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Imported carbon fiber tripod (RT90C)
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Deal is still available within a few dollars. I recommend getting the U44 ballhead, do not know the b44 but the U44 is solid. Just went there and my order was $336.76 and not 333 BTW (I forgot to use the $3 new member code).
They are different. The RT90C is about a pound heavier than the RT85C, but has 40mm legs versus 32mm, and is rated for 33lbs more. The other thing abut the RT85c is the center pole and 1 leg removes, easily turning the tripod into a light weight monopod.
Really too bad it doesn't work with the RRS bowls and it makes me suspect of trying other 75mm bowl options like the sunwayfoto leveling head etc. If it did I'd have ordered one almost immediately. Seems like the best option with it's bowl fit limitation is the less stable universal leveling base, using the Anvil 30 in a less stable direct thread configuration, or various thread on ball heads.
Seems like if you want to use the TA3 with it, you have to give up smoothness and some amount of travel using their bowl. If that won't fit i'm guessing you also can't use the Anvil 30 with their 3 series adapter, which is supposed to be more stable with it's socket interface, than just screwing the Anvil 30 onto the tripod plate.
I'd say this issue alone means that it's certainly not the "same" as the PVA or 40 Mike Mike Tripods, as both of those are reported to work fine with the RRS 75mm bowl and TA3 and at least in the case of the PVA the Anvil with 3 series platform adapter.
Seems like if you want to use the TA3 with it, you have to give up smoothness and some amount of travel using their bowl. If that won't fit i'm guessing you also can't use the Anvil 30 with their 3 series adapter, which is supposed to be more stable with it's socket interface, than just screwing the Anvil 30 onto the tripod plate.
I'd say this issue alone means that it's certainly not the "same" as the PVA or 40 Mike Mike Tripods, as both of those are reported to work fine with the RRS 75mm bowl and TA3 and at least in the case of the PVA the Anvil with 3 series platform adapter.
Couple of pics of the rifle setup on rt90c. One pic with the front leg out longer for more downward adjustment. Can sit at 0deg down to about 28deg just buy pushing front leg out and makes for a wider footprint.
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Nice, I may try their 80 series tripod as a test for a spotting scope/camera tripod as it's a much lower buy in to see the quality/durability, and I need one, my 20 year old manfrotto is shot. If it seems to hold up the 90 might be in my future. I'm sure it's not RRS, but at the end of the day sometimes you have to settle for the $100,000 corvette instead of the $1.5 million mclaren. Even though the mclaren does everything better, people still have budgets.
One thing I did see is the Innorel tripods are 8 layer CF, where many of the higher end are 10 layer.
One thing I did see is the Innorel tripods are 8 layer CF, where many of the higher end are 10 layer.
So i've been running a Manfrotto 055XPROB aluminum tripod and XPRO ballhead for a few years, PIG saddle to hold the rifle. Application is usually event overwatch from rooftops holding a 19 pound AIAT rifle. The Manfrotto tripod and ballhead weighed 6.4 pounds and I felt the ballhead was costing me some stability. I wanted to try to save some weight and go to a leveling base for more stability.
The Innorel RT80C and Sunwayfoto DYH-66i leveling base is at 4.3 pounds, saving 2.1 pounds. This is a pretty budget setup for $189 tripod and $80 leveling base. I think the RT80C is good to go. Legs lock up tight with a quarter to half turn. The two top sections extended is a perfect height for 5'8" me to shoot at a slight downward angle. Tripod is very stable and I've put my entire weight on it with no problem.
I'm not quite happy with the sunwayfoto leveling base, however. The panning is good, but lockup requires cranking down the knob really hard.
With the imported CF tripods, you can definitely save some money and not give much up. I'll probably end up going RRS for the leveling base eventually.
The Innorel RT80C and Sunwayfoto DYH-66i leveling base is at 4.3 pounds, saving 2.1 pounds. This is a pretty budget setup for $189 tripod and $80 leveling base. I think the RT80C is good to go. Legs lock up tight with a quarter to half turn. The two top sections extended is a perfect height for 5'8" me to shoot at a slight downward angle. Tripod is very stable and I've put my entire weight on it with no problem.
