| PCRI Product
Evaluation
G-Force T-Handle
Feed elbows. Unless you have a center-feed paintgun, or a gun with a built-in
elbow, they're a necessary evil. If you have a slip-on elbow, it can twist
around and come off in the middle of a game. But if you have an elbow that
clamps tight around your feed tube and hopper neck (like
 the Armson
elbow), if you break a ball in the neck or breech, you're screwed until the
end of the game. The G-Force handle is a screw and nut set designed to allow
you to have the best of both worlds by allowing you to tighten or loosen
the clamp ends of your Armson elbow without tools.
Design/Construction
The T-handle is an extremely simple design. It replaces the stock screw and
nut that clamps the elbow down. The screw replacement is a stainless steel
Phillips-head screw with a square nut threaded all the way on and is fixed
in place. The nut replacement is a tapped cylinder (available in stainless
steel or brass) with a small rod through its top that acts as a handle. Just
install it in place of the stock nut and screw. Rather than tightening down
the screw, you tighten the cylinder down over the screw. The small bar through
its top makes this very easy to do by hand.
Apart from the obvious advantage of being able to adjust the tightness by
hand, the T-handle offers another advantage. Anyone who has used an Armson
elbow for any extended period of time knows that the plastic can get worn
out such that when you try to tighten down the screw, the hex-nut can spin
around in the worn out space and not allow you to tighten it down sufficiently.
The square nut on the screw-end of the T-handle completely eliminates this
problem as well, holding the screw tightly in place as you tighten the collar
down. Despite the fact that this is a small and simple part, G-Force has
really designed it very nicely. The parts are beautifully machined, constructed,
and fit the Armson elbow perfectly. If I had to nit-pick, the only thing
I could come up with to criticize is that the cylinder part of the T-handle
seems to be about twice as long as it really needs to be.
Design/Construction rating [4]
Performance/Versatility
I've been using the T-handle for a few months now, and in all honesty, I
can't imagine how I lived without it. There really isn't much to say
about it. It works perfectly as advertised. It's very easy to hand-tighten
the elbow down enough to keep it from ever twisting around or coming off.
But when I want to take the hopper off, all I have to do is reach up and
give the handle a quick 1/2 turn and it comes right off.
Performance/Versatility rating [4]
Price/Warranty
The brass version of the T-handle retails at $11.00 and the stainless version
retails at $17.00. This might seem pretty expensive given that those prices
are two and three times the cost of the already expensive (for an elbow)
Armson elbow. On the other hand, these are a completely unique and I've come
to see them as absolutely indispensable (Editor's Note: As of this writing,
Viewloader has also introduced hand-locking, thumb screw elbows as well.)
. This is such a headache-saving product, you just might save that much on
reduced aspirin purchases anyhow.
G-Force warranties the T-handle for 1 year from the date of purchase. That's
more than long enough to cover any manufacturing defects that might crop
up. If they go longer than a year, they'll definitely outlive your elbow,
and very well might outlive your 'gun.
Price/Warranty rating [3]
Conclusion:
The G-Force T-handle has got to be the coolest product I've seen in years.
It is a simple, clever, perfect solution to a problem that a huge number
of paintball players experience all the time, but which most probably thought
they would just have to live with. If you buy a pair of the brass ones for
your elbow, I think you'll find that it's the best $22 you've ever spent
on paintball equipment.
You can contact G-Force Racing at: Tel: 905-477-1338
PCRI IS PLEASED TO AWARD THE G-FORCE T-HANDLE OUR FOUR STAR SEAL OF QUALITY.
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