15 replies to this topic

[isolli]

Inspired by these two posts:

https://www.cloudyni...esnt-cost-1000/

https://www.cloudyni...art-of-any-rig/

 

I wonder: since many people have managed to get cheap, solid tripods with some DIY, why is no one selling those?

 

It's not like there aren't any highly specialized shops catering to astronomers' needs already:

http://scopestuff.com/

https://r-sky.org/en/

 

Is there no one interested in making money on the side selling surveyor tripods with a customized spreader and mount adaptors?

 

Just curious

[Supernova74]

Well there already is to a degree from the company in Germany named (berlebach) it’s the closest you will get with a manufacture who supplies the amateur Astronomer with many different mounting solutions.like most things in this hobby the trade off is the price and don’t come cheap.it would be also very difficult to any manufacture to customise a tripod as there are so many variations which need to be considered and in the long term just wouldn’t be cost effective.

[starcanoe]

I'm not even a tripod guy and I've been wondering the same thing!

 

Good tripods ARE available but dang they are EXPENSIVE.

 

I think there are two parts to the problem.

 

First, the main market for these manufac are the non astro photo/video people...which I suspect are less tight with their $$$ than us star gazers.

 

Secondly I suspect a fair bit of the price is due to trying to make these things look really nice. Nicely finished wood or well anodized/painted metal costs and it adds almost nothing to the performance of the item.

[Ulmer Spatz]

I wonder: since many people have managed to get cheap, solid tripods with some DIY, why is no one selling those?

Cheap only because 'some DIY' means quite a bit of time time spent, but not being paid for that time. 

[Chris K]

R&D, materials, manufacturing/machining, extreme stability requirements, even more extreme discerning customers (this means us), and low volume runs all contribute to the final price I suspect.

 

Buy once, cry once, really matters in tripod purchases.

[sevenofnine]

They are only expensive if you're considering the initial price. My Manfrotto 3033 was purchased in 1985 and is now off to it's second owner. It will likely be at the end of it's life in the next century 

[Notdarkenough]

The Tri-Pier options from iOptron are very good.

 

As for R-Sky, email them first. I love the kit I have bought from them, but I am not too sure about their current status. 

[AstroPepper]

I am learning this in my recent tripod research (and with anything) but what really worries me is quality control and customer service/help now. I have always tried to buy anything (top criteria) from companies that stand behind their products. Anybody/company can make a mistake but making it right seems to be far and few now (shudders)

[dmgriff]

Inspired by these two posts:

https://www.cloudyni...esnt-cost-1000/

https://www.cloudyni...art-of-any-rig/

 

I wonder: since many people have managed to get cheap, solid tripods with some DIY, why is no one selling those?

 

It's not like there aren't any highly specialized shops catering to astronomers' needs already:

http://scopestuff.com/

https://r-sky.org/en/

 

Is there no one interested in making money on the side selling surveyor tripods with a customized spreader and mount adaptors?

 

Just curious

I use a SV M002c on standard and dwarf 5/8 bolt surveyors tripods (~100usd and less) for refractors and newts respectively. Very stable. I lack a spreader and do have to set the legs in dirt. Not for use on concrete, etc. 

 

There are industrial adapters for 5/8 to 3/8 available. I do not see 10mm/12mm similar adapters available.

https://www.engineer...t-adapters.aspx

 

 

I have stumbled across this modification of a surveyors tripod from 5/8 to 3/8 (or other), using wooden washers.

https://www.largefor...pod-conversion/

 

Maybe one could just replace the knobbed bolt with a different thread, after taking the top plate off the surveyors tripod? Re above photo conversion.

 

Good viewing,

 

Dave

Edited by dmgriff, 27 January 2023 - 11:59 AM.

[mondo1948]

And don't forget, with the Classifieds in this forum, you can get a good percentage back on any purchase, including a tripod.  So, as I have mentioned in other threads, we are "renting" equipment until the day we either trade up or down or get out of the hobby and sell everything.  I paid around $600.00 for my Berlebach tripod and will probably recoup $400.00 of that when I sell it.  I've already upgraded to a more robust Berlebacah tripod that cost me $850.00.

 

Mondo

[aeajr]

Inspired by these two posts:

https://www.cloudyni...esnt-cost-1000/

https://www.cloudyni...art-of-any-rig/

 

I wonder: since many people have managed to get cheap, solid tripods with some DIY, why is no one selling those?

 

It's not like there aren't any highly specialized shops catering to astronomers' needs already:

http://scopestuff.com/

https://r-sky.org/en/

 

Is there no one interested in making money on the side selling surveyor tripods with a customized spreader and mount adaptors?

