Best Case Ever....NOT

T

TheFish

AzB Silver Member
Silver Member
Yes, I finally invested the money to buy an instroke. Sure I was happy with my action cue case, but i figured i invest the money into a great case to store and protect my cues. Definitely i have see nenough posts from JB about the great instroke cases and how they are the best designed and built.


Tada..got it 2 days ago

Tada 2 days later the latch broke.

Yes, i kno the latch is known for breaking. But i didnt realize they literally meant it falling off for no particular reason.

Yes, I also know the fix is free, but would instroke also like to pay for my shipping to and back from Asia?


I thought about getting the Tribal from talisman for a long time, then decided against it just because i thought I stay with the tried and true instroke. I was a little turned off by the weight of these cases (its a 2X4 cowboy) but the inside was fine.but then the latch breaking in 2 days. Just fantastic. makes me feel like money well spent. After all that talk about how great instrokes are and see a 2 cent part fall apart.



I kno what some pple will say.
1) they already knew about the latches and they been fixed on the new ones, i believe mine is new.
2) they wil repair it for free .

This is my reply to it. If they so genuinely cared about these issues, why not do a RECALL and change all the latches instead of hoping and praying that the latches dun break on pples cases and only repairing those that breaks and are WILLING to send the case back to them for fixing.

so let me ask this quetsion to JB or instroke. Since i spent about 20-30US shipping my case over to HK, Asia, whos gonna reimburse me for the 20-30 US both ways to repair this case? For a problem that was discovered long ago but not attended to. Sorry, I just feel jacked on this issue. i am ussually pretty nice and stuff, but this just pissed me off.
 
I am no longer with Instroke but if you bought it from an authorized dealer and it is a GENUINE Instroke then you should not have a problem since the case is guaranteed UNCONDITIONALLY for 30 days after the purchase.

Why not send an email to Instroke before crying on this board? I highly doubt that you have the new Diamond Latch on your case. This issue has been discussed at length here and on other boards.

The factory is in Taiwan so you don't have far to ship it in any event.

And, in my opinion, even with a broken latch the case is still far more protective than either a Talisman or a Justis. But, IF you purchased the case from a LEGITIMATE dealer then you can get 100% of your money back and invest in in any other brand. IF, however you bought the case off Ebay from some kind of trunk dealer then you might have a problem.

I would suggest you try and resolve it with the dealer and let Instroke know about it so that they can work to help you.

John
 
Another thing, the latches don't jsut break with NO reason. There are thousands of Instroke owners out there who have had their cases for many years with ZERO latch problems. How do I know this? I ASK them. I used to ask everyone I saw with an Instroke case how they liked it and what could I do better and how long did they own it and so on?

The truth is that with proper attention to HOW you are opening and closing the case and how you are handling the case ALL of Instroke's latches that have ever been used will not "just" break spontaneously. I am TIRED of this bullshit. I go to tournaments and I see people DRAGGING their Instroke case by the lid putting ALL the stress on the latch and they wonder afterward why it broke. I observe people not even paying attention when they open the case and practically ripping the lid open when it hangs on the latch post instead of pulling the flap out till it clears the post. Give it a rest.

NOBODY EVEN BOTHERS TO READ THE INFO CARD THAT I PUT ON EACH CASE WHICH EXPLAINED THE PROPER WAY TO CARE FOR THE CASE. That I even had to put one on the case is a testament to the basic lack of common sense that pervades the world these days. I have a lot of stuff that is broken because I used it the wrong way. Some of that stuff could have been better designed but I don't run back to the manufacturer crying when it was my fault. IF whatever I bought fails within the guarantee period and I know that it wasn't my fault then I don't hesitate to take advantage of that guarantee - generally without malice.

AND as for a recall. There is no need to have a recall for something that most consumers are not having a problem with. Instroke has been a major name brand in the industry for the last nine years. The website has been the same for that entire time, the toll free number has been the same for five years. Instroke has hundreds of dealers and dozens of distributers around the world. IF the problem were epidemic then the latches would have been changed to something else years ago. The latch issues are frankly a small percentage of the amount of cases that Instroke sells. Even so, Instroke spent over $10,000 on the molds for the new Diamond Latch to completely solve the latch issues and still retain the ease of use that this type of latch provides.

So, I want to know the rest of story. Who did you buy the case from? Are they an authorized dealer? You know, the kind of dealer who knows HOW to store and pack the cases. Or did you buy it from some trunker off Ebay?

