Comments: This broke the first use and I was being extra careful because of the reviews.
From: Gary, 11/12

Comments: Came with a stringer. Great idea. Worked 5/6 times and broke. I wouldn't buy it again.
From: Don, USA, 1/12

Comments: Like everybody else has said. This is a great tool when you first get the machine but bend it a few times it breaks. Mine did tonight.
From: David, 9/11

Comments: Worked great...........twice. Then it broke.
From: Sean, GA. 4/11

Comments: This came with the Gamma stringer I purchased a while back. Once you figure it out, it works well. Unfortunately, it's not very sturdy. Mine bent a few times and eventually broke. Given the poor construction, this item is extremely overpriced.
From: Joe, Charlotte, NC 09/09

Comments: Invaluable! It makes getting a string through a string covered grommet as easy as that miserable part of stringing can be.
From: Vic, Livonia, Mi., USA. 11/08

Comments: I just ordered the Eagnas String Guide Pathfinder for $9.95 from Eagnas. It appears to be better quality for 40% of the cost of the Gamma. The other possibility might be to go the the local feed store and order a 15 guage hypodermic needle. The largest needle that my local store has is an 18, which is too small.
From: Mike, Grass Valley, CA. 11/08

Comments: It is great! it WAS my favorite tool until I broke it. It's rather fragile and very expensive to replace it seems.
From: Jarrod, Torrance, CA, USA. 10/08

Comments: I do find this tool quite useful. I have used this on many racquets that I have strung. It is slippery if your hands get sweaty but that really doesn't matter. All you have to do is stick the point where you want the string to come out of, pull back on the handle and insert the string then just yank the tool out, its pretty easy. I do admit that that metal is easy to bend so you obviously have to be careful with it. That’s pretty much it.
From: Charlie, Seattle, WA, USA, 09/07

Comments: I guess from all of the negative comments, I am the only one that really likes the tool. I had been stringing without a pathfinder awl and to finally find something that helps get through blocked holes was great! You cannot Jam or Force this tool, but if handled with care it does the job well. I have used it successfully on O3's Flexpoint's, Babalot's, Dunlops's and all Kinds of Wilson, Prince, Head Racquets. I admit that it has a plastic handle and the metal is soft, but if used carefully it can definitely do the job.
From: Will, Leominster, MA, USA, 04/07

Comments: This came with my stringer and had the instructions on how to use it. I have no idea as to why this product costs so much because like others have said, it is simply cheap, hollow plastic and some cheap metal. More importantly, this is useless because it is pretty much impossible to fit through a blocked hole in the first place.
From: Mike, 01/07

Comments: This is just the generic pathfinder awl you get when you buy a low end Gamma stringing machine. It was the exact same one that I had when I bought my drop weight machine, which was $100 dollars. At 1/4 of the cost of my machine, I don't think this awl was worth it. Also, the outer metal tube doesn't detach from the awl, so it's hard to use this to feed a string through from the outside the grommet to the inside.
From: Mark, Boston, MA, USA 04/06

Comments: This tool is an utter waste of plastic and cheap metal. First off, the handle is not comfortable: it is plastic, rectangular, and slippery. It comes with no instructions, so have fun trying to figure this thing out. Even after you figure it out, it is almost impossible to fit the awl through any grommet whatsoever. I literally bent the metal trying to push this thing through, and I was not pushing down on it. Upon straightening the metal, I found out the actual cylinder structure of the metal was bent as well which you cannot fix and only makes it harder to push through later. I tried this thing on an O3, POGO, LM Radical, and a FP Prestige; it does not fit through grommet holes. Don't waste your money or patience on this thing.
From: Brian, NY 04/06

Comments: I was excited to have received this tool, because I thought it would help me guide the second string through a hole that is occupied already. However, and I'm embarrassed to admit this, but the mechanism and use of it is not as self-evident as I'd hoped, and no instructions came with it. Even my local tennis shop didn't quite know what to do with it. So, to this point, I want to like it, but can't quite comment until I find out how to use it. I admit to being a fairly inexperienced stringer, but am stymied by using what probably is a simple little device.
From: Bill
Santa Clara, CA 2/25/06