I'm not quite happy with the sunwayfoto leveling base, however. The panning is good, but lockup requires cranking down the knob really hard.
With the imported CF tripods, you can definitely save some money and not give much up. I'll probably end up going RRS for the leveling base eventually.
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I bit the bullet and tried the 80C, arrived yesterday. The legs do feel pretty thin compared to some of the more expensive carbon tripods I've used but again it's $180 too. It was actually lighter with a bit larger diameter legs than I expected, pretty impressed with it overall. Time will tell, I'm sure it won't take abuse like some of the beefier models costing 5x as much, but I don't need a camera/spotting scope tripod to take much abuse. It's quite tall, if I was to shoot off it I doubt I would even need the thinnest leg section extended. If I was going to shoot off of it I'd probably want a third leg position, as this only has 2, but not an issue for my use. Legs seem to slide easily, and loosen/lock with one twist.
I also was not impressed with the included leveling base, at least on mine it's either locked up, or too loose. Doesn't seem to have a good middle ground for tension, however I've never used a leveling plate before so maybe that's par for the course. I expected (again perhaps wrongly) that the better ones could be set with a tension to hold the item in place but still move smoothly much like a ball head. This one definitely will not do that and to be honest I didn't expect it to. It would be interesting to see how well it would perform with a Anvil-30 on it and the fixed plate.
Not a big deal I really got it for camera/spotting scope use. If the rt90C worked better with the RRS 75mm bowls I'd be tempted to get it, but if I get a shooting tripod I'll probably go for a middle ground like the Felosi, 40mm Mike Mike, PVA, Leofoto etc. and spend the money on a really good head. They are really only $150 or so more than the rt90c, and appear to be 10 layer carbon fiber, and work with the RRS 75mm plates. In reality if I was smart I'd probably have just bought one of those and skipped the 80c and used it for everything.
In fact that's what I decided to do, I figured if I was going to spend $300+ for a rt90c down the road and I just spent $180 for the rt80c, I might as well return it and get something I can use for shooting, spotting and photo. So I ordered a Feisol 3372, it's basically the same price as the two Inorel's, much lighter than the RT90c, and it will interface better with the RRS 3 series plates and give full motion with the TA3 leveling base.
I also was not impressed with the included leveling base, at least on mine it's either locked up, or too loose. Doesn't seem to have a good middle ground for tension, however I've never used a leveling plate before so maybe that's par for the course. I expected (again perhaps wrongly) that the better ones could be set with a tension to hold the item in place but still move smoothly much like a ball head. This one definitely will not do that and to be honest I didn't expect it to. It would be interesting to see how well it would perform with a Anvil-30 on it and the fixed plate.
Not a big deal I really got it for camera/spotting scope use. If the rt90C worked better with the RRS 75mm bowls I'd be tempted to get it, but if I get a shooting tripod I'll probably go for a middle ground like the Felosi, 40mm Mike Mike, PVA, Leofoto etc. and spend the money on a really good head. They are really only $150 or so more than the rt90c, and appear to be 10 layer carbon fiber, and work with the RRS 75mm plates. In reality if I was smart I'd probably have just bought one of those and skipped the 80c and used it for everything.
In fact that's what I decided to do, I figured if I was going to spend $300+ for a rt90c down the road and I just spent $180 for the rt80c, I might as well return it and get something I can use for shooting, spotting and photo. So I ordered a Feisol 3372, it's basically the same price as the two Inorel's, much lighter than the RT90c, and it will interface better with the RRS 3 series plates and give full motion with the TA3 leveling base.
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@ToddM I have no experience with the leveling base you have, but I have extensive time behind the RRS TA-U-LC and can say there's definitely a "middle ground" or grey area, where the rifle is solidly on target, but I can pan or make adjustments, if necessary, but the instant I stop, the base is holding my rifle rock solid
The leveling base that comes with the RT80C is not good for rifle. It's tight or too loose. The panning surface is rough and you can really feel the grinding if you use it to pan.
