter pvc tubing. Have used it without fail for over 25 years
H2 Digital Bow Scale from LCA
 
  • Like
Reactions: HaunSolo and Bwhana

Iron_llama

Well-Known Member
Aug 4, 2020
2,236
2,765
113
44
NW MN
Butt out tool. Used it on 3 deer, only worked on the first. Just learn to use your knife.

Any knife that costs less than a Mora. Conversely, any knife that costs more than about $70 is going to get broken or lost the first time it hits the field.

My climbing stand... if I had heard of saddles I'd have gotten in the game back then.

Cheap variable power scopes. Any 3-9 scope that comes with a new, budget rifle should not be trusted.

My collapsible bone saw is absolutely not necessary for deer in the field. I do use it to cut shanks for osso buco but I could have just gotten a proper bone saw. So, it's more "butchering" than "hunting".
 

Robert loper

Well-Known Member
SH Member
Sep 19, 2017
1,772
1,873
113
49
NJ
YOUTUBE
TheBuckPsych
Trail cams...really don't tell you the whole story, We have come to rely on them as hunters but I must say I do better when I scout more instead of relying on a static camera. pics that are blank, wind setting them off, to much light in the nighttime photos to actually see anything, only pics of asses...no pun intended...could go on and on but the only thing I use them for now is to see what critters are around the house!
Not to change subject but I agree 100%.
I think guys just rely on them or use them in the wrong way.
I got caught up in this for few years
We try to use them and do get alot of good info on them but , we really try to look at any info or conditions is going on when looking at several videos.
i do use them on video to note directions of travel.
trail cameras are just another tool in the bucket.
Night time pics mean zero to me
Nothing beats real time burning boot rubber