I am going to sleep. Screw this.

John
 
Yeah, Justis cases NEVER break in any way. Like the customer who came up with the broken zipper on his, or the other one who came up with a defective snap. Actually, if you wanted a case that IS virtually indestructable then you should have bought a Haliburton.

But generally Justis cases probably have a far lower rate of issues - primarily because their owners take better care of them since they spent so much on them and because they are so "special".

Good night,

John
 
I have had my Instroke case for a while now, and the latch broke as well a year or so later. It happened right around the Valley Forge Convention and I took it to them and they fixed it. Yeah it cost me $10, but better than shipping it out.

I will agree that the latch seems to be a problem, but overall the case is great.
 
onepocketchump said:
I am TIRED of this bullshit. I go to tournaments and I see people DRAGGING their Instroke case by the lid putting ALL the stress on the latch and they wonder afterward why it broke.


John
Click to expand...

I have a Instoke and so far have not had any problems with it. I do not throw it around or abuse it in any way. I take care of my stuff. My question is if you are not supposed to pick it up by the lid why is there a strap on it?
 
i have had my instroke artisan series for 3 years, no problems, bet case i have ever owned. like john said, gotta take care of them. just like with anything, gotta take care of it.
 
TheBook said:
I have a Instoke and so far have not had any problems with it. I do not throw it around or abuse it in any way. I take care of my stuff. My question is if you are not supposed to pick it up by the lid why is there a strap on it?
Click to expand...
LOL, i thought the same thing. But it is just common sense i guess. I use the top handle to hold it when standing (talking, whatnot) and it is standing on is "pegs". I don't use the strap, just the handle. (Not important, just thought i would throw that in.) I've never had any problems with the latch. My buddy's older Instroke (i think it has stingray somewhere on it, nice case,) latch finally broke, but i think he said he was doing something stupid, so there you go. The only "roughness" my instroke case goes through, is being tossed into the trunk, and kicked everynow and then...

Thanks,

Jon
 
I have had an Instroke case for about eight years, and never had any problems whatsoever -- and I flew all over the country with it. True, this was before you had to check your case, but I "carried it on" (and off) countless airplanes; not to mention, as Jon said, tossing it in the trunk just about every day of the week for years. And as it's my favorite case, it's the only case I've used during those eight years. Just FYI. :)
 
My 10 year old Dennis Swift case has NEVER had a problem and I always carry it by the top latch. Usually have it fully loaded and not once has it let me down.

Frankly, I think the instroke case is ugly. I plan on getting a Justis, I don't care how much it cost, they are awesome...and the latches don't fall off. :D
 
I have a 12 year-old 3x6 Instroke (with the zippers...not latches) that's in perfect condition. Got it about six months ago...Never had a problem, use it 4-5 times a week. No complaints here.
rayjay :cool:
 
Because my latch literally just fell off. What was i doing with it. I was turning it sideways and back..no pull pressure, no other pressure..on my tenth time the thing just fell of.

I do no, I REPEAT, do not, exert unnecessary pull pressure one it when the latch is "locked".

Look, call me stupid, but if you are tired of hearing this bullshit about latches falling of spontaneously, then maybe its possible you are not listening correctly and only hear what you want to hear. If everytime you hear someone say the latch fell of for no reason you decide to label it bullshit, then i would definitely be led to believe that you are seriously biased in your opinion.

Another thing for you genius. Try calling a toll free number from Asia.

Yeh, screw this alright. I just feel happy to be part of this wonderful instroke community, where exinstroke staff can call a REAL customer a bullshitter just because he suspects that the guy bought his stuff off ebay.


No,i did not buy my stuff off ebay.




onepocketchump said:
Another thing, the latches don't jsut break with NO reason. There are thousands of Instroke owners out there who have had their cases for many years with ZERO latch problems. How do I know this? I ASK them. I used to ask everyone I saw with an Instroke case how they liked it and what could I do better and how long did they own it and so on?

The truth is that with proper attention to HOW you are opening and closing the case and how you are handling the case ALL of Instroke's latches that have ever been used will not "just" break spontaneously. I am TIRED of this bullshit. I go to tournaments and I see people DRAGGING their Instroke case by the lid putting ALL the stress on the latch and they wonder afterward why it broke. I observe people not even paying attention when they open the case and practically ripping the lid open when it hangs on the latch post instead of pulling the flap out till it clears the post. Give it a rest.

