Disc Gator

[BogeyNoMore]

I've used mine a few times now.

Pros: Works great in places a Golden Reriver is useless: trees, nasty, thorny shule, poison ivy/oak swampy ponds with lots submerged sticks and branches which make using a retriever next to impossible. Standard threads accept typical paint roller handles and such.

Cons: Not as compact or easy to carry as a Golden Retriever. Limited reach and even with the telescoping pole, it's a bit longer than I personally want to carry around strapped to my bag, so I leave it in the car.

That is probably the way to to go, I saw that when I first heard of the disc gator, I googled it and the images looked like it was compatible with most poles with the screw end. A telescopic roller pole would probably work great.

I picked up inexpensive pole that telescopes to about 12' that I keep in the car as well, which really makes a big difference in what you can get to.

Bottom line: the clamp works great. Simply a tradeoff of how you feel about it's on course portablity and how much pole you want to carry.

If there was a lightweight pole that extended to 15' feet and collapsed to less than 3' it would be damn near perfect... not sure how feasible that is.

 

[OB Four]

That would be damn awesome.

I bought one the day it came out, it's definitely paid for itself in saved plastic already.

I will echo the cons of BogeyNoMore, but small price to pay to not lose a disc. Much better than what I was doing before, which was getting waist deep into creeks. The annoying thing for me is assembling it, because it's already large and I have two poles, I don't leave the clamp part on. So screwing and unscrewing is a pain, but again, much better than the alternative.

Also, the customer service has been great. I had my pole break where the threaded plastic is and they sent me a new one free of charge.

 

[Akedos]

It's a good tool, just needs some adjusting. I shaved the notch a little to make it trip easier. I can pull floaters in real easy with it I also scrapped the pole that came with it and am using a 25ft golf ball retrieivng pole instead. I epoxied the screw on head to the end of the golf pole and it's good to go. The nice thing about the screw on head is it's the same as a mop/broom head so I have another head that I can screw on there with just a hook if I need to for some reason.

 

[Kenny53691]

It's a good tool, just needs some adjusting. I shaved the notch a little to make it trip easier. I can pull floaters in real easy with it I also scrapped the pole that came with it and am using a 25ft golf ball retrieivng pole instead. I epoxied the screw on head to the end of the golf pole and it's good to go. The nice thing about the screw on head is it's the same as a mop/broom head so I have another head that I can screw on there with just a hook if I need to for some reason.

Sounds like something worth looking into. I thought it was smart to buy the two poles, but now I wish I would have just went with an after market pole.

 

[dosahl]

I purchased the disc gator as a replacement for hard to find swamp sticks. I did recognized possible drawbacks before purchasing. Those potential drawbacks have not been realized.
Collapsed pole length I thought this would be too long. It really is not. I have a small fade gear crunch bag. I attach the pole to the shoulder harness loops and it extends 6-8 inches out from each side (front/back). It seems like quite a bit but it has not hindered any movement on my part. I ride my bicycle daily to the course and it has not hindered my ride with the bag across my back.
Extended length I have not been not able to reach any disc yet. Also, my throwing partners have all ordered the gator so we will have a possible 15' reach. I do not think it would be too stable beyond that.
Time to assemble This also has been a non factor for me. Others it may be. I have made adjustments. The head is in a side pouch and I start pulling items out as I begin my walk to the disc. It is a much faster process than searching for a swamp stick. I then put items back on their spot at the next tee. If I was in the water, I will probably be teeing off last anyway.
The Gator will not be the perfect solution for everyone but it is the perfect solution for me. It was an easy $36 to spend. well worth the money.

 

[dosahl]

Mistake pole actually sticks out 6-8 inches total.

 

[Chaffin]

How stable is the system with 2 poles connected together?

 

[timg]

It's pretty good, they switched the tips of the poles to metal which makes it pretty sturdy.

 

[kw83028]

Does anyone know the people who own it? I have tried to get in contact with them for a month now using their website contact form, and not one single reply. I wanted to find out about wholesale opportunities like their website says.

 

[DGspin]

My buddy bought a disc gator right when they came out. We've been using it pretty regularly and it has saved many of discs or the pain of going in after them. The poles can break pretty easily. That's cool that some of you found alternatives. We always get all kinds of comments about it. I don't like carrying it because in the side of my grip bag it makes me feel like war machine (it fits really easily, I just think it looks funny).

We take turns carrying it, if you go in the hazard.. You have to carry it until someone else does.

Also, somehow the metal thing that holds the mouth open broke off and we lost it. I bent a metal hanger into shape and it's more sturdy than it was before.

No complaints here, we like it. Just giving my experience.

Oh and I emailed them on their site and they got right back to me so not sure what's going on with the wholesale.

 

[B-Man]

Whats the veridic on this thing?

 

[dekdo]

Whats the veridic on this thing?

they are pretty good.. about to order one. Will come in very handy with the palm trees here.. and water.

 

[dysmike]

Whats the veridic on this thing?

So far, so good. Been good in the water the two times I've had to use it, with the cactus, and around the rattlesnake. :thmbup:

 

[kw83028]

I love mine. No more picker bushes or wading in a stream. I've sold 19 of them already. I have 1 left and have another 10 more being shipped this week. Selling like hot cakes!

 

[BogeyNoMore]

Been using mine and really liking it, faster to deploy and stow away than a Golden Retriever if a disc isn't too far from shore, and great for thorny stuff. Used it to pull someone's disc out of the water yesterday at league, and when I pulled it from the water, the clip that holds it open had popped out.

Dunno know why it popped out - it wasn't like I did something odd or exerted undue force on it. Everything else seems intact and operational, just no way to hold it open. I contacted them and am eager to see if they can send me a replacement clip... will let you know how that goes.

opcorn:

 

[BogeyNoMore]

Received a quick & favorable response:

Just provide a shipping address and we'll send you some replacements.

 

[tbird888]

Received a quick & favorable response:

:clap:

Great customer service

 

[BogeyNoMore]

Also, somehow the metal thing that holds the mouth open broke off and we lost it. I bent a metal hanger into shape and it's more sturdy than it was before.

This was the first thing I thought, and I figured out a couple of things. The longer you make this piece, the more force it takes to get the jaws to shut... you could end up pushing your disc out of reach. The shorter you make it, the easier is to disengage so the jaws snap shut. Too short, and it won't stay in the little indent where it's supposed to rest, and the jaws won't stay open. After sacrificing a wire hanger, at least it's serviceable until the replacement arrives. Curious to see how close my homemade prop rod's dimensions are to the original.
opcorn:

 

[The Shide]

Was wishing I had one of these on Sunday when I put a disc into hole # 9 at Sleepy Hollow.
Someone else fished it out for me & has made arrangements to get the disc back to me (a first!!).
After that experience I decided to pull the trigger on buying one. Will let y'all know what I think about it after I test it out.

 

[BogeyNoMore]

Replacements arrived today! You gotta love that kind of customer service. :thmbup:

FWIW - My homemade version is about 1/8 inch shorter, and requires bit less force to disengage.