I've seen them in action. Very well made and not a gimmick! The guy that had one set it up behind him in his popup hub shelter while he fished two poles in side by side holes. It served him like a tip-up. He showed me how to set the sensitivity on it for bluegill. As we sat there watching , it tripped and he reached behind him and reeled in a medium sized gill. I was very impressed with it and will be ordering one this season. It also folds up compact and fits in a 5 gallon bucket with all your rods. It wasn't plastic or cheap in any way, should last a long time. My 2 cents.