Prior to buying the Raider Hybrid, I owned the Helo and Echo. They are both high quality stands; the Raider Hybrid, not so much. I can only speak to the stand I received, but it should not have passed final quality assurance checks prior to shipping.
There are many welds on this stand and some of them are of questionable quality. Too, there is a lot of noticeable weld splatter under the paint. I’ve owned the stand for about six months. While testing it this morning, the seat welds gave and the seat completely broke off from the brackets. Thankfully I was only two feet off the ground when it happened. I am 210 pounds and take good care of my gear.
The foam seat pad is very loud. Every movement on it or against it is enough to scare away deer within 20 yards. I am not the first person to point this out.
Even if my stand gets replaced by warranty, I have lost confidence in this line of stands. It needs a v2 with a shorter but wider seat that doesn’t act like a lever and pop welds, and a better seat pad, too. For now, I can only recommend the Helo and Echo, but not the Raider series.
Cool idea but man these welds look rough. Not sure i'd trust this 20 ft up when your life is on the line—I'm not a big boy but it sure does get hairy if you're not 100% confident in your setup
Cool idea but man do these welds need work! Not sure I'd trust this 20 feet up in the air, I'm not a big boy but it does get hairy and I'm not sure I'd risk it
Great experience with the Raider this year, so I just picked up another one to leave pre-hung in a favorite spot. It allows for longer sits in the saddle because you can adjust your position and rest on the small seat from time to time. Only complaint is the Velcro on the seat is loud... would like to see them switch to something more like the echo seat material.
This is the perfect balance between having a full Yangon and a saddle platform. I wish it had the quick hang strap included for the price. Like some have said the foam on the seat is loud and I am going to have to figure out a solution for that. It is super light weight and can easily be strapped to my pack. Would buy again but it needs a seat improvement and I think a rapid attachment would be nice.