Today I made a periodic inspection of the 1/16 cable on my handles. I found broken strands on one handle so I reached into my stash of replacement parts and installed the Brodak cable/sleeve kit. Anyone who has used the Brodak replacement cable knows that one end has a pre-formed loop.
After installing the new cable I decided to check the pre-formed loop. I should have done this before installation but never had any issues before with this part. I ran my finger over it and was stabbed by a broken strand. I think the pre-formed loop is too small of a radius for the cable diameter and maybe this overstressed the strands.
Rather than order more of the same from Brodak I went to McMaster Carr to get cable and compression sleeves.
I may re-consider the hard point handle. I tried one in the past. I could tell a difference in feel. It helped some maneuvers, but I thought it made things worse on others. Maybe I just need more time to work with it.
Yeah, in my opinion the real answer to this problem is the hard point handle. I agree that the feel is different and all hard point handles aren't created equal. I believe the Fancher style to be the best, but other opinions may vary.
It's important that the handle is light and fits your hand exactly. The Hard point handles are a little more sensitive to handle placement in your hand and should actually touch (lightly) your index finger and pinky finger at top and bottom inside. Also handle line spacing is a little more critical and should be carefully trimmed during several flights.
These pointers, I believe, will go a long way in helping your situation with helping with some but not all maneuvers.
Randy Cuberly