I purchased a straight shaft for my Excalibur II, but found that I couldn't pack the Excalibur with the long straight shaft into my car or motorhome.
I then tried the swingything harness using the standard shaft, and what a big difference that makes.
The swingythingy takes the weight off your arms, and spreads it over your shoulders, chest, and pants ( the swingythingy clips above your back pants pocket).
It makes the excalibur almost weightless, and it allows you to work hands free when digging up treasures.
I use the swingything with both my detectors now, and I can detect for much longer without getting tired.
Excal 1000, Excal II, Sovereign GT, CZ-20, Tiger Shark, Tejon, GTI 1500, Surfmaster Pulse, CZ6a, DFX, AT PRO, Fisher 1235, Surf PI Pro, 1280-X, many more because I enjoy learning them. New Garrett Ca
I've used the straight shaft from http://www.rtgstore.com/lightningrod.htm and didn't like having to insert my arm into the arm cuff each time after retreiving a target. But it is longer than the standard shaft. Hipmounting is the only way to go for non diving hunting.