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Archive 2008 · induro's tripod??? Go to previous topic Go to next topic
psoulocybe
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p.3 #1 · induro's tripod???


I have an induro, and I feel like I screwed up royal. It was the only one at the shop that fit my gear size requirement, and I matched it with an induro ballhead. The head works fine, the tripod is a piece of junk. It's sturdy for the price, but one leg gets jammed up pretty bad, and I expect the pounding I have to put on it extending or collapsing it is going to make this a short lived purchase.

Mar 19, 2009 at 04:34 PM
jamesf99
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p.3 #2 · induro's tripod???


Stay away....

I don't know why anyone would ever buy an Induro tripod once you know the truth about them. I remember seeing them when they were first brought into the US (before Adorama and others picked them up). They looked "OK", but not better than Gitzo... Then I looked at the specs... These things are no where near as effective on a size/weight/support ratio and are in reality third or fourth rate products.

The problem is that they're Chinese knockoffs designed for look like a professional tripod and to capitalize on the "carbon fiber" market. They started out selling on the internet (ebay) and then were imported by the MAC group (Pocket Wizards, Mamiya, et. al.) Under the outer layer, it's a little scary and with their "professional" price for unquestionably inferior quality, they're just not worth buying.....

Their other products are terrible too, most notably their heads which are absolute garbage (there was a thread on another site where a guy took one apart. appalling bad and cheaply manufactured). it was so poorly constructed of inferior and cheap "pot metal" no could believe it...

I own many tripods including Gitzo, Bogen/Manfrotto, et. al. I'm all for buying what works and saving some money if there's a suitable alternative, but I will NEVER spend a dime on any Induro product, and will caution everyone else to give them a wide birth.

Seriously, these guys deserve to get an EXTREMELY BAD reputation and go out of business. It's that bad...

Mar 20, 2009 at 05:19 PM
DIS Ottawa
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p.3 #3 · induro's tripod???


...and yet I've been using one every weekend for nearly two years without any problems.

Mar 20, 2009 at 08:58 PM
monochrome
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p.3 #4 · induro's tripod???


Hatteras photo wrote:
You have almost 10 grand in lens and camera and you want to go cheep on your tripod I don`t get it

Induro isn't a cheap tripod, they make very good one's. I have a CX214 that I use when I'm using my big ass Gitzo.

Mar 20, 2009 at 09:04 PM
Chris Noyes
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p.3 #5 · induro's tripod???


So, how many Induro buyers have experienced a problem?

I count no personal accounts so far, other than the problem with feet inadvertently falling off.

I've dragged my Induro CX214 to many places . . . mountain trails, snow fields, far-away tropical islands . . . only one lost foot so far in more than 1-year's use in non "light-duty".

Mar 21, 2009 at 02:40 AM
jamesf99
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p.3 #6 · induro's tripod???


Chris Noyes wrote:
So, how many Induro buyers have experienced a problem?

I count no personal accounts so far, other than the problem with feet inadvertently falling off.


Time to read a little slower. See above

"I have an induro, ............the tripod is a piece of junk.


I've dragged my Induro CX214 to many places . . . mountain trails, snow fields, far-away tropical islands . . . only one lost foot so far in more than 1-year's use in non "light-duty".


I can't say I'll ever have more direct hands on experience with one than I already have. Once you see the inside you have to have a screw lose (or nothing else available) to buy one.

Anyone thinking of buying one is much better off saving a little longer and buying a Gitzo/Manfrotto or even a Slik. Benro/Induro are not worth it at any price IMO. Think of the resale on a Gitzo (80% or more sometimes in my experience) while the Chinese knock off's are just about worthless on the resale market once people know what they are.

Mar 21, 2009 at 11:18 PM
GeneO
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p.3 #7 · induro's tripod???


Get CF over aluminum - they are stiffer and can provide a rock solid platform, especially for that hefty lens. Their stiffness is more important than their weight. I would go for Gitzo which is well proven with these hefty lens.

Gene

Mar 23, 2009 at 12:44 AM
valentine
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p.3 #8 · induro's tripod???


Hi. Reading the posts on tripods it seems to me that unless you spend mega bucks on gear then the affordable gear is not up to the job. Induro is a very well made and is a tripod that WILL do the job, having said that check out Benro tripods and Ball-heads which are an excellent copy of the Induro. Carbon fiber retail around $325. In your part of the world B&H are the stockists. Check them out.Regards

Mar 23, 2009 at 01:18 AM
runamuck
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p.3 #9 · induro's tripod???