The RT90C comes with a 75mm bowl/adapter and can be used with a 75mm leveling base like the RRS TA-3. But you must the use the bowl/adapter that comes with the tripod not the one that comes with the leveling base. The reason being is that the apex opening is too large for the TA-3 bowl.
Can you post a pic of the two dimples you drilled? I'd hate to bugger up a $300 base. Do you even need the set screws?
I’ll get to tomorrow evening. All I did was screw down the leveling base as tight as possible then back(time it) it off until you can screw in the set screws and it will contact the bottom of the leveling base, because the bottom of that base is milled out. When you screw in the two set screws provided with the RTC90 they will leave a mark in the bottom of the leveling base so you have reference where to drill the two dimples. Remove the leveling base when you drill the dimples so you don’t damage the threads of the RTC90 base. I used a little bit bigger bit than the size of the set screws. You Just drill enough depth so the set screws can go deep enough to bite into the leveling base, just don’t go to deep to where you don’t have much of the set screw left in the RTC90 for strength. This prevents the base from unscrewing when you tighten and loosen the tension throw. Make since?
Here you go.
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Easy peasy.. Thanks for the info. Looks easy to do even with a cordless drill.
Found a used "condition 10" TA-U-LC at B&H for $239 shipped. Hard to pass up on that price when they are $300 new. I hope their inventory is accurate because there was only one available. I'll update..
Edited: Their inventory was accurate. I got what they had on the shelf. Should be arriving Thurs.
Edited: Their inventory was accurate. I got what they had on the shelf. Should be arriving Thurs.
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Anyone with the RT90C find the leg pivot tension too hard? I loosened up the pivot bolts with 5mm allen wrenches this evening and re-tightened them up to about 65 inch pounds. I found that 65 inch pounds of torque was a good compromise. It's not hard at all now to pivot the legs out. There's still enough tension where the legs won't swing back under their own weight.
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I Bought the rt90c a month and a half ago on amazon and picked up a sunwayfoto fb-52 GNN ball head to go with it. Total price for both pieces was just over $500. It’s awesome to shoot off off. I run the ball head in conjunction with the leveling base/ bowl adapter that comes with the tripod and most of the time I use the leveling base. I shot these groups a while back. These were from on top of the tripod clamped into the arca rail on my tl3 6.5x47. 100 yard groups. The second photo was eseentially a kyl still at 100 yards. Same rifle. Top row right handed, bottom row left handed. Dots are 1.5, 1, .75, .5 inches from left to right.
This tripod is pretty damn nice, not just for the price, but nice overall. Smooth leg adjustments, very Sturdy, a bit heavy, but overall awesome to shoot with.
This tripod is pretty damn nice, not just for the price, but nice overall. Smooth leg adjustments, very Sturdy, a bit heavy, but overall awesome to shoot with.
The “condition 10” rated used RRS base came in. It looks brand spanking new. Could have easily passed as new.
I like it. It holds my rifle no problem and is rock solid so far with just messing around with it. Adjustment is super easy as well. I haven't messed with the set screws yet. I might end up using low strengh loctite on it instead to keep the base from inadvertently unscrewing itself. Keeping it kosher for possible resale down the line if I get tired of it for whatever reason.
I like it. It holds my rifle no problem and is rock solid so far with just messing around with it. Adjustment is super easy as well. I haven't messed with the set screws yet. I might end up using low strengh loctite on it instead to keep the base from inadvertently unscrewing itself. Keeping it kosher for possible resale down the line if I get tired of it for whatever reason.
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Wow....my head hurts from reading all of this! 
Looking for a tripod for hunting and competitive use. I think the Hog saddle would probably be the best option for a combo of both uses.
Hog saddle, some type of leveling base and a 85c tripod. Thoughts? Thanks!
Looking for a tripod for hunting and competitive use. I think the Hog saddle would probably be the best option for a combo of both uses.
Hog saddle, some type of leveling base and a 85c tripod. Thoughts? Thanks!
You will lose some stability with the center post on the 85c. You will also lose some stability with the Hog Saddle compared to a solid lock directly to a leveling base. I have the 90c but consider it too heavy for packing on a hunt.
Using my phone’s leveling bubble, I’m getting about 14 deg tilt front and back and about 12 deg side to side.
