This is part review part venting. I ordered the Arctic Ice Halo 2 the day it hit the site. I also ordered the matching grip which didn't hit the site until a week later for some reason. Once I got the Halo I was stoked. It looks and feels like a quality machine. The finish on the Arctic Ice model is really cool too. It's like unfinished aluminum, and I say that in a good way. I ran that bad boy for a week and fell in love. It has everything my Edge X has plus more give and will run traditional needles and tubes. It's just awesome.

About 10 days or so, it started stalling on me when I pressed the peda down. If I tapped the give knob it started right up but I'd have to do that every time I stopped. I noticed the motor heating up after a bit of running it this way. I tried a bunch of cartridges to no avail. I was so stoked to have the machine, I didnt want to send it back so I pulled the motor out and ran it for a sec to see if it gave me any trouble. I put a small dab of lube on the shaft after pulling the cam and also on the slide to see if it was a line issue. Nothing changed so I disconnected it and put it in the drawer and decided to send it back.

The fact that the machine was giving me trouble doesn't bother me one bit. It happens and I know the type of quality FKI is known for. My complaint is with how everything transpired after I sent it back. I won't even call this a complaint, but a warning to anyone experiencing issues with their equipment. They determined that the motor was over lubricated and that I needed a replacement motor. They told me this wasn't covered under warranty. I understand why because they assume I over lubed it and that was that. I explained to them that I only lubed it after having issues. I'm ok with this because I'm impatient and wanted to try to fix the damn thing myself. My issue is that I'll never know what was actually wrong with my machine. Hopefully it was a motor issue and it will be fine when I get it back. Like I said, just a warning. Learn from my mistake and don't tinker if it's fucked up.

my only true complaint is that they never told me what was wrong with my machine. I didn't get notice that they received the machine, looked at the machine, or that I even owed them money for the repair. It was after my third call to them that I found out it was 'pending payment'. The guy who helped me was super nice and even sympathetic when I told him what happened. I just wish I would have been kept posted on my machine. I don't make a lot of money and i only have 2 machines, this Halo 2 and my Edge X. Luckily the Edge runs like a top but if I didn't have it or it broke down, I'd be screwed.

I guess this is just a critique on the repair process more than anything. It's not the end of the world and hopefully my machine runs great when I get it back. I just thought I'd post something since it was on my mind. FK makes a great product and their customer service is great, hopefull this is just a hiccup and any more interaction I have with them will go smooth.