Quickset tripods?

From what I've read here and elsewhere, Quickset tripods have a great reputation for quality and sturdiness. I'm thinking of getting one, probably a Samson or Hercules, but haven't ruled out the Gibraltar. Anyone like to share their experiences with one of those models?

Hi Dennis - I have Quickset and ITE tripods. Their great advantages is the fact that they usually have elevating center columns . I use them with big binoculars. Don't get confused by the rating of the tripod if you are going to use the elevating center column, because you need to know what that center column load will hold up. For the Quicksets, the Samson center column is iffy for my heavy binos of 30 pounds. THe Hercules is stronger, but the brutes are the Gibraltar center columns. I have one Gib tripod that is so heavy that you would have a hard time moving it around unless you have a dolly cart. For me it is on my deck and I don't have that problem. My ITE pods are T-6 models and are good at holding my heavy binos. I should tell you that I make most of my bino mounts and they are steel with a worm drive in altitude. THey are heavy, very stable and really fun to use. I just finished one this week that is made extra wide so as to be able to hold an 8 Mak or Cass with no problem. I think it would hold a light weight 10 Newtoniam also. It may take you a while to locate some of these, but you can sometime pick these up for little money. Hope this helps.

Regards
Keith Parizek

Quickset has made some great tripods. Of course they are very expensive new so the trick is to find a nice one that hasn't been used much. Many of the ones on the big auction site have been heavily used so you have to look carefully at them. They vary quite a bit in size and load capacity. I have a Samson one that is a compact version, only 2 ft. long folded that I use with a Vixen Porta head for quick looks. I also have a 20+ lb Gibraltar model that is well matched to a CI-700 mount and has some serious carrying capacity. Both of them work great, it's just a matter of matching the tripod with the right load. What were you thinking about mounting ?

Joplin

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Dennis Freeman said:

From what I've read here and elsewhere, Quickset tripods have a great reputation for quality and sturdiness. I'm thinking of getting one, probably a Samson or Hercules, but haven't ruled out the Gibraltar. Anyone like to share their experiences with one of those models?

Hi folks...

I have an old Houston-Fearless tripod from the 1950's. I am quite sure that the Quickset Hercules is essentially the same tripod with slight modifications. These tripods use a "Mitchell base" to mount the heads, there are about 6 inches in diameter. The Mitchell base is the standard mount used in Hollywood and was designed for use back in the old days with the big old cameras... I have also seen photos from the original TV Studios where the big old TV cameras were sitting on top of a Houston-Fearless.



ON an pound for pound basis, there is no doubt in my mind that these tripods are a significantly superior to telescope tripods, when one is shooting film with a camera costing several hundred thousand dollars, a few grand for a tripod is definitely in the budget... And while I am definitely comfortable jumping up and down on this tripod with my 200lbs, I think the ratings for weight are not valid for telescopes. The website list the capacity of the Hercules at 400lbs, I have considered using it as a mount for my 12.5inch F/6 Research Grade Meade, the OTA goes about 100lbs, the counterweights are 85lbs, and then the mount itself is over 50lbs... I think it would be too much...

Here is a photo of a Orion 120mm F/8.3 on the Houston-Fearless. With the stock tripod, it vibrated with every beat of the stepper motor. With the Houston-Fearless, it was rock-solid, vibrationless focusing at 500x...



Jerry Lodiguss (www.astropix.com) uses the twin of the Houston-Fearless as a mount for his A-P astrophotography rig.



I think it is a testament to the rigidity of the tripod that he mounts his controls right on the tripod, he apparently is not worried about vibration...

A few final thoughts: These are around used pretty cheap. Googling Houston Fearless (no hyphen) will turn one up in the mile high city...

It's a great tripod, it'll be with me forever... but that head is big in diameter. For an ALT-AZ head it is likely there were will clearance problems...

Best to all

Jon

Hi Dennis,

I have a Samson with a Wimberley head on it. Not only is it light in weight but it's also incredibly sturdy. I've actually mounted a 5" f9.4 achromat on it for astronomy and photography with excellent results. This a 102mm f6.5 on the Samson.

Clear Skies,

Steve

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