This is a 2-part review. First, the product - the Odin Works low-profile adjustable gas block (
https://www.odinworks.com/Adjustable_Gas_Block_p/gb-adj.htm). Then, the customer service.
The Product:I bought one of these adjustable gas blocks on Gunbroker for $80 (Odin Works sells them for $89). It comes with a roll pin for the gas tube. I installed it on a Black Hole Weaponry 10.5" .223 Wylde 1:8 barrel along with an Aero Precision melonite pistol-length gas tube.
The gas block appeared to be very well made, as is everything I've purchased from Odin Works. Nice finish, clean machining, and no slop whatsoever in the screws. It fit the barrel like a glove and was easy to install. The barrel was already dimpled for the set screw, which was nice.
Once it was installed, I took it to the range and performed the adjustment routine you'd expect: restrict the gas almost entirely, fire a single round from a magazine, open the gas a little, then repeat until the bolt locked back on an empty mag. I opened it another 1/4" turn and locked in that setting. Once it was set, I fired a couple hundred rounds without a hiccup. I took it out a couple more times and shot a few hundred more rounds through it. All the cases ejected between 3 and 4 o'clock, and I didn't have any cycling or bolt hold-open issues. I was shooting mostly Federal 5.56 ammo (either XM193 or XM855).
Fast forward to this past Monday. I was in Yakima doing some target shooting, and in the middle of the second mag, I noticed it stopped ejecting the spent cases. First, I checked the bolt - nothing wrong there. Then, I noticed my gas block had moved all the way to the crush washers behind my brake. The adjustment screws were gone, and the block was split down the middle:
So, I began to have my doubts about the quality of this product.
The Customer Service:I called Odin Works to ask if they would send me a replacement under warranty. The
Returns page on their website says this:
Quote:
Lifetime Warranty and 100% Satisfaction Guaranteed!!!
At ODIN Works, your satisfaction is our commitment; we stand behind everything we sell. We are 100% committed to you. If anything ever goes wrong, which means if you break, destroy or your product fails, we promise to take care of you. We feel that owning an ODIN Works product should allow you to achieve your maximum ability and we strive to support your efforts in achieving this goal.
A friendly woman named Gwen answered the phone. She listened to me describe the problem, apologized for the inconvenience, and then proceeded to say that while their adjustable gas block is not warrantied for use on pistol-length gas systems (their product page does contain this disclaimer under Technical Specs, which I didn't see), I should submit a Return Authorization online anyway, and someone would get in touch with me within a day or two.
A few hours after I sent the request, a nice guy named Cody emailed me back. He told me that while the gas block I bought was not designed to be used the way I used it, he did say he would send me a replacement, but would not be able to warranty the second one should it fail. He also gave me the option of receiving a different gas block instead - their tunable gas block (
https://www.odinworks.com/Tunable_Gas_B ... une-ss.htm), which he said was better-suited for my pistol-length gas system. Because of the difference in value ($89 vs $54), he said I could apply that credit towards another item. I opted for a new gas tube ($12) and 2 new PMAGs ($11 x 2). He sent me a prepaid UPS shipping label to send back the broken gas block, and he said they would ship my replacement products as soon as they receive it.
Odin Works does stand behind their products, and they have professional, personable people handling their customer service. I highly recommend them. I've been a repeat customer of theirs for a couple years now, and I will continue to go back.