Andrew J wrote:
Dynatran, Flashpoint, and Induros are all Benro.
As of a few weeks ago the pricing worked something like this:
1. Amvona Dynatran $100
2. Adorama Flashpoint $200
3. Camera shop Induro $300
The same Benro tripod with different markings.


So I got quite a deal on my aluminum Dynatrans @ $50 each. Now I feel even better about my tripods.

Mar 23, 2009 at 01:59 AM
Chris Noyes
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p.3 #10 · induro's tripod???


jamesf99 wrote:
Chris Noyes wrote:
So, how many Induro buyers have experienced a problem?

I count no personal accounts so far, other than the problem with feet inadvertently falling off.


Time to read a little slower. See above

"I have an induro, ............the tripod is a piece of junk.


I've dragged my Induro CX214 to many places . . . mountain trails, snow fields, far-away tropical islands . . . only one lost foot so far in more than 1-year's use in non "light-duty".


I can't say I'll ever have more direct hands on experience with one than I already have. Once you see the inside you have to have a screw lose (or nothing else available) to buy one.

Anyone thinking of buying one is much better off saving a little longer and buying a Gitzo/Manfrotto or even a Slik. Benro/Induro are not worth it at any price IMO. Think of the resale on a Gitzo (80% or more sometimes in my experience) while the Chinese knock off's are just about worthless on the resale market once people know what they are.


My bad. There's one negative report. Any more out there? I'd be (more) interested to hear about problems with the Induro CF pods.

With the experience I've had, I certainly wouldn't write-off the whole brand based on one poor review, or any of the amplified reviews I have seen in the past year.


Mar 24, 2009 at 01:48 AM
jamesf99
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p.3 #11 · induro's tripod???


Chris Noyes wrote:

My bad. There's one negative report. Any more out there? I'd be (more) interested to hear about problems with the Induro CF pods.

With the experience I've had, I certainly wouldn't write-off the whole brand based on one poor review, or any of the amplified reviews I have seen in the past year.



Actually Chris, there are a lot more. If you start searching, then you'll find them.

No one wants to bash gear that could be a cost effective replacement for what some find "over priced", and I'm not criticizing your judgment, but in this case I honestly believe most serious users will be better served by buying a good tripod the first time.

The last time I looked, the prices of Benro/Induro were so high as to be laughable. They were pricing at the "professional" level, but offering inferior goods. Not a good thing. Everyone wants to get a good deal, but I wouldn't' buy one of their products at any price..

Mar 24, 2009 at 06:01 PM
Smiert Spionam
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p.3 #12 · induro's tripod???


I think Manfrotto is still the undeniable value leader -- tough gear, lasts forever, and good customer service. For sturdy support on a budget, I don't think anything beats them. Gitzo aluminum legs are worth considering, too -- especially if you buy used, you can get lots of support for not a huge expense. There are brand new Gitzo 3-series aluminum legs on the Bogen outlet for $225. There's nothing better for that kind of money.

Manfrotto's CF options aren't all that light, which is probably part of why people drift over to the Benro/Induro/Dynatran stuff. If weight is a crucial issue, then Feisol is probably the next good possibility. Not Gitzo-level support or reliability, but a better reputation than B/I/D.

Mar 24, 2009 at 06:17 PM
dcains
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p.3 #13 · induro's tripod???


I try not to get too deeply into these "discussions", much like the UV filter v. no UV filter threads, but once in a while, out of boredom I'll jump in. So, here goes.

A few months back I was in my garage and had both of my Gitzo's completely disassembled for cleaning and lubrication - maybe a once/year ritual. My friend showed up, and when he saw what I was doing, he asked if he might bring by his Induro for similar servicing (and to bum some of my silicone grease for the hinges and leg joints). I don't know the model number of his Induro, but it's a clone of the Gitzo 2-series, it's a C2-something, and about 2 years old. My Gitzo is a G1257.

For comparison, I can describe that my Gitzo uses stainless steel bolts, screwed from each side of the leg hinge, into a freely-rotating stainless steel sleeve. Very durable, easy to adjust for tension, tough to strip, and if replacement is necessary, there would have been no damage to the tripod's spider. His Induro has aluminum bolts, screwed directly into the spider. They're tough to adjust for tension, and trust me, if you strip one (either a bolt, or hole in the spider), you're screwed (no pun intended).

