Haven't used the DAX handles, but have had a problem with the Lewmar version. Brand new Lewmar handle went into a Harken winch and wouldn't release. The only way we got it out was to turn the winch upside down and jiggle things. This was during the warehouse sale at Defender, so fortunately the winch wasn't attached to a boat. Showed the issue to a Lewmar rep, who failed to get excited. 'It's not a Lewmar winch' was the reaction.