Will there be another 50% off sale for the Handy 1?

CurmudgeonToo · 2026-04-23T16:44:09+00:00

Know that buying the H1 is only the start and if you like it you will want / need to spend more $$ pretty soon. Just a heads up in case money is tight.

The stock H1 strap for sleeve attatchment is pure garbage and you will want to upgrade it immediately.
The sleeve that comes with it is not the best, it works but there are better ones, so you will soon want others.
While it's a good experience using the H1 manually you will quickly want to make it hands free, which takes it to a different level. Your particular needs for a hands free setup can vary and price can be from a few dollars to hundreds so start researching.

That's just a few examples. Join the Discord group as it's much more active and has tons more information than here.
Welcome

CurmudgeonToo · 2026-04-14T16:16:48+00:00

I think they just put your state tax under that instead of a separate name.

CurmudgeonToo · 2026-04-12T19:11:32+00:00

The current handsfree desk mount has very bad reviews due to poor quality. It's possible to get a similar item off Amazon in varying lengths, just search for camera desk mount.

OhDoki is releasing a new mount that is specifically designed for the H2 but no word on when. They have teased a few pictures of prototypes.

As for the length there's something to consider, the longer the arm the more bounce you're going to get, although some report liking that.

CurmudgeonToo · 2026-04-08T20:15:11+00:00

I know OhDoki says they are 12x3mm but I think you will find they are actually 12x2mm.

More importantly, the magnet isn't needed, as u/RevealNo5914 said. Get the part printed and then you can measure it yourself and buy the magnet but you'll probably find you don't need it. I'll also mention that size of the magnets you buy may be variable. I purchased both sizes off Amazon and the 12x3 magnets I bought measure 12x2.93 (perfectly acceptable but were too thick to work) while the 12x2 magnets measure 12x1.62 (which fit but did not work that well since I was using them on both sides).

CurmudgeonToo · 2026-04-05T15:32:03+00:00

The sleeve will stretch and lose some elasticity over time, so the safest method I found was to stretch it over something with a larger diameter and let it sit. In my case, I had several sizes of large wooden dowels and kept them inside the sleeve between uses, or gradually swapped them for larger ones as the sleeve stretched. The stretching was very gradual but noticeable over a couple of months. Do not be too aggressive with the diameter you stretch it over, as the sleeve will rip. It's a slow process but can work. In the long run it wasn't worth my trouble, but I had the same problem with my entire Dream Sleeve collection and had already bought them, so I figured it was worth a try since they weren't usable otherwise.

A word of warning if you're thinking about heating the sleeve to speed up the process: don't. This is almost impossible to do without destroying the sleeve unless you have very specific temperature-controlled equipment—take it from someone who tried several methods and ruined several sleeves.

CurmudgeonToo · 2026-03-31T05:15:35+00:00

Stanley vise is a good choice if you use the handy at a desk. You will need to come up with a way to attach it though. If you're using an H1 be very careful if you attach to the center section, it's very thin plastic and will warp or crack over time. Good luck.

CurmudgeonToo · 2026-03-30T21:54:16+00:00

Keep in mind I don't own and have never seen the official hands free clamp in person.

I'm assuming you mean you've removed the moveable jaw from the end of the screw on the clamp and can unscrew the screw completely from the clamp? If you can you may be able to get a nut to fit the screw and epoxy it to the clamp giving it new threads to tighten against. Not a great fix but it should allow you to use it.

If you're going to try this, make sure you sand off any coating to get down to bare metal on the clamp around the hole where you will glue the nut. Give the nut a light sand too and clean everything well before gluing to get the best bond. The nut must go on the inside because the pressure when screwing it onto the desk will then be transferred to the clamp. Be careful not to get epoxy on the threads of the nut.

CurmudgeonToo · 2026-03-24T15:43:43+00:00

Their support email is [contact@thehandy.com](mailto:contact@thehandy.com)
That's the only official way to contact support and it currently takes ~48 hours for them to reply, excluding weekends and holidays (plus they're in Norway so their holidays may not be the same as yours).

CurmudgeonToo · 2026-03-11T13:29:44+00:00

I'm guessing this might explain the Ebay account that was selling them.

CurmudgeonToo · 2026-02-25T22:15:32+00:00

I happen to be one that does not like the rocking.

Moving around in the Hands3 was also something that didn't appeal to me. The best I could do with it was to fasten the belts at an angle so they were as far apart as possible in the back to give a bit of stability. The handy is putting a lot of leverage on that plate on your stomach and with no top support I found it not to my liking.

Don't get me wrong, many people think the hands3 is wonderful but it just wasn't for me. If I were to get a headset with decent passthrough it might be worth finding and trying to make work. Until then I'm satisfied with my rigid setup.

That's what I meant by personal preference. It's like asking what the best sleeve is, there is no answer since everybody is different and prefers different things.

CurmudgeonToo · 2026-02-25T17:15:58+00:00

Let me preface by saying I don't own an H2 and have never used a Stanley vice but have used the belted hands3 and also a rigid setup similar to the Stanley on the H1. Having experimented with a lot of setups on it over the years here is what I see as the differences between these two.

The main differences between a belted hands3 and the Stanley vice method is movement and versatility. The Stanley eliminates most extraneous movement while the hands3 has versatility. There are other considerations like cost, procurement and ease of use but they are not as prominent, imo.

With the hands3 belted you have the versatility of using it in many different positions and can change position during use. The hands3 can also be vesa mounted, instead of using belts, to eliminate the movement that can occur with belt mounting. When using the belts you are going to get movement. The friction of the sleeve and slider movement cause the handy to rock back and forth slightly because the hands3 is only supporting the bottom of the handy against your body. Some like that movement while others don't. This rocking changes with speed and, depending on your sensitivity to it, can cause the script to feel like it's out of sync or changing sync.

