Two Vets vs Vortex Switchback vs Athlon Midas

[cliffy110]

Yes, I searched. Yes, I know RRS makes the best tripods. Anyway...

I've been looking into tripods lately and the only thing I'm certain about is that I need a tripod and that my absolute maximum budget is $800 for everything. My use is pretty simple. 95% of it is for range and training use. I'm not a competitive shooter and likely never will be. I may do some hunting which would entail stalking the edges of fields looking for groundhogs. I have a Sig Cross in 6.5 and it would likely be used by my shooting buddy who has a Solus so nothing particularly heavy.

The Vortex Switchback is interesting because it is so light and handy. The ball head is unique for being so trim. There are not a lot of reviews on it however and the reviews I see make me suspicious that they are paid promotions. Is it really that good?

Two Vets Recon V2 has a solid reputation and I know that company gives back to the shooting community which is very important to me. A lot of people complain about the legs folding into themselves and the plastic ring locks can be noisy when setting up. I've seen a couple of comments about the ball head not being as solid as it should be.

Finally, the Athlon series looks interesting to me as well. That company seems to have very solid QC on their optics and the feature set on the tripods looks amazing for the money. Like the Vortex, the reviews seems almost too good to be true. If I went this direction, I'm not sure what model makes the most sense for my use. The 32 is lighter and handier but I'm not sure if the bigger ball head of the 36 and 40 wouldn't be better for range and training use.

I'm open to suggestions here. I'd love to hear real world experiences with any of these models.

 

[TheOfficeT-Rex]

I have a 2vets QDTv1. The thing is solid. They make a few models now with inverted legs and the leg stopper, which would be the changes I would want to make if I got a new one.

If you're going to be shooting off it and want to clip in, save yourself the trouble and buy a RRS anvil 30. It's pretty decent for glassing off too.

 

[Maurygold]

big vote for two vets. call all three companies and see who you like more - I am sure you will end up back at two vets.

 

[cliffy110]

I have a 2vets QDTv1. The thing is solid. They make a few models now with inverted legs and the leg stopper, which would be the changes I would want to make if I got a new one.

If you're going to be shooting off it and want to clip in, save yourself the trouble and buy a RRS anvil 30. It's pretty decent for glassing off too.

Ugh... now I get it. I saw the leg stopper listed on the Two Vets website but didn't make the connection that this fixed the issue that I see several complaints about.

Tell me about the inverted legs. I can see how it would be faster to deploy, especially with the two section QDT. Does it complicate anything with a three section Recon? Is it as stable as the traditional model?

 

[psharon78]

I went with a Fatboy tripod

 

[MO Fugga]

Check out Leofoto as well. For what I spent, I should have went there. The Weyllan ball head looks identical to the Two Vets, and is solid.

 

[TheOfficeT-Rex]

Tell me about the inverted legs. I can see how it would be faster to deploy, especially with the two section QDT. Does it complicate anything with a three section Recon? Is it as stable as the traditional model?

I haven't played with either recon, but I imagine you're not losing much with the inverted legs - they carry the same weight rating.

They are, however less faff to deploy (hand on lock the whole movement vice unlock, grab leg, grab lock again) and they help keep mud/snow/shit from getting in between the legs.

 

[DeathBeforeDismount]

If your going to buy Chinese shit then buy it from the chicoms instead of Americans who buy the same shit, double the price and try to pass it off as some American bro culture venture.

The RRS rip off the of leggs and Anvil 30 is the way to go.

Leofoto SA-364CL Optic & Rifle FIXED Tripod with MA-30 Rapid-Lock ball head Set | eBay

As the authorized distributor for Leofoto products in the USA. Leofoto Tripod SO-322C R Series Carbon Fiber Tripod/Inverted Legs. the interface prevents unintentional repositioning of the rail within the clamp when the Rapid-Lock is engaged.

www.ebay.com

 

[shields shtr]

I will throw in a vote for Feisol. Made in Taiwan and they hate the Chinese. Mine has served me well and is compatible with an RRS anvil if you wanna stepup to that head one day.

https://www.feisol.net/cretac/tripods/cretac-rifle-tripod-3372.html

 

[DeadFox]

Do you need a ballhead? If you just get legs you can save some costs

 

[cliffy110]

Do you need a ballhead? If you just get legs you can save some costs

And just throw a bag over it? I could, but it seems that clipping in the the preferred method of use. That was my intent but I'm open to suggestions of course.

 

[TheOfficeT-Rex]

And just throw a bag over it? I could, but it seems that clipping in the the preferred method of use. That was my intent but I'm open to suggestions of course.

Bag over the apex is pretty stable, same as bag over a tac table. It is one more thing to manage tho.

If you're going to shoot clipped in, go RRS anvil-30. For just glassing, I might prefer a different ballhead but the anvil does just fine for me.

 

[DairyDictator]

Also agree with the RRS Anvil-30. There's really nothing that comes close in my opinion. I like the 2vets QDT v2 because it has the thickest legs out of any tripod I saw at the time, and is really stable. I thought it was even more stable than the RRS inverted.

 

[jbuck88]

The switchback I sold was pretty similar stability to the RRS 24L I used before. I did not shoot them side by side. But I shot my RRS 34L vs the 24L and then the 34L vs vortex. The 34L was more stable as expected. The ball head on the vortex was good for shooting and glassing. My biggest complaint was it collapsed length wouldn’t fit in my hunting pack and when strapped to the outside it rubbed and banged my gun.

Even though china is china you get the vortex warranty. Which is worth something. I would definitely buy the vortex again if I didn’t need a shorter tripod.

 

[mgoodrich]

I picked a INNOREL GT324C off of Amazon. Tried to put in the link, but it doesn't show up for some reason.