Anyone tried the Click Geckos?

Chaplain242 said:
I believe Gustharts have them..
Click to expand...
hey man. Old thread but wanted to confirm whether you ended up getting new Distels rather than replacing old pads or finding some better alternative. I feel your pain regarding the insane pricing for what amounts to some velcro and foam. Am in the same boat and seeking alternatives. Not just the money, but the waste makes me mad.
 
Yes the price of the replacement pads is absurd!

I made my own replacement using the existing fiber glass part. It has worked for a few years now.


I also made my own velcro lowers.
 
Kandelero said:
hey man. Old thread but wanted to confirm whether you ended up getting new Distels rather than replacing old pads or finding some better alternative. I feel your pain regarding the insane pricing for what amounts to some velcro and foam. Am in the same boat and seeking alternatives. Not just the money, but the waste makes me mad.
Click to expand...
Yes got em, Honeybros on sale. Give you an update when I get to try them. HB have a sale on now until tomorrow.

will repair old ones, chasing some 3m fabric glue at moment - could use standard contact cement, but thought I would try the supposed good stuff first
 
treegongfu said:
Yes the price of the replacement pads is absurd!

I made my own replacement using the existing fiber glass part. It has worked for a few years now.


I also made my own velcro lowers.
Click to expand...
your gongfu is more powerful then their gongfu. And I just found good use for that yoga mat Reg Coates shamed me out of deploying in 'the field.' ;-)

The foam tucks in perfectly. I have not used contact cement as yet, but the velcro holding the stock pad section can stick right to this stuff.

If the fix holds up to working abuse I will sell them at cost plus shipping to all parties on the condition they send pics of themselves giving the finger to Distel and Notch for abusive practices.

stay cool.
 

Attachments

  • IMG_8191.JPG
    IMG_8191.JPG
    435.3 KB · Views: 18
  • IMG_8187 2.JPG
    IMG_8187 2.JPG
    597.8 KB · Views: 18
Mowerr said:
I need new velcros on mine but realized it was cheaper to buy caddy pads for my old steel Buckingham spikes I already had.

I never tried caddy's before but I am very happy with them so far but haven't used them for that long yet. But I think I like them more than my gecko's.
Click to expand...
What? A lowly pair of steel bucks and some caddy pads can compete with, or better the mighty gecko's. Impossible..
 
Last edited:
my steel bucks w/ caddies are in Guatemala to deal with thick bark are broad diameters. Geckos are grippy on teeny tiny Ontario trees that you would giggle at. We all know you are the man, Rico. However, there are some perks to not clanking like the Tin Man after a triple expresso whilst spurring. Or do you bar oil your Cadillacs?
 
All this talk has me thinking of putting my caddies back in service. They are the most comfortable fit I’ve had on spurs, but I won’t lie- the lightweight factor of CFs is big deal for me.
 
Kandelero said:
my steel bucks w/ caddies are in Guatemala to deal with thick bark are broad diameters. Geckos are grippy on teeny tiny Ontario trees that you would giggle at. We all know you are the man, Rico. However, there are some perks to not clanking like the Tin Man after a triple expresso whilst spurring. Or do you bar oil your Cadillacs?
Click to expand...
Call me fucking crazy but noise is not really a priority for me when I’m choosing a set of spurs/pads. Instead I base my choices on gaff profile, comfort, and durability. IMHO a set of steel bucks/caddy pads has the geckos beat in all 3 categories, and at a much cheaper price.
 
Kandelero said:
your gongfu is more powerful then their gongfu. And I just found good use for that yoga mat Reg Coates shamed me out of deploying in 'the field.' ;-)
Click to expand...

