HHHHHHMMMMMM, i have been mulling over your response RH and first let me thank you for responding. However, let me run some ideas by you.

I heard you mention before that you slipped while using the leveler. I have used the leveler on the older style and i noticed something. Even though you see a screw and two guide rods, the only true fulcrum is the screw. I'm not sure if i worded it right, but what i am saying is the only pressure that is applied to the leveler is in its very center by the screw. The two metal guide rods only serve as, well, a guide. They do not play any part in steadying the leveler. What does this mean? If at your hunting height you decided to crank out your leveler for a more reclined sit and you started back down without returning the leveler to its original position and you happened to take an uneven bite while descending then the stand will shift, or rathe pivot, to the side that is recieving the stress. The same applies when ascending. The best way to use the leveler is to arrive at your hunting height, make sure the stand is firmly seated square on the tree, then extend the leveler to the desired position. Then when you are done hunting, return the leveler to its original position before starting your descent.

Another thing. I have noticed that even with the older model, coming down is tricky. You are inclined to take a larger bite and at times i have caught myself attempting to sit before the stand is actually seated to the tree.

It shouldn't matter that the cleats are rounded. It is impossible for this stand to slip once seated in the tree, its a matter of physics. The only way you are coming down is if you fall out or you break the tree. It is a known fact that ascending and descending are the most dangerous aspects in hunting with any type of stand and requires special attention. I know you said you have been hunting with the Lounge for some time now and i am not making light of your experience, however, i feel IMHO that the incidents you describe can be traced back to operator error. You admit yourself that it happened so fast that your not quite sure what happened. Thank you for the reply though, because of it the TreeLounge is back on my list of "must-have's" for next year.

I use the tree lounge, I have only one complant about it. It is to comfrotable I tend to fall asleep in it all the time. I think that it is the best stand on the market. It is money well spent.

I use a API Grand Slam Supreme and I like it.
One of the drawbacks is sitting down shooting with a bow, but you can fall asleep in it and not worry about falling out. Alot of the guys I know use them and you can sit in it all day.

I've owned a Loggy Bayou for several yrs. before selling it. Great climber and solid because of the strap that goes around the tree when at hunting height. Big drawback is they make the worse climbing aid going!

I invested a lot of time researching and asking many hunters and pro shops which climbing stand they preferred......I am expecting my Summit Cobra XLS any day now. API looks good and so does the Ol' Man. Treelounge might be comfortable, but do you really want to stick out that far from tree? I prefer to be closer for a good backdrop. Just my opinion.

Well if bowhunting was the order of the day and i wanted to put something on my back to hunt a new area then it would have to be one of the Wedgeloc stands i plan to order and 4 Lonewolf climbing sticks. This set-up offers loads more versatility and stability then any climbing stand ever could.

When gun hunting, and 25+ feet up a tree, i don't think sticking out that far makes any difference. Treeloung's new video shows that Durham fellow taking a deer that walked within easy bow range of the stand. He grabbed his rifle, adjusted himself in the stand, and made the shot all without the deer ever knowing he was there.

After my reply last night i again watched their new video. The show a girl climbing a metal pole with the new stand. They show her putting it through all the "gripping tests" that they put the old one through to include cocking the stand uneven on the pole and bouncing on either side. The stand didn't budge. I'm convinced that the gripping ability of the stand is not dependent upon the the shape of the cleats, but rather how they are engaged. When mine arrives i will put it through the same test close to the ground to put any doubt to rest.

The API Grand Slam Supreme is in my mind the best stand out there. I know a tree lounge is good and comfortable, I have three friends that have them and really like them but they take more time to set up and make more noise. They like to set them in the woods and leave them their so they can slip in quietly. Anyway, I really like the API, it is secure, quiet, sturdy, quiet, light, quiet, goes on most trees big or small, quiet, comfortable, quiet, sets up in seconds, and it is quiet.

SOTHRDNK

the only climbing stand that i would use is a summit viper xl extreme or the api grand slam supreme with all the add ons

zzvedder, I agree with you about the Leveler and the two posts are only a guide.I always have the Leveler closed until I get to the height I want to hunt . Then I crank the handle to get the position I want. I close it before coming down also.I have a Leveler for my old TL but to be honest with ya I never used it this season.Bozman posted another reply from TL.I'm sure they have gotten allot of complaints.Of course I commented in that post also.Except for the climbing and desending I do like this TL.I use the new version the same way I have always used the old model.I still think it's the shape of the semi curved aluminum in the "Vee" section. Until I'm proven wrong I will continue to believe this.Thanks for your reply. Ruger Redhawk

the tree lounge is good but its heavy....you can sit in it all day cause its so comfy

Wow, you guys tried to get me confused. I have never used a stand but was planning on the Summit Cobra. I think i will still get it.