My buddy offered to buy my API climber last night and hadn't even finished asking when I said yes. I don't like that stand one bit. Going to get a Summit, I like them a lot better.

Just sharing.

Boy, some friend! Pawning off your junk so you can get a good stand!

A buddy of mine has an API Bowhunter....hates it. I hate it too. Everytime we hunt together he uses one of my Summits....keeps telling me he's going to buy one, but hasn't happened yet.

I bought a very lightly used ameristep climber this spring and I plan to ebay it midseason to fetch top $$. It's not a bad stand but it's also not a summit. I really like the looks of the Summit bullet backpacker...(little face that is droolling)

API? No way, no thanks....

Try this: Go up to an API stand on display. Flick it with your finger. {Maybe it's me, maybe I'm a fool}, but hey, I heard it go "Tiiiinnnngggggg", like some cymbal on a drum set! Maybe it was just slapped together at the store for display, and all the nuts/bolts were rattling too, but still, it made a LOUD resonating noise!

Butch A.

I bought the API Grand Slam Magnum Extreme last year and I enjoyed using it. My only regret was not doing better homework. At 30lbs the stand can be a pain to lug around especially with the terrain here in PA. I'll be starting this season with the API but I have my eyes on one of the Lone Wolf climbers.

I love my API. I borrowed a buddies Summit one time and I hated it. The only tree that I could climb was a persimmon and that thing squeaked on that persimmon bark so bad it pathetic. I had to stand up all day cause everytime I sat down or stood up that stand would squeak. The seat was horrible too. I have seen some different style seats on them since then so they may have solved the seat issue. But, the climbing part is still the same so I am sure that haven't solved that. Also, the Summit doesn't have the same level of adjustability that the API does. The API will climb bigger trees than the Summit will and it will climb smaller trees. It also adjusts in one inch increments and has virtually 30 different settings where the Summit has much less. I don't know about the newer stands. I am basing this on my older API. I know there has been some major changes at API so I can't speak for this newest stands. But I wouldn't trade my old API for a truck load of new Summits.

Around here the majority of guys use API stands. In fact no body that I hunt with uses a Summit. I guess that varies from region to region.

Solax- I did the same thing!!
I sold my API shooting star in a garage sale this summer for $75.00 so I could get a new summit cobra x-4.
I WILL be picking one up on wednesday so long as bass-pro has one in stock.

I still like my API grand slam shooting star, but with the newer ones being made in china- no thanks[:'(].

Summit= Made in USA, just the way I like it.

Wow. I cannot imagine a better stand than my old original API.

Summit=Plummet.

Bought an API shooting star about 4 yrs ago and never have liked it. Too noisy and too hard to strap together. Plastic cover tore off the chain in about two seasons and had to order replacement shrink tube cover for chain. I wish I had just sold the thing.

I used to have an API Grand Slam Supreme. The only thing I liked about the stand was the comfort. I sold it and went back to a Summit Viper, which is just an all around better stand IMO.