I returned my 85c to amazon today I already have a Feisol 3342 it was kinda redundant.
The $250 tripod, mini tripod/monopod base and ball head combo is a great deal if you don’t mind the weight.
Best out of the kit was the U44 ball head very smooth and solid may actually order one at the $60 price point I could find a use for it.
The $250 tripod, mini tripod/monopod base and ball head combo is a great deal if you don’t mind the weight.
Best out of the kit was the U44 ball head very smooth and solid may actually order one at the $60 price point I could find a use for it.
I have used my tripod and ball head combo for a few range sessions now and still really like it. It is the 80c model. Although I have no experience with any other higher end tripods I would have no issues recommending this one to anyone. It's relatively light, it's very stable (when the smaller extension on the legs are all the way out it looses some stability, but I'm 6'5" and have never needed them more than a few inches extended, so it's really a moot point). I wish it had a more horizontal leg setting but I haven't been hindered by this so far.
I bought a pyrus db-44 ball head to use with this tripod, Amazon says the manufacturer is desomond. Who ever makes it, it's solid and seems well made. Adjustments are smooth and can be locked down soild or completely free and adjust anywhere in between. There is also no play in the panning feature (not the case with another budget ball head I tried). It's a good value and match for this tripod.
https://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/B00TQ54CZO?psc=1&ref=ppx_pop_mob_b_pd_title
https://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/B07JYZW9RF?psc=1&ref=ppx_pop_mob_b_pd_title
I bought a pyrus db-44 ball head to use with this tripod, Amazon says the manufacturer is desomond. Who ever makes it, it's solid and seems well made. Adjustments are smooth and can be locked down soild or completely free and adjust anywhere in between. There is also no play in the panning feature (not the case with another budget ball head I tried). It's a good value and match for this tripod.
https://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/B00TQ54CZO?psc=1&ref=ppx_pop_mob_b_pd_title
https://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/B07JYZW9RF?psc=1&ref=ppx_pop_mob_b_pd_title
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Thanks for the replies. The 80C looks like a good choice for the price point.
Does the ball head give more horizontal and vertical movement ability than the leveling base? Does it come at the cost of less stability?
I am going to pick up a used Hog saddle and order a tripod and either a leveling base or a ball head today. Time to get over the paralysis by analysis.....
Does the ball head give more horizontal and vertical movement ability than the leveling base? Does it come at the cost of less stability?
I am going to pick up a used Hog saddle and order a tripod and either a leveling base or a ball head today. Time to get over the paralysis by analysis.....
The leveling head that comes with the 80c leaves something to be desired. It is either free or locked down. It's very hard to find any middle ground, but it is smooth once you polish it some. I'm going to remove the leveling base and solid mount the bowl ( it comes pre set up this way, you just mount it down w/ the 3 included screws) to use with the ball head. The ball head does give you much more freedom of movement, and has a more adjustable tension setting.
Some sort of dry lubricant in there would probably help. The problem with Aluminum (I'm assuming both parts are) is that once exposed it oxidizes quickly, and becomes micropitted/rough again. This effect will be exaggerated because it's a friction surface in this application. Once polished you really need something to seal it from oxidation to maintain that surface. If you've gone as far as 1500 I'd say getting some flitz or other polished compound and going at it would be worth it.
I'll probably do that this week and see where it goes. I might as well get the molybednum too. It cant really hurt. The only downfall i see is that the head gets some micro abrasions from the bowl. I removed all of the machining marks.. So who knows.
I'll get some molybednum this week and do a polish and see what helps more. Maybe the head just needs some dry lube. We'll see.
I'll get some molybednum this week and do a polish and see what helps more. Maybe the head just needs some dry lube. We'll see.
I polished the bowl and head for the RT80c. After doing this it moves quite smoothly UNTIL I screw the bottom handle on. That is the part that binds up the most when moving the head, causing it to either have full lock up or no lockup. I have some molybdnum dry lube coming this week. Maybe that will help.. If not then its just a design issue with that part of the head.
That’s one thing I didn’t like on the base that came with the 90C. The adjustment felt like all or none.
