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I'm trying to make the case to my wife that I need a GC2. She asked how long they lasted and I didn't have an answer. Any input on their lifespan?
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Tell her they last forever! -
Ha I initially said a really long time. Then she brings up that some of our laptops have crashed within 3 years.Comment
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I don't know of any that have passed away. Im sure some have needed repairs. The flash needs replaced eventually. Mine is 2501 serial number so it must be pretty old. I sure hope it keeps on going.Comment
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If you are lucky they work a long time, if unlucky then shorter. Lol
They aren't bad but definitely can fail. It might depend on its history if used. They aren't necessarily cheap to fix.Comment
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You guys are missing the point. The end justifies the means. Tell her they will last 20 years. Whatever it takes to get the rubber stamp. You said it yourself... you NEED you a GC2, bra!!!! Good luck!!Comment
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I told mine that they hold their value really well, and can always just sell it to make my money back if need be ever. I even got a gc2 & hmt 😂⛳👍🥰Comment
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If its any consolation. My local golf Galaxy has had the same GC2 (without HMT) for the past 5 or so years and they have never changed the flash out of it.Comment
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My first GC2 had a serial number in the 300's and was almost 9 years old. I bought it used, but the only thing I had to do was get the bluetooth fixed (it was broken when I bought it) and replace the flash. The battery pack will also need to be replaced every few years if you plan on using it outside a lot.
Like Kgray247 said, they do hold their value really well. If you find a used one in the $4k price range, you should not have trouble reselling it for a minimal loss if you decide you don't want it. They are so accurate, portable, and easy to set up that there will always be a demand for them.Comment
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Flash and batteries are consumables and part of the operating cost. The OP was asking about failures which to me is things like Bluetooth failure, flash driver board failure, lcd failure, cpu board failure etc. All that stuff can and does happen. No idea how common though. My gc2 had the flash driver board fail for example. But the heart wants what the heart wants so I'm sure the OP will get his GC2 eventually. Lol.Comment
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Another way of looking at it is that I have never heard of someone's GC2 getting damaged beyond repair. It's construction is very modular inside, which means that any individual component can be replaced. The basic non-consumable parts are CPU, camera assembly, flash driver board, LED array, LCD screen, and bluetooth module. If you buy one from anyone other than Foresight, you will have to pay a $500 registration fee to have them look at it. A lot of repairs are in the $250-750 range. It's a lot when you consider what is being repaired or replaced probably costs Foresight a fraction of that, but in the golf simulator realm, you have to be prepared to pay a premium for just about anything since it's a small market.
I've helped out several people with various hardware issues and below are failures I have seen or heard of. I have heard of one LCD backlight going out, and about 5 LCD screens that broke after getting hit with a ball. Having the screen replaced is probably one of the most expensive repairs you will see. GC2's with serial numbers below 5000 in general are more likely to have flash driver board issues, but if you run into that I can help you out there for a minimal cost. If a shanked ball hits the upright part, it can damage the LED array panel (need to repair or replace) and knock the cameras out of alignment (need to re-calibrate). I've heard of around 10 people whose bluetooth just failed after a while. And if you are rough with the USB cable the connector can get damaged. I've never heard of a CPU board or the camera assembly completely failing. When you consider there are roughly 14k GC2's out there, you are bound to hear about some issues. But overall it is really well-built.Comment
... touch wood that it stays that way
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