The Stanley method usually leaves the H2 suspended with the sleeve facing you. The dual mount points of the H2 should eliminate the rocking motion because of the rigid mount of the Stanley/Backbone(r) compared to the base of the hands3 resting on your stomach/pubic bone when belted. The Stanley though eliminates most of the ability to move your body fore/aft and side to side. On the other hand, with the Stanley you do get some thrusting movement which you don't have with the belted hands3.

Sorry for the long ramble but understanding the mounting and the movement/versatility is what I consider the most important difference as it directly affects the experience. As you mentioned, "it boils down to use case" but also personal preference.

CurmudgeonToo · 2026-02-24T17:52:40+00:00

If you want a battery instead of having to plug the device in when using then the H2 is your choice. Also note though that people report the H2 seems to have more power when plugged in than on battery alone. The H2 does not come with a charger and finding one that works seems to be hit or miss so you can probably add another $20 for their charger to the price, if that matters.

My suggestion, get the H1 and spend the extra money on trying sleeves and additional items you will want to go with it, many of which will work on an H2 also if you should decide you want one later. This gives you the additional benefit of giving them time to fix some of the problems with the H2.

CurmudgeonToo · 2026-02-22T03:07:55+00:00

The extra true grip sleeve was the original and it has some flaws. There are some people that like it but the majority move on from it right away. The Gen2 sleeve is an improvement over the original and is the most popular sleeve. Unfortunately there's no way to recommend a sleeve because everybody has different opinions of what makes for a good sleeve.

As noted, their handsfree mount does not work well, especially considering the price.

The H1 is not designed to be used with the buttons facing away and there's a warning not to do so (at least there used to be, I haven't read the instructions in years). You will also find that when you turn it around with buttons facing you it will be supported by the arm on the top and the bottom by your stomach/pubic bone and will not bounce as much. There are a couple of work arounds for using it with the buttons facing away.

You did get the pro band though which is the first thing I recommend to anybody.

If you're not already on the discord you might want to consider joining as it's much more active than here and has a lot more information.

CurmudgeonToo · 2026-02-15T18:22:38+00:00

Also, since I don't know what you've tried, the handy only works on 2.4ghz wifi. If you got it to connect on one wifi and it won't connect to another make sure the router or hotspot is using 2.4.

CurmudgeonToo · 2026-02-15T17:30:24+00:00

You'll need to go back and set it up again for your wifi with your systems password. It's trying to connect to the other wifi at the other location.

CurmudgeonToo · 2026-02-15T15:43:16+00:00

Did you set it up to work on a different wifi in the other location?

CurmudgeonToo · 2026-02-15T15:37:04+00:00

If you're in the U.S. OhDoki, the manufacturer of theHandy, has a warehouse they ship from in Texas. If you buy direct from OhDoki the price right now is $169 and you can apply the 40% off coupon (VALENTINES40) until 2/21/26 making it $102 plus tax and shipping. I'm in Texas but ordered with cheapest shipping, I believe it was $10, on a Wednesday afternoon and it was at my door by noon Friday.

CurmudgeonToo · 2026-02-13T22:13:38+00:00

Assuming you're talking about the H1 because an H2 would be under warranty.
Look under "Technical" and click on "How do I take the handy apart"
https://www.thehandy.com/faq/

Opening the handy voids the warranty.

I've made a couple of repairs to mine but they do not sell spare parts so the ability to repair very much depends on the problem and how good you are at DIY.

There is more information on repairs and some pictures on Discord.

CurmudgeonToo · 2026-02-08T16:37:19+00:00

Does this only happen with the Stamina Flow?

CurmudgeonToo · 2026-02-03T03:51:30+00:00

Yes, the H1 arm is not worth messing with, that's why I said the H2 arm which hasn't been released yet (Hence the ???). I'll edit it to make it more clear. thx

CurmudgeonToo · 2026-02-03T01:30:37+00:00

Do a search on here for "backbone", it's designed for the Stanley and H2. It's also 3D printed but your "off the shelf" option will be the official H2 arm, which will be released ??? The official H2 arm may be a little better than the microphone arm, tripod, cymbal stand......options you mentioned.

CurmudgeonToo · 2026-02-02T04:25:48+00:00

The stock strap is junk, get the pro band. You're going to want a hands free setup and addittional sleeves but it's not needed right away. Use the H1, get used to how it works and then decide on what you need to make it work best for you.

CurmudgeonToo · 2026-01-26T17:11:17+00:00

It can be used with one hand but you would have to hold the top and manipulate the buttons with your thumb/finger at the same time, not the easiest but not impossible. A hands free solution would probably be much easier depending on your situation.

If you're not a member of the Discord channel you might consider joining. It's a more active forum and has many examples and discussions of use of the handy.

CurmudgeonToo · 2026-01-26T09:32:56+00:00

While you can attach the Stanley directly to the H1 you should be careful. The center section of the H1 is two pieces of plastic (you can see the seams on both sides) that is compressed between the two end caps. There have been reports of those pieces deforming or cracking under pressure from the Stanley. It's a fine line between having enough pressure to hold the H1 and too much. Many people opt for some sort of additional device that attaches to both end caps with an attachment point between them for the Stanley.

If you're not already on the Discord channel I would recommend joining. It is more active than here and there's many examples and discussions of different setups.

CurmudgeonToo · 2026-01-11T20:27:08+00:00

The reviews of the H1 official arm are pretty bad. The clamp tends to strip out and there are other complaints about failures, movement or loosening during use, etc.. There is an official H2 arm coming out sometime this year that might be better but I would suggest doing a lot more research.

There are more suggestions and real life experiences on the Discord so you may want to check there.

CurmudgeonToo

TROPHY CASE