Suggestions for an Apex127 tripod?

I welcome suggestions / experience about a good tripod for Orion's Apex/StarMax 127EQ tube. I'm 6 foot tall and can't get near the zenith with the supplied tripod, or my SkyView mount. Manual tracking is fine.
Has anyone used a UniMount? Are there long legged aluminum tripods available?

Thanks,
Kevin

Kevin,

I believe the OTA weight of the APEX 127 is 8.6 lbs. Several medium duty Bogen tripod can reach near 6 ft without raising the center column or over 7 ft with the center column(Bogen 3046 or 3051) Both are rated for 26 lbs and will be able to handle giant binos up to 25X100 with ease. All Bogen tripods have 3/8"-16 mounting bolt.

The Unistar light is rated for 10 lbs and will be fine for your scope. You can order it with black finish for slightly high cost. Talk to Larry at UA and tell him what you think you want and he will work with you.

I like using heavy duty photo tripods with center column instead of traditional scope tripods. Most telescop tripods are not tall enough for observing the zenith when you are standing. Photo tripods with geared center column makes height adjustment much easier and collapse to a smaller package when you finish observing.

You can easily spend more for a good Alt Az mount and tripod than you did the Apex 127 but you will really appreciate the ease of use. A lot of people get bigger and better scopes but a good tall tripod is an investment for life.

Erik D