Tethrd has made several material improvements to the Leverage and also to my DIY version even. They are NOT like Heliums any more than XOPs are like Lone Wolfs, or APIs are like Lone Wolfs, etc. First, they beefed up the thickness of the step, see my picture of the original Leverage step peg. I broke 2 of my Leverage pegs in the field while climbing, which was not pleasant and in both cases painful. Second, they added a tab that protrudes from the channel like I did with the Helium pegs so that you can easily engage it with your fingers or toes. You'll note that they modified the extrusion of the main post vs. the Leverage to make it stronger and provide a tighter fit for the stand-offs eliminating movement/noise. Third, they massively improved the stand-offs, no contest. Finally, they incorporated their super effective Dyna Button concept vs. the crappy Leverage and very clumsy and loud clamp and buckle system. Mine used a versa button type system, so I would say Tethrd has mine beat too. Also, worth mentioning is the rope stowing system which seems pretty cool. I already placed my order and can't wait to get them in the tree. For those who've never used the Leverage, the number one benefit is the way that the step pegs kick back from the tree giving way better clearance for your foot from the tree. Lastly, enough with the "copy" noise please. Yes, they borrowed the primary benefit of the angling the pegs away from the tree from the defunct Leverage original...why wouldn't you? They did not steal the extrusion for the post from the same china factory that Leverage used as it is clearly different, while similar, to the leverage post. I'm not a Tethrd fan boy, just prefer to clarify some obvious misunderstandings about their promising new product. Not the lightest, but super practical, simple, effective and best of all, modestly priced. Thanks.