Caution- Greenlee,
After pulling a half a dozen times my fiberglass 540 failed at the tip. I sent it back to Greenlee and they “conveniently” lost it along with the the return authorization. Fortunately, UPS had a delivery signature and after a month of waiting I received a replacement. Now the replacement fails after 1 job and I tried my luck at repair or replacement. After phone tag with customer disservice and a run around with their authorized despair center I chose to “land fill it” and purchase an Ideal product. Good-bye Greenlee you had your chance to make things right but my patience ran out!
Replies
What are you pulling with a f/g fishtape? I don't think I have ever broken the end off of one, but then we always use wire lube and two men on large pulls. Really big stuff we pull in a line, and maybe get to use a tugger if they don't mind us placing anchor bolts.
I have a 50' fiberglass Greenlee fishtape and I don't use it for pulling any wires. It costs $1/foot versus 25c/foot for the steel type. It's good for closely spaced 90º bends in different planes but I just use it to pull in some flyline or rope.
-Peter
I was pulling a couple sets of 14 stranded and the tip came off- twice. I always was my stainless for solid pulls. I must have gotten two lemons. Needless to say I am ought 75 bucks.
Take both of them to an electrical supply house or even the big box hardware that sells Greenlee fish tapes and explain the situation. You might get lucky and get two new ones. Dealers have more leverage.
A less scrupulous individual faced with a demand for a receipt might buy the same make and model and return the broken one with the receipt you get. This much more shady individual might end up with two new fish tapes while the retailer gets a free replacement and Greenlee get the defective product to ponder over and work on improving. Some people might say that this would be poetic justice.
I haven't had a problem with mine. I use it alot,one thing I make certain is if it's stuck I correct the situation instead of locking my feet against the wall and pulling harder. I definatly use mine far more then steel since 80 percent of my wire pulls are through conduit with live wires already in them.
I usually, the few times I have had problems with products, take them back to the supply house I got them from and get a replacement or refund. They in turn drop them on the manufacturers representative who has the choice of grinning and bearing it or loosing a customer, the supply house, that buys thousands of dollars worth of tools at a time.
If the retailer won't take it back find a supply house that sells the same product. Many of these will exchange it even if they didn't sell it originally. Klein being the easiest brand to return. IMHO Greenlee has gone down hill. I often find the same product, down to the part numbers, relabeled and painted for another brand at a 40% discount from what Greenlee charges. Ridgid plumbing tools are often the same tool wearing red paint instead of Greenlee green. Greenlee is very proud of their name and is willing to make you pay for the label.
You might want to look into Klein, Ideal or GB fish tapes. Most electrical supply houses that carry these brands will replace these products back without any questions.