NOBODY EVEN BOTHERS TO READ THE INFO CARD THAT I PUT ON EACH CASE WHICH EXPLAINED THE PROPER WAY TO CARE FOR THE CASE. That I even had to put one on the case is a testament to the basic lack of common sense that pervades the world these days. I have a lot of stuff that is broken because I used it the wrong way. Some of that stuff could have been better designed but I don't run back to the manufacturer crying when it was my fault. IF whatever I bought fails within the guarantee period and I know that it wasn't my fault then I don't hesitate to take advantage of that guarantee - generally without malice.

AND as for a recall. There is no need to have a recall for something that most consumers are not having a problem with. Instroke has been a major name brand in the industry for the last nine years. The website has been the same for that entire time, the toll free number has been the same for five years. Instroke has hundreds of dealers and dozens of distributers around the world. IF the problem were epidemic then the latches would have been changed to something else years ago. The latch issues are frankly a small percentage of the amount of cases that Instroke sells. Even so, Instroke spent over $10,000 on the molds for the new Diamond Latch to completely solve the latch issues and still retain the ease of use that this type of latch provides.

So, I want to know the rest of story. Who did you buy the case from? Are they an authorized dealer? You know, the kind of dealer who knows HOW to store and pack the cases. Or did you buy it from some trunker off Ebay?

I am going to sleep. Screw this.

John
Click to expand...
 
Oh, I am sorry. I forgot to name the place i bought it from.

heres the link

www.headspot-billiards.com

http://www.instroke.com/cgi-bin/credentials.pl


Oh my, look at that its an authorized dealer. Would you like me to scan my receipt for you for your kind reference?


Let me repeat to you. The latch literally just fell of. I was just turning it very softly just cuz my itchy fingers like the feeling of the latch clicking into place. I had just gotten into the car when i started doing this, and it fell off 2 blocks later. Given the distance, given what i was doing right when i got into the car there is no flying chipmunk way I could have done it for more than 10 times.

So is this the awesome durability test you speak of?

Sorry, i dunno about you, but i sure as hell think you owe me an apology. You don't say shit about pple when they speak praise of Instroke, and when pple talk good about talisman you tend to interject with your own opinions of how great the instroke is in a side by side. Who made you the judge of all cases? you dont think you are biased in assessing cases? Do i give a shit that instroke cases works well for X% of the pple? I happen to be one of Y% of the pple who got a faulty latch with my GENUINE instroke from an AUTHORIZED dealer and instead of acknowledging the fact that instrokes are KNOWN for their faulty latches you go on and imply about how i am bullshitting and that i probably got a cheapo knockoff or something from ebay as opposed to just saying, YES, instroke's only consistent problem has been the latch.

Sorry, if you like pissing away money thats your business, but paying an extra 50US plus waiting for the shipping time in between is not my idea of fun.
 
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TheBook said:
I have a Instoke and so far have not had any problems with it. I do not throw it around or abuse it in any way. I take care of my stuff. My question is if you are not supposed to pick it up by the lid why is there a strap on it?
Click to expand...

You can pick it up by the lid and carry it all day with no problem. What you cannot do and expect the case to have no problem is to use the top handle to drag the case along the floor, to jerk the case around, to pry the case out from under a bunch of luggage.

I made the colassal mistake in design of designing the case in terms of how "I" would use it. I now know so much more about how people use cases that if I should design new ones I will be able to make them practically indestructible.

One important lesson I learned is that no matter how well I do actually design something there is always the inevitability that the production department will screw up something critical and it will be several hundred units before the error is discovered and corrected. This was the primary problem with latches and straps that broke seemingly by themselves. With proper construction, the current Instroke case should be largely problem free.

Peace, out.

John
 
TheFish said:
Because my latch literally just fell off. What was i doing with it. I was turning it sideways and back..no pull pressure, no other pressure..on my tenth time the thing just fell of.

I do no, I REPEAT, do not, exert unnecessary pull pressure one it when the latch is "locked".

Look, call me stupid, but if you are tired of hearing this bullshit about latches falling of spontaneously, then maybe its possible you are not listening correctly and only hear what you want to hear. If everytime you hear someone say the latch fell of for no reason you decide to label it bullshit, then i would definitely be led to believe that you are seriously biased in your opinion.

Another thing for you genius. Try calling a toll free number from Asia.

Yeh, screw this alright. I just feel happy to be part of this wonderful instroke community, where exinstroke staff can call a REAL customer a bullshitter just because he suspects that the guy bought his stuff off ebay.


