Russkamrad Carbon Fiber Telescopic Rod for Excalibur II

[Detectorinator]

Has anyone else purchased the Russkamrad Carbon Fiber Telescopic Rod for Excalibur II? I bought one for almost $200 about 15 months ago and only used it about 3 times while on cruises. On my last cruise one of the sections that tighten with a twist cap separated and came apart. My trip was ruined as I could not repair it. I got home and contacted them to ask about repair options. I was amazed by their response:

Hello Robert, thank you for providing the information and for using our product. We have carefully reviewed your case and the photos showing the wear on the carbon shaft. The product was used for 15 months under extreme conditions (such as saltwater and sand), which may have led to accelerated material wear. Unfortunately, in such cases, the warranty does not cover carbon parts, as these usage conditions fall outside of standard use. We understand your disappointment and, as a gesture of goodwill, we are pleased to offer you a 10% discount on the purchase of new accessories. Thank you for your understanding! If you have any further questions, please do not hesitate to contact us.

Apparently they consider saltwater and sand "extreme conditions" for an Excalibur II telescopic rod. The carbon fiber in the area of separation was very thin and fragile, cracking in several places. I like the concept of this item if it was made of better materials but do not recommend anyone else buying anything from this company since $200 is a lot to pay for something that breaks after 3 uses in "extreme" saltwater conditions. Does anyone have suggestions on how I might be able to salvage this rod with a replacement fix to the damaged section shown in the photos?

 

[TORRERO]

You used it 3 times and it broke like that ?
and all they said was they are sorry for your $200 loss ?
I'm thinking this story on Treasurenet might cost them more than $200
What crappy customer service...
Of course it might be out of warranty so that's why they won't replace it...
My guise is that they are looking at those pictures and thinking that they clearly don't believe your 3 use story...
Carbon Fiber should hold up in almost ALL conditions... it just looks cheap AF..

 

[Detectorinator]

You used it 3 times and it broke like that ?
and all they said was they are sorry for your $200 loss ?
I'm thinking this story on Treasurenet might cost them more than $200
What crappy customer service...
Of course it might be out of warranty so that's why they won't replace it...
My guise is that they are looking at those pictures and thinking that they clearly don't believe your 3 use story...
Carbon Fiber should hold up in almost ALL conditions... it just looks cheap AF..

Yes it is a travel handle which fits nicely in a bag when on cruises but that is the only time I used it, for three cruises a couple of days each cruise. Even if I used it as an everyday rod it should last a lot longer than 15 months. I was shocked when I felt the part shown in the photos how cheap and flimsy it is. I would like to try and fix it if possible but they were no help in offering possible solutions to that either.

 

[pete61]

Does anyone have suggestions on how I might be able to salvage this rod with a replacement fix to the damaged section shown in the photos?

Only thing I can think off, is to find aluminium tube that has an OD a tad less than the ID of the CF tube and epoxy it in there.
Once the epoxy is hard, you can redrill the holes using the CF part as a guide.
Regards the length of the repair tube, I'd go for twice as long as the damaged section.

 

[niffler]

Maybe cut the rod off below the broken part and drill some new holes. That would make the shaft a little shorter but not by much. That unidirectional orientation of the carbon is weak in that direction to start with, they should have used twill fabric instead.

 

[DiggerButler1963]

Thanks for posting this info - I was just looking at a telescoping/fold-down for my Nokta Legend, and this information is concerning - I like the concept, but tending to get into some dirty/gritty detecting spots, and would be very disappointed to experience failure after just a few detecting trips.

 

[Treasure_Hunter]

Carbon fiber shaft, cut the bad section off and redrill the holes is what I would do.

Do you disconnect the shaft after each use and clean it. Just FYI, I highly recommend you do. My detectors take showers with me when I get home including taking shafts apart, and this is after washing at the beach.

I use Anderson shafts on my Excals, none have failed to date.