The RRS leveling base was as much as the tripod itself but I can always use it on a more premium setup in the future.
The RRS leveling base was as much as the tripod itself but I can always use it on a more premium setup in the future.
My guess is the bigger issue is the surfaces are not perfectly round so even polished it creates high/low spots where you get pressure peaks/valleys which increases the roughness/frustration. If you rotate the bowl around and remove it, you'll probably see very uneven/isolated areas where the wear is happening. The more of the bowl surface area that's evenly in contact the smoother it will be. That brings up another point it might be beneficial to do like rubbing compound/valve grinding compound etc. with the bowl actually installed, that way you are actually helping remove those high spots getting more surface contact area.
Also if i remember right there's an interface that has to slide/arc on the bottom when you tighten the handle that has much less surface area so it's probably harder to get that smooth.
Also if i remember right there's an interface that has to slide/arc on the bottom when you tighten the handle that has much less surface area so it's probably harder to get that smooth.
@gearguywb I originally bought a DYH-66i with the 80C, but i have since returned the DYH-66i. The panning is smooth. What I didn't like is that if you want to be able to lock leveling head down and go handsfree, you have to crank the knob on the DYH-66i down very hard. It is a small aluminum lever and it is very tough to get enough leverage on it for full lockup.
Anvil 30 should, but it sounds like the RRS plates do not fit this tripod, so you'd have to just thread the Anvil 30 onto the flat plate that comes with the tripod. The advantage to tripods that will hold the RRS 3 series plates with the Anvil 30 is that supposedly that becomes a more solid interface, because the RRS 3 series plate for the Anvil 30 is not just thread on, but it actually has a socket the Anvil 30 slips down into. So you probably lose some fraction of stability without that RRS 3 series plate. That said others have stated the Anvil 30 with the 3 series plate is somewhere between their TA3 leveling head, and the universal leveling base, in stability, so even without the 3 series plate it's probably as stable as the universal leveling base, which is no slouch.
This is one reason I decided to return the RT80C, skip the RT90C, and get a Felsol 3372 to use for all my tripod needs, and after having both of these options I believe the Felsol is definitely worth the extra $, it's certainly bigger than the 80C, but only 3oz heavier, and 1.5lbs lighter than the RT90C, but with a higher max weight. I also liked it only has 3 legs sections which should make it more stable. If you put something like the Anvil 30 on it you can keep the RRS 3 series plate, and if you use the TA3 leveling base you get to keep full tilt range and being able to use the RRS bowl should yield smoother motion. For me the price basically broke even, but even if you were only looking at the RT90C the total package price is only going from $700, to $900, and you are still well short of the $1500 for the RRS tripods setups. To me it seemed like still saving a lot of $ from the full RRS setup, but getting almost all the performance/benefits. Going to the RT90C only saves $200, but you lose flexibility with the RRS heads.
I'd be very surprised if the Apex fits the legs of the RT90C or any other tripod other than an RRS. The odds that the bolt diameter, and interface thickness, bolt hole locations etc. are exactly perfect are pretty slim to none.
This is one reason I decided to return the RT80C, skip the RT90C, and get a Felsol 3372 to use for all my tripod needs, and after having both of these options I believe the Felsol is definitely worth the extra $, it's certainly bigger than the 80C, but only 3oz heavier, and 1.5lbs lighter than the RT90C, but with a higher max weight. I also liked it only has 3 legs sections which should make it more stable. If you put something like the Anvil 30 on it you can keep the RRS 3 series plate, and if you use the TA3 leveling base you get to keep full tilt range and being able to use the RRS bowl should yield smoother motion. For me the price basically broke even, but even if you were only looking at the RT90C the total package price is only going from $700, to $900, and you are still well short of the $1500 for the RRS tripods setups. To me it seemed like still saving a lot of $ from the full RRS setup, but getting almost all the performance/benefits. Going to the RT90C only saves $200, but you lose flexibility with the RRS heads.
I'd be very surprised if the Apex fits the legs of the RT90C or any other tripod other than an RRS. The odds that the bolt diameter, and interface thickness, bolt hole locations etc. are exactly perfect are pretty slim to none.
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