No,i did not buy my stuff off ebay.
Click to expand...

What part of "I don't work for Instroke" did you not understand. Don't give me any bullshit about calling 800 numbers or any other numbers from Hong Kong or where ever. If you have internet access to complain here then you also have the ability to email HeadSpot billiards and Instroke to resolve your issue. What part of "Instroke is made in Taiwan and so you should be able to send it there" did you NOT understand? You know, Taiwan, your neighbor? What part of "Unconditional 30 Day guarantee" did you not understand?

Most people TRY to resolve their problem before going to the internet community to whine about it. All you had to do is go to the Instroke website and follow the directions AND THEN if you did not get satsifaction your criticism would be warranted and a service to this community. You NEVER considered that MAYBE you got a bad latch, that is a latch that appeared to be in perfectly good working order to the installer which, in fact was defective through NO FAULT of the company that built the case, but was the FAULT of the company that made the latch.

It is called the benefit of the doubt. This is where you give the supplier/manufacturer the CHANCE to solve your problem and provide you with working product BEFORE you slam them publicly.

So yes, your complaint is BULLSHIT. If YOU knew of the problems with the latches BEFORE you bought the case then you should have addressed this issue with the seller BEFORE you purchased the case. You should have insisted on getting a case with the new Diamond Latch. This is called consumer awareness or your duty to investigate your prospective purchases before you buy.

Think about it and admit that while you have a valid issue, you were wrong to air it here without giving the manufacturer and the seller a chance to make it right. For all you know the manufacturer might have sent you a brand new and more expensive model as a replacement for free just for the aggravation. Happens all the time.

Whatever, it's between you and Instroke now.

John
 
By the way, I made me the judge of all cue cases. Why, because my $1400 cue fell out of one and broke and that is why I started tearing them apart to see how they are built. If I know something about a subject and my knowledge is relevant to the discussion then I will share it. I have been quite frank and open about the shortcomings of the Instroke cases and outlined what Instroke does to fix them.

And WHY should I speak ill of those who praise Instroke? That's just stupid. I am not denying that you have a valid and aggravating claim. Just that you probably knew of the latch issues before you bought the case and when the latch did break you decided to make a negative comment here rather than give the company a chance to rectify it.

Why is it that Talisman or any other casemaker/distributer will NOT go head to head with Instroke in public? Because if they did then they would get beaten badly on the issues that count most, namely how well the case protects the cue. Not one of them will stand up and allow their cases to be dismantled in a side-by-side comparison with Instroke, not one. Especially not now that the latches are practically indestructible.

I do not want to do this. Instroke is not my company but all of you reading this need to know that the current Instroke cases are the best ever made and aesthics aside, are arguably the most durable and protective of all tube cases out there.

I cannot speak for what the cases will be like in a year from now but right now they are great and those of you who are considering them should NOT be scared of a few problems with old stock. AND as always, INSTROKE will stand behind what they sell and WILL make it right if something goes wrong.

John
 
tank69 said:
My 10 year old Dennis Swift case has NEVER had a problem and I always carry it by the top latch. Usually have it fully loaded and not once has it let me down.

Frankly, I think the instroke case is ugly. I plan on getting a Justis, I don't care how much it cost, they are awesome...and the latches don't fall off. :D
Click to expand...


You're right - because Justis switched from the turnbuckle style latch to the line snaps. Frankly though I respect your opinion, as they say there is an ass for every seat. Jack builds good cases and you probably will never have a problem with them. If you should I can tell you from experience that any decent shoe repair shop can repair the zipper for about $15. They can do a new line snap for about $5 and a new strap on the top for about $10-20 depending on how well the repair must match the original one. Plus Jack is generally williing to do the repairs to his cases. I don't know if he springs for the shipping in either direction though.

But I will be willing to bet a pretty good amount of money that you will not find anyone with the new Diamond Latch by Instroke whose top latch "fell off." Conversely I will bet the same amount of money that I can find many people who will admit to having a variety of problems with Justis, Whitten, Talisman, Porper and just about any other brand you can name.

I won't even mention the things that I think are wrong with the Justis construction since I have stated them many times over on the net and debated them with Jack. Jack has his idea of what a cue case should be and I have another. Despite my opinion that the Instroke is a better case I have loved all of the Justis cases I have owned and I feel that they provide better than average protection and are stylish and elegant. So I find Justis to be an excellent choice, not because it is a better case but because it is a fine case in it's own right made by a fine human being.

John
 
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