Hey Brian, thanks for taking the time to leave this detailed review.
We hear your feedback about the ergonomics of the bash guard. This guard was designed to protect the motors and also double as a handy handle when needed. We're sorry to hear you've found it unpleasant.
I can see you'd owned your bash guard for over 2 years before the break occurred and, yes, the warranty coverage of manufacturing faults and defects is for 12 months which means you were unfortunately over 2x outside the warranty timeframe.
When you reached out to us, Mariah assisted but may not have understood your request correctly. As we've seen breaks like this occur due to loose hardware resulting in the bash guard vibrating and causing damage to the connecting components, Mariah simply directed on how to purchase a new guard as yours was well outside it's warranty period.
If you happen to be chasing a new guard, considering the time you'd owned the guard and the elapsed warranty coverage, we'd be happy to offer you a replacement guard at 50% off. If you're interested, please respond to your email thread with Mariah mentioning this review response and we'll assist!
Best regards
Evolve