I tapered off the yoga slowly so as to avoid admitting that Reg was right and I was just there to stare at women in yoga pants.
 
rico said:
Call me fucking crazy but noise is not really a priority for me when I’m choosing a set of spurs/pads. Instead I base my choices on gaff profile, comfort, and durability. IMHO a set of steel bucks/caddy pads has the geckos beat in all 3 categories, and at a much cheaper price.
Click to expand...
You're not wrong, Rico. However, you really haven't lived until you've hillbilly handfished a nesting merganser, and that trick requires stealth.
 
rico said:
Call me fucking crazy but noise is not really a priority for me when I’m choosing a set of spurs/pads. Instead I base my choices on gaff profile, comfort, and durability. IMHO a set of steel bucks/caddy pads has the geckos beat in all 3 categories, and at a much cheaper price.
Click to expand...
Ya I think your right...although I did sharpen my geckos by hand a bunch of times so idk if I did that right or not but I do miss how light the geckos are but at the same time it feels like the Buckinghams gafs just sink into the wood much better effortlessly and the support just feels so much better right now it's hard for me to describe...I know my geckos got used a lot more and I sharpened them a bunch of times while I never have sharpened the Buckinghams and the Buckinghams have barely been used compared to my geckos....I feel like the gaffs on my Buckinghams are a bit longer...

My point being I never thought there was that much of a difference in gaffs and shanks of different manufacturers untill I read some threads and after switching to these old bucks I had, that I probably haven't used since I first got off the ground....I really see what Rico was talking about I those threads and I agree that Buckingham makes really great spikes. Mind you I haven't tried anything but these two sets I got but now I really want the titaniums!!
 
Mowerr said:
Ya I think your right...although I did sharpen my geckos by hand a bunch of times so idk if I did that right or not but I do miss how light the geckos are but at the same time it feels like the Buckinghams gafs just sink into the wood much better effortlessly and the support just feels so much better right now it's hard for me to describe...I know my geckos got used a lot more and I sharpened them a bunch of times while I never have sharpened the Buckinghams and the Buckinghams have barely been used compared to my geckos....I feel like the gaffs on my Buckinghams are a bit longer...

My point being I never thought there was that much of a difference in gaffs and shanks of different manufacturers untill I read some threads and after switching to these old bucks I had, that I probably haven't used since I first got off the ground....I really see what Rico was talking about I those threads and I agree that Buckingham makes really great spikes. Mind you I haven't tried anything but these two sets I got but now I really want the titaniums!!
Click to expand...
Never tried Buckinghams, don’t even know anyone with them around here. The price tag for Titanium's makes one blush…

Can’t complain about Geckos too much - have used them from day one. Like the longs better than the shorts. Shorts don’t feel long enough, although good not to wobble on hardwoods like the longs do.
 
Chaplain242 said:
Looking at needing new pads for my Geckos and can’t find them cheap anywhere, so looked up new Distel Geckos and they have a new ‘Click’ option. Had a look around other forums and see them mentioned but no reviews - has anyone tried these, or know someone who has?
Click to expand...
I'm not sure if your talking about the ankle connections on the Gecko 2.0, which has the "clicking buckle", but I have owned those for a couple weeks now. When I'm not wearing the spikes, they always stay unbuckled with the velcro loose. When it's time to put them on, I click in the "click buckle", then tighten the velcro straps down. I don't think you could just keep the clicker buckles set to a set size at all times. The release mechanism kind needs a bit of loose play to disengage. FWIW, even with the quick velcro adjustment, they still go on fast, and are quick to tighten if anything feels loose. I like em, compared to the leather straps I used to use on Buckinghams.
 
TreeRaker said:
I'm not sure if your talking about the ankle connections on the Gecko 2.0, which has the "clicking buckle", but I have owned those for a couple weeks now. When I'm not wearing the spikes, they always stay unbuckled with the velcro loose. When it's time to put them on, I click in the "click buckle", then tighten the velcro straps down. I don't think you could just keep the clicker buckles set to a set size at all times. The release mechanism kind needs a bit of loose play to disengage. FWIW, even with the quick velcro adjustment, they still go on fast, and are quick to tighten if anything feels loose. I like em, compared to the leather straps I used to use on Buckinghams
Click to expand...
Hopefully will try them next week, I suspect you are right though, needing a certaion amount of cinching to secure
 
I find the Caddy/steel combo to be more comfortable than the aluminum Geckos. Geckos do not have the adjustable pad height and something about the stirrup angle hurt my ankles. I've thought about fixing the noise that my Caddy pads make, by squirting some auto glass calk where the shank enters the pad.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.

New threads New posts

Kask Stihl NORTHEASTERN Arborists Wesspur TreeStuff.com Teufelberger Westminster X-Rigging Teufelberger
Back
Top Bottom