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CUSTOMER
FEEDBACK |
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Here is a selection of several unsolicited comments offered by owners
of my custom tripod.
All comments are original and unedited.
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Dan Wopperer, MD of New
York wrote- |
| Dear Al, |
| The tripod is a
work of art! My daughter
watched in awe as I unpacked and assembled it on the living room floor
today. What a great piece of
equipment, and one I will cherish as long as I live.
I’ll paint some beautiful landscapes in the coming years and
I’ll send you some images…
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| Thanks
so much, |
| Dan
Wopperer, MD
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Randy Roy
of Tennessee wrote- |
| Al,
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| I received the
oak tripod today and assembled it this evening.
I just wanted you to know how much I appreciate the quality and
true craftsmanship that went into these legs.
I’ve read a lot of posts on the Internet about the quality of the
CG-5 mount vs other GEMs. All I’ll say is these oak legs are such an upgrade for this
mount that I cannot imagine that I will ever part with it.
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| Thanks again,
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| Randy
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Lonnie Kiener of Oklahoma
wrote- |
| Al,
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| Just a quick
note to say its 11:30 here and I just spent the last two hours using the
new legs with the G8. You’re
right. They DO WORK.
The damping time is much less and I can actually focus now without
shaking the living daylights out of it!
I do like the legs. They
do make the scope a little heavier to carry in and out, but what the heck.
I am glad I got them. Gotta
get back out there, just thought I’d let you know I got them and they
work.
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| Too bad the moon
is so bright tonight.
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| Thanks again.
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| Lonnie
Kiener
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Michael Moe of California
wrote-
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| Hi Al,
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| Your shipment
arrived in good shape, and the tripod is assembled.
I’m pleased with the special oak crown. The
laminated design with crossed grain looks very strong and durable.
Thank you for a job well done.
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| Mike Moe
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George Heidke of Missouri
wrote-
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| HI
BIG AL, |
| Got the goods
Friday…installed them in 15 min. flat!!!!!
REALLY NICE STUFF, AL!!!!! I
got a suggestion for your web page. 1st,
your leg locker excels in distribution of total scope/mount weight more
evenly across the tripod. 2nd,
it’s now 100% easier to carry!!!!!
Personally, Al, I would buy it just for reason number 2.
Also, your legs will fit way more mounts than just the CG5. Thanks again, Al.
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| George
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Mike McIsaac of |
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(Following
posted to Sci Astro Amateur)
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| Greetings from
Alaska!
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| I recently
purchased a set of oak tripod legs for the CG-5 mount made by Al Canarelli
(a frequent poster to this NG). I
got mine for $175 plus shipping. This
makes them an economical alternative to converting a surveyor tripod for
use or using a pier.
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| The legs are
nicely grained oak and are sanded smooth with a clear finish.
There is a channel milled into the inside of each outer leg.
An oak dowel plate about 3” long is inset into the top of the
inside leg and this rides “in the grove” providing excellent
stability. A metal collar
surrounds the bottom of the outer leg sections and has a large thumbscrew,
which clamps the outer sections against the inner and allows height
adjustment. There is a
folding tripod spreader that also contributes to the stability. The bottom of each leg has a squishy rubber foot attached
with a screw. The design and
craftsmanship is excellent. Al
does nice woodwork!
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| I attached the mount head and counterweight and moved the
setup onto the back deck. It
was noticeably heavier and feels very massive.
I attached my Showa 4” F/10 APO refractor (about 13 lbs.) and
waited for it to cool down. One
thing I noticed right away is that those squishy rubber feet really dampen
any vibrations between the tripod and the floor of the deck.
I went outside 30 minutes later and of course the clouds had moved
in. Shortly after that it
started to rain (yes, rain in Alaska in December!) so first light will
have to wait. |
| I’m confident
that the installation of these legs will be the end of any inadequacy for
the tripod portion of this mount. I’d
recommend these without reservation to any CG5 owner who wants a
functional and beautiful upgrade to his mount.
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| (Hoping for)
Clear Skies!
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| Mike McIsaac
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John Whisenhunt of Florida
wrote-
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| Al,
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| Just a final
note on your fine product. It’s
been a lot longer than I hoped, but I finally got some decent seeing last
night. Man, what a nice
stable platform – and it’s great to be able to extend to ideal
standing viewing height. Plus,
the legs match the furniture, which was an unexpected benefit when stored
in the open!
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| Thanks again –
you’ve certainly got my recommendation.
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| John
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John Barretta of New York
wrote- |
| Hello Al,
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| The tripod is
great! It has improved my
mount vastly. It is the most
stable I have ever seen it.
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| Thank you once
again,
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| John
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Ken Whitcomb of Colorado
wrote-
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| Hi Al,
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| Just thought
I’d let you know, I finally got to test the new legs out this evening.
They went together without a hitch, it took me about 30 minutes.
They work great – very steady.
I have carefully balanced my scope on the mount.
Vibrations damp out very quickly, in only a second or so.
The extra height is really a blessing.
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| Thanks,
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| Ken
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Kevin Pavlish of New York
wrote-
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| Hey Al,
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| Just wanted to
confirm receiving the tripod…it looks pretty imposing in our living
room, good thing we have 9-foot ceilings!
But thanks, they look beautiful and everything fit together well.
Now I hope the weather cooperates.
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| Thanks again,
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| Kevin
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Roy Galisano of New Hampshire wrote- |
| Al, |
I just wanted to let you know I received the Oak Tripod and Leg
locker today. Installed them on my Celestron 6" Refractor. I just came in from outside testing the scope with the new additions, in a word -
fantastic! What a difference, even pushed to 400x on M57 where any movement would be obvious, it settled down instantly and was nice and
steady while I manually tracked.
If anyone I know is ever in the market for a tripod, I know just where =
to send them! |
| Great Job, Thank you, |
| -Roy- |
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Well, I think you get the idea, everybody says I have "great
legs". |
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