+Stu Posted April 6 Share Posted April 6 Hi folks. I'm looking to get a new alt-az mount and was wondering if anyone has any comparisons between wood and carbon fibre tripods. I've seen a Stella Lyra wooden tripod, which by their own admission isn't comparable to a Berlebach. But it's in the same sort of price range as a few carbon fibre ones. Since getting a mak and having the ability to do some fairly high mag planetary viewing (probably about an hour in total, thanks weather 😭) the shortcomings of my Bresser (explore scientific, astro essentials etc....) mount have become more apparent. I don't want to fork out for a decent mount to then find I picked the wrong tripod. Are Berlebach the way to go to be sure of avoiding disappointment? Or any other comparable brand? It's primarily for the mak but there could be a beefy frac a few years down the line. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
+Streetbob Posted April 6 Share Posted April 6 Not sure about carbon fibre tripods but my Berlebach Uni is a joy to use. Easy to setup and adjust and good at damping vibrations. Expensive but worth