LawlessMan
Well-Known Member
- Joined
- Feb 9, 2005
- Messages
- 332
Gentlemen (and ladies),
This announcement is for anyone who has purchased a new Lawless Drive that came with flexshafts included or bought just Lawless Flexshafts from me or anyone else in the last 18 months. I have some bad news to share. No, I'm not retiring, and my health is fine, thank you for your concern. The thing is, every flexshaft that has been shipped with a drive or sold separately since about April of 2012 is, how shall I put it delicately? - JUNK!.
Here's how this happened: I needed more flexshafts, and the previous manufacturer priced them out of sight. So, I searched and sourced, got samples and tested, and when I found a supplier I could work with, I ordered them. A LOT of them. I started using them in my boats, in the drive packages, and selling some of them separately. I was somewhat surprised at first when I got a few reports of breakage after a few laps or a run or two, but I naively thought, "Who doesn't break a flexshaft now and then?" After a month or so, the reports stopped coming in. When I added a 3-piece mount to the drive package and had to raise the price a little, I started putting a few spare flexshafts in the package for free to sweeten the deal. It seemed that things were going nicely, until a few days ago. I received an e-mail alerting me to a problem a customer had with some flexshafts, that lead me to discover that every stinkin' one of the flexshafts that I bought was wound the wrong way. So, instead of winding tighter and maybe getting a little shorter, they were getting bigger and maybe longer. This causes all sorts of problems, like binding, loss of power, breakage, etc. I am very dismayed. How did I not see this?
In case you're new to boating and wonder how to tell "correct" from "wrong", try this. Take a flexshaft and hold it up vertically. Look carefully at the outer wire wrap. If the wire spirals down from right to left (or clockwise if you are looking at the end of the shaft) it is WRONG. If it spirals down from left to right (counterclockwise) it is CORRECT.
I have contacted the manufacturer and I am waiting to see how they respond. The flexshafts were specified correctly, and they made them wrong. Still, it has been 18 months, hasn't it?
If you bought a drive that came with flexshafts, or if you bought flexshafts separately, you should throw them away (or you can continue to use them if you want to). E-mail me and I will refund the cost of any you bought separately or the one included flexshaft from the drive (but not the three freebies) at the price I normally sell them for. I will try to contact everyone who has purchased a drive or flexshafts over the next couple weeks, but, if you don't hear from me, please let me know. Also, I will be getting more flexshafts as soon as I am able, made right and carefully inspected and tested. If you simply want to wait until they are back in stock, tell me and I will send you a coupon for a free flexshaft for every one you bought, and mail them to you free. I'll keep a record of every coupon sent, so you won't have to worry about writing or calling to get them once I have the new ones in stock.
I apologize to anyone who has lost a heat or just had a bad day at the pond because of a broken flexshaft. It has always been my serious intent to provide the best product and best price I could to people I know and race with, as well as all the other boaters who have been my customers for the last 15 years. I hope that you will not lose faith in the quality of Lawless Drives and will understand.
Meanwhile, does anybody have any idea what I can do with a whole bunch of "left-handed" flexshafts? :unsure:
VERY IMPORTANT! PLEASE DO NOT RESPOND TO THIS POST TO RECEIVE REPLACEMENT FLEXSHAFTS. PLEASE E-MAIL ME DIRECTLY AT [email protected] PLEASE USE THE WORD "FLEXSHAFT" IN THE SUBJECT LINE. THANK YOU.
Regards and apologies to all,
A Very Red-Faced LawlessMan
This announcement is for anyone who has purchased a new Lawless Drive that came with flexshafts included or bought just Lawless Flexshafts from me or anyone else in the last 18 months. I have some bad news to share. No, I'm not retiring, and my health is fine, thank you for your concern. The thing is, every flexshaft that has been shipped with a drive or sold separately since about April of 2012 is, how shall I put it delicately? - JUNK!.
Here's how this happened: I needed more flexshafts, and the previous manufacturer priced them out of sight. So, I searched and sourced, got samples and tested, and when I found a supplier I could work with, I ordered them. A LOT of them. I started using them in my boats, in the drive packages, and selling some of them separately. I was somewhat surprised at first when I got a few reports of breakage after a few laps or a run or two, but I naively thought, "Who doesn't break a flexshaft now and then?" After a month or so, the reports stopped coming in. When I added a 3-piece mount to the drive package and had to raise the price a little, I started putting a few spare flexshafts in the package for free to sweeten the deal. It seemed that things were going nicely, until a few days ago. I received an e-mail alerting me to a problem a customer had with some flexshafts, that lead me to discover that every stinkin' one of the flexshafts that I bought was wound the wrong way. So, instead of winding tighter and maybe getting a little shorter, they were getting bigger and maybe longer. This causes all sorts of problems, like binding, loss of power, breakage, etc. I am very dismayed. How did I not see this?
In case you're new to boating and wonder how to tell "correct" from "wrong", try this. Take a flexshaft and hold it up vertically. Look carefully at the outer wire wrap. If the wire spirals down from right to left (or clockwise if you are looking at the end of the shaft) it is WRONG. If it spirals down from left to right (counterclockwise) it is CORRECT.
I have contacted the manufacturer and I am waiting to see how they respond. The flexshafts were specified correctly, and they made them wrong. Still, it has been 18 months, hasn't it?
If you bought a drive that came with flexshafts, or if you bought flexshafts separately, you should throw them away (or you can continue to use them if you want to). E-mail me and I will refund the cost of any you bought separately or the one included flexshaft from the drive (but not the three freebies) at the price I normally sell them for. I will try to contact everyone who has purchased a drive or flexshafts over the next couple weeks, but, if you don't hear from me, please let me know. Also, I will be getting more flexshafts as soon as I am able, made right and carefully inspected and tested. If you simply want to wait until they are back in stock, tell me and I will send you a coupon for a free flexshaft for every one you bought, and mail them to you free. I'll keep a record of every coupon sent, so you won't have to worry about writing or calling to get them once I have the new ones in stock.
I apologize to anyone who has lost a heat or just had a bad day at the pond because of a broken flexshaft. It has always been my serious intent to provide the best product and best price I could to people I know and race with, as well as all the other boaters who have been my customers for the last 15 years. I hope that you will not lose faith in the quality of Lawless Drives and will understand.
Meanwhile, does anybody have any idea what I can do with a whole bunch of "left-handed" flexshafts? :unsure:
VERY IMPORTANT! PLEASE DO NOT RESPOND TO THIS POST TO RECEIVE REPLACEMENT FLEXSHAFTS. PLEASE E-MAIL ME DIRECTLY AT [email protected] PLEASE USE THE WORD "FLEXSHAFT" IN THE SUBJECT LINE. THANK YOU.
Regards and apologies to all,
A Very Red-Faced LawlessMan
