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I talked to Eskimo customer service and they said there were some poles that went out the wrong length and they were replacing them. They said that there was a issue with the stitching that it was crooked and they are replacing them. They said they made the bags bigger and did reenforced stitching on the bag handles. They said the pole problem is not the hubs it is the pins in the poles that some of them did not get crimped properly. They have addressed these issues half way through the season. That would be why some are not having problems and some are. I think Eskimo makes a great product and I will be buying a 949i next fall. It is the same with most first year products. They test a prototype which is made from scratch and every piece is is hand made for that hut. Then it goes in to production were not every piece is inspected and things go out wrong. It sucks but thats the way it goes. All Eskimo can do is do whatever they can to help someone fix the problem. If you just say the hell with it and take it back to the store all you are doing is passing the problem off to another guy. Call Eskimo and let them help you get your hut fixed right before you throw them under the tracks of a moving train.
I think I am going to chance it and buy the 949, found one local for $169. Does anyone have any pictures of problem areas? Please post or email them to me at [email protected] I think that I will pull the hubs apart and try to fix the problem before it happens to prevent any damage on the ice!!
I think Eskimo makes some great products. If you look I have praised the quickfish series over and over again. I'm hardly throwing "them" under the bus, if by "them" you mean Eskimo?. I'm just voicing my dissatisfaction with the fatfish I purchased. I feel like we are beating a dead horse here... I guess people are just used to this type of thing these days. You know, cheap products, made with cheap labor. Faulty products. Nothing is made to last anymore, it's true. But I've used and abused my quickfish 3 for 3 years now and it is still standing strong. No problems. Not one. I'll stand for a product like that.What I won't stand for is having my unit fall apart on me on the 2nd trip I take it out. If I were the only person with this problem, I'd probably just go ahead and say to hell with it I got a bad unit one out of how many... I'll just fix it and use it. But that is not the case, I had my problem and then I started searching the internet to see if anyone else had my problem... to see if it wasn't just mine. Turns out this is happening to a lot of people with their new fatfish. I don't like the idea of rewarding Eskimo for mass producing something that falls apart like this. If they fix it and the problems go away... great. I'm just giving my view of things: I appreciate and understand everyone elses... do what you wish with your fatfish. Gemcity - out.
I didn't take it personally.I'm glad some people are enjoying their units!! I'm glad Eskimo is aware of the problem and fixing it!!Truth be told, the BIGGEST factor in deciding to take mine back was not the hub / rod / pin issue. I felt that my 949i was not as sturdy and stable in very high winds. (when compared to my quickfish 3). When I realized this, and realized that the 949i is NOT much warmer than my quickfish3. (The 949i does hold heat better, but there is also more volume of air to keep heated - in the end I felt the quickfish3 was about as warm as my 949i). Add those 2 facts with the fact that I can purchase two quickfish 3's for the price of one 949i.
Good to know GEM. I wanted the 949i for the size plus the insulated was a bonus. I think it might be 2 years before I get one to make sure all the defective huts are through the system. Really pisses me off however as I really wanted a 949.
Good to hear. I plan on ordering a 949 I at some point. One question- I hear a lot about the bag. Is it possible to just use a few bungees to hold it together if you have a sled to put it on instead of bagging and unbagging it on a lake? Then just using the bag to hold it when you get home?