Review of 2 Lock-On Style Stands

[Slappy]

Some of you may remember me being back and forth between a Muddy Outdoors Hunter Lock-On stand and the Millennium Monster Lock-On Stand.  So being curious and indecisive has led me to purchase both stands and to find out which one I enjoy the most...and likely buy more of.  

 

Just like guns, or sleeping bags, or cars...if you want to "get" something, you have to "give" something.  You will see my comparisons below. 

 

 

Let me first start off with a little bonus review of Safety Harnesses:

 

Muddy Safeguard Harness vs Hunter Safety System Harness: Clear Winner is the Muddy Harness

     Let me tell you just straight up, if you are in the market for a new harness, get the Muddy, hands down.  It is the best value, best design, and so light weight that you forget you are wearing it.   The lineman's belt on the Muddy is SO much more user friendly than the lineman's belt on the Hunter Safety System.  Also, my cousin who helped me install the stands, he has the HSS Harness, asked me if he put it on property.  Upon inspection, he had one of his leg harnesses flipped inside out and he didn't know.  There is no way you can make that mistake w/ the Muddy Safeguard Harness.  So take my word for it, color me impressed with the Muddy, thats what you need to buy.

 

 

Tree Stands

 

Weight:  Muddy 

   It is very light weight at 14lbs vs the Monster at 19.5lbs.  Now 5.5lbs doesn't seem like a whole lot when you are on the ground, but when you are dangling up in a tree it seems quite heavy.  However, I found both stands to be quite manageable...and I'm not exactly strong either.  

Ease of Assembly: Monster.  

   The monster came mostly assembled but some of the tolerances were very tight which made it difficult to do by yourself.  The Muddy had lots of screws, washers and nuts and came completely disassembled.  So while I gave the "ease" of assembly award to the Monster, neither are difficult at all, the Muddy will just take a few extra minutes.  The instructions from both manufacturers were a little cryptic, diagrams were not clear about what washer or what screw to use necessarily, but you figure it out well enough.    

 

Ease of Installation:  Monster.  

   The Monster comes with this one bracket that you hang up first, prior to lifting the stand off the ground and up the tree.  The back of the Monster has this "blade" that slides into the bracket that you just installed, making it SUPER easy and quick.  Remember how this stand is heavier?  Well with this design, you don't have to hang on to it very long.  Another big advantage of this bracket system is the ability to buy more brackets.  They are only like $25 and you can hang them in multiple trees, making it even more simple to move the stand around.  Once you have the Monster installed into the bracket, there is an additional ratchet strap that secures the lower platform firmly to the tree making the base fairly solid.  If I had one complaint about the Monster, its that the base is shakier than the Muddy.  However, with the strap installed nice and tight, I never felt unsteady or unsafe, so its really not a big deal.

 

   The Muddy requires to ratchet straps to secure the stand to the tree.  It can be quite cumbersome to hold up the stand with one hand and to somehow, throw the ratchet strap behind the tree, catch it, and secure it to the stand.  Now, with practice, I don't really see it as that big of a deal.  This was my first time installing lock on stands, so it was all new to me and I learned a few little tricks after getting up there and actually installing them.  One thing that was nice though was since I was having to hold the stand up longer, I was glad it only weighed 14 lbs.  So that helps

Ease of Adjustability: Muddy.  

   Adjustability is a big reason why I have chosen these two stands.  They less expensive stands don't offer adjustability. .  Both manufacturers recommend adjusting before you climb up the tree, but just how realistic is that all the time?  Once you are up there, if you need to adjust the platform or the seat, I found the Muddy to be much easier to adjust due to the design and minimal weight.  

 

Comfort: Monster.

   I don't think you can look at the pictures of these two stands and have a hard time figuring out which one is more comfortable.  The sling style seat with the back brace of the Monster is what I would consider "all-day comfort".   The Muddy was quite comfortable as well and in fact, I never found it uncomfortable, it actually surprised me.  The padding is very thick and wide, but if you were going to have a sitting contest between these two stands, the Monster would win.  

 

Hunt-ability: Muddy  

   While there is a direct correlation between stand comfort and seeing deer, I have chosen the Muddy as being the most huntable for this reason: Size.  The Monster....is huge. Your silhouette/profile is nearly twice what it is w/ the Muddy.  The good news is that both seats fold up allowing the hunter to scoot back to the tree, but you are going to be much less concealed standing up and shooting from the Monster as you would the Muddy.     

 

Accessories: Monster  

   Both stands include a foot rest which is really nice, but the Monster includes a set of backpack straps, already installed on the stand.  You can get backpack straps for the Muddy but you will have to buy separately.  The Monster is about $50 more than the Muddy though, so I wouldn't let the backpack straps sway you from making one decision or the other.  

 

 

So which stand will I buy more of?  I have no idea!  Both are top tier tree stands and I am looking forward to logging my hours in each one.  Hopefully after a few down deer, I will have a better idea of what I will by next.  

 

Hope these reviews help you make your own decision!   

 

 

 

 

 

[rugerla1]

Great review, thanks Slappy. I hope you knock multiple deer down from each of your new stands this year!

[JWC]

Muddy harness is great. That's what I use