 

Just curious

I am curious as to what sort of customizations you would be looking for.  If you were to be more specific perhaps someone would pick up on the idea.

Edited by aeajr, 30 January 2023 - 12:24 PM.

[MarkMittlesteadt]

I do some of this type of work on the side. Mostly for local people who only have cheap tripods and just need some DIY work to make what they have actually be more solid and functional. Both of your links refer to threads where I've posted my mods.

 

I've done a lot of mods to tripods and mounts, making my own adapters, extensions, spreaders, etc. and I've considered doing side work with it. But here's the thing...I share my mods with others by posting them here, because most of these mods are very inexpensive and easily done by just about anyone who is handy.  While the parts are cheap, and my time spent doing it is free for my own gear, doing it for someone else, and then having to ship it suddenly increases the cost if I were to get paid for my time. 

 

It also helps that I have the actual mount/tripod I'm working with, so that everything fits and works as it's supposed to. Most mounts have proprietary attachment designs, and since they're all a little different, what works with my own mount, may not work with someone else's. 

 

There are a few things I've designed that are more universal that probably could sell. My problem is I don't have a metal machine shop. So many of my mods are custom, one-off DIY, using wood, PVC, galvanized metal, etc. Basically they are readily available, parts-based mods that are sufficient for my needs/wants. Selling these things to others, I would rather these modded parts be machined out of aluminum and more attractive and "professional" in fit and finish before I would consider making them available to others. 

 

Before you know it, suddenly I'm competing with small companies who sell these things for quite a bit, at least for them to be adequately compensated, much less profitable enough to make it worthwhile. What starts out as a cheap DIY mod, becomes a big production with more costs in R&D/Materials/Machining, etc. Doable, but there is more to it than just what I freely share with others. 

Edited by MarkMittlesteadt, 30 January 2023 - 01:00 PM.

[Skyfisher]

Some things that make a side business difficult in many states are bookkeeping, sales tax, zoning, liability, offshore competition, etc.  I've been through a home business, and it is a PIA.   As a retired machinist/modelmaker/designer I cringe at the design/quality of some amateur astronomy instruments.   Once your hobby becomes a business it seldom stays a hobby.   A capable mechanic isn't likely to do this sort of work "cheap".

 

I would suggest looking for quality equipment if in your budget or developing skills to make or modify equipment.  Not that long ago amateur astronomers made some of the telescopes and equipment they used as is evident when you look at some of the books from the 1960s. 

 

To satisfy my aperture itch I went looking for a mirror set.  The result was the mirror sets cost as much or more than a Dob I could purchase.  I bought the Dob and am in the process of modifying and improving it to make it more or less reasonable to use.   

[Skyfisher]

I do some of this type of work on the side. Mostly for local people who only have cheap tripods and just need some DIY work to make what they have actually be more solid and functional. Both of your links refer to threads where I've posted my mods.

 

I've done a lot of mods to tripods and mounts, making my own adapters, extensions, spreaders, etc. and I've considered doing side work with it. But here's the thing...I share my mods with others by posting them here, because most of these mods are very inexpensive and easily done by just about anyone who is handy.  While the parts are cheap, and my time spent doing it is free for my own gear, doing it for someone else, and then having to ship it suddenly increases the cost if I were to get paid for my time. 

 

It also helps that I have the actual mount/tripod I'm working with, so that everything fits and works as it's supposed to. Most mounts have proprietary attachment designs, and since they're all a little different, what works with my own mount, may not work with someone else's. 

 

There are a few things I've designed that are more universal that probably could sell. My problem is I don't have a metal machine shop. So many of my mods are custom, one-off DIY, using wood, PVC, galvanized metal, etc. Basically they are readily available, parts-based mods that are sufficient for my needs/wants. Selling these things to others, I would rather these modded parts be machined out of aluminum and more attractive and "professional" in fit and finish before I would consider making them available to others. 

 

Before you know it, suddenly I'm competing with small companies who sell these things for quite a bit, at least for them to be adequately compensated, much less profitable enough to make it worthwhile. What starts out as a cheap DIY mod, becomes a big production with more costs in R&D/Materials/Machining, etc. Doable, but there is more to it than just what I freely share with others. 

Agree with your description and have been through all that you describe.   Few people make things for a living in the USA and don't have a clue what goes into making their everyday possessions.  If China were to mostly stop supplying our hobby, we would be in dire straights.  

[MarkMittlesteadt]

I'm working on a viable solution.  

[csrlice12]

If a tripod was manufactured such that it would last a lifetime or longer....then they wouldn't be able to sell you another one.  Now, install a part that wears out, or use plastic that will eventually dry out and break....and a few years down the road and you get a "We appreciate your continuing business, here's a 5% off on your next order coupon"