I wanted to do a quick review on a budget tripod option I’ve been playing with. I picked up this Fanue ST65 tripod for around $250 on Amazon. Of course it’s made in China. Then again so is the device you’re likely reading this on. Along with half the items in your home. This company at least, seems to actually care about the products they are making and doing it with an eye towards the use case and with the end user in mind unlike many of the cheaper options. We are seeing this more and more from some of the manufacturers out of China. There are a few other versions of this one available as well.
This model weighs about 5lbs, has 31.75mm carbon main tubes and will handle 44lbs. The arca head is sturdy. It doesn’t blink at my 20lb rifle. I did add a touch of grease to the arca screw lock as it was dry. Throw lever on the ball is large and easy to manipulate when the rifle is mounted. Build quality seems extremely good for the price and so far has done everything I’ve asked of it. Granted I don’t shoot PRS on a regular basis and, while I can afford it, I can’t justify dumping a small fortune into a RRS or similar tripod. Most “armchair operators” like me will have a hard time justifying $1000 for a tripod. I’ve messed around with friends high end gear and this bargain of a tool gets most of the job done at a fraction of the price. Would I take it “to war”? Not likely. Will it last as long as a RRS? Not likely. But again, it’s a matter of use case. The only battle this will ever see is getting knocked around at my shooting club or the occasional local match. I believe in buy once, cry once. But even that has its limits for those of us with mortgages and kids in school. Sometimes you just need a piece of gear that gets the job done at a decent price.
A month in and so far I can’t find a fault. I’m sure if it has one it will turn out to be the twist lock mechanisms on the leg extensions. I’d assume at this price they’ll be plastic. But so far they lock positively and do not slip. The head is well machined. The anodizing is well done. And the locking lever for the ball head is simple and strong. So far. Time will tell how it holds up as a shooting platform but for now it’s sturdy, wobble free, and locks up tight as a drum. As an optics platform it feels like a fantastic option. If it craps the bed, I’ll follow up.
This model weighs about 5lbs, has 31.75mm carbon main tubes and will handle 44lbs. The arca head is sturdy. It doesn’t blink at my 20lb rifle. I did add a touch of grease to the arca screw lock as it was dry. Throw lever on the ball is large and easy to manipulate when the rifle is mounted. Build quality seems extremely good for the price and so far has done everything I’ve asked of it. Granted I don’t shoot PRS on a regular basis and, while I can afford it, I can’t justify dumping a small fortune into a RRS or similar tripod. Most “armchair operators” like me will have a hard time justifying $1000 for a tripod. I’ve messed around with friends high end gear and this bargain of a tool gets most of the job done at a fraction of the price. Would I take it “to war”? Not likely. Will it last as long as a RRS? Not likely. But again, it’s a matter of use case. The only battle this will ever see is getting knocked around at my shooting club or the occasional local match. I believe in buy once, cry once. But even that has its limits for those of us with mortgages and kids in school. Sometimes you just need a piece of gear that gets the job done at a decent price.
A month in and so far I can’t find a fault. I’m sure if it has one it will turn out to be the twist lock mechanisms on the leg extensions. I’d assume at this price they’ll be plastic. But so far they lock positively and do not slip. The head is well machined. The anodizing is well done. And the locking lever for the ball head is simple and strong. So far. Time will tell how it holds up as a shooting platform but for now it’s sturdy, wobble free, and locks up tight as a drum. As an optics platform it feels like a fantastic option. If it craps the bed, I’ll follow up.