Now the leg locks. The Gitzo has very fine threads, beautifully-machined and anodized, the locks are wonderfully smooth to twist, and only 1/8 to 1/4 turn is required to fully lock them. The Induro threads are rougher, coarsely-threaded, and about 1 full turn is required to lock them tightly. The rubber grip already slips on a few of them, and there were bits of aluminum "dust" visible in the threads, indicative of wear.

The legs themselves are also quite different between the two brands. The Gitzo's are glassy smooth, both inside and out, and feel like cool metal to the touch. There are no seams or layers visible. The Induro legs feel like stiff plastic, seams can be felt inside, glue was visible on two of the leg joints, and when the legs are installed and in the closed position, one of them appeared very, very slightly out of parallel with the other two.

Now, I'll also say that my friend is a very casual tripod user, mostly around his home or in local parks/beaches, while I often fly/hike with mine, and I use it very often. My gear is also much heavier and more diverse, and when I bought this tripod, I fully intended for it to last me a lifetime. In short, for his uses, my friend's Induro really does work OK, and he's happy enough with it. How long will it last? I'm no fortune teller, but as I mentioned, build quality is very much lower, and there is already wear seen in the leg locks. But the real killer is this. I bought my G1257 here on FM used (mint condition, never used outside, box, tools, etc.) last year (as an upgrade to my older G1228) for $425 shipped/PayPal'd. New price would have been ~$575 from B&H. My friend paid $380-something for his Induro. Even if I had purchased the Gitzo new, the cost difference would have been well worth it, obviously, both in predicted longevity and resale value. Add to that, ease of use, vibration dampening, built-in R&D, and weight capacity over the Induro and other clones from China. The Gitzo's aren't for everyone, but neither are the Induro's, and clearly the biggest difference is in value. For <$200, maybe the Induro could be recommended for a casual user, but certainly not at their current pricing structure, at least IMO. I had a Feisol 3401, which had much nicer build quality, and it was much less expensive, and I also owned a Velbon A540 (like a 1-series Gitzo) which was also of much higher quality than the Induro, and it was ~$200.

Mar 24, 2009 at 08:18 PM
Smiert Spionam
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p.3 #14 · induro's tripod???


The only reason I chime in on these threads is to disabuse people of the notion that there is some magic pixie dust that makes a $350 Induro different from a $250 Benro or a $79 Amvona/Dynatran.

At Dynatran/Amvona prices, these can be viable cheap options. Not great, but for light use in certain circumstances, ok. I had a Dynatran ballhead that wasn't a bad deal at all for the $50 I paid for it. What's unconscionable is that local camera shops have latched onto Induro as a near-premium house brand. I'm sure their profits on this stuff are huge, and they sell it with lots of sober advice about investing in high quality gear that is a great deal because it's 20% cheaper than Gitzo.

And then the local shops wonder why we don't trust them.

Mar 25, 2009 at 01:53 AM
GeneO
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p.3 #15 · induro's tripod???


Ya, but to get back to the OP, a 400/2.8 requires more than a "light use" tripod.



Mar 25, 2009 at 10:49 PM
Smiert Spionam
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p.3 #16 · induro's tripod???


GeneO wrote:
Ya, but to get back to the OP, a 400/2.8 requires more than a "light use" tripod.


Agreed. I'm not defending them -- just qualifying my criticism.

This is a year old thread. The OP got lots of advice to get, at minimum, a 3-series Gitzo. Didn't seem like he liked that advice, and I don't think he ever chimed back in.


Mar 25, 2009 at 11:02 PM
jamesf99
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p.3 #17 · induro's tripod???


monochrome wrote:
Hatteras photo wrote:
You have almost 10 grand in lens and camera and you want to go cheep on your tripod I don`t get it

Induro isn't a cheap tripod, they make very good one's. I have a CX214 that I use when I'm using my big ass Gitzo.



When you say "Induro isn't a cheap tripod" I'd either quality that or modify it to say

"Induro isn't an [inexpensive] tripod" but it certainly is a "cheap" tripod.

I think this is a dead issue and it's just getting the word out to everyone which will take time. Sometimes, there really isn't a free lunch, Easter Bunny, or Santa Clause..

Mar 26, 2009 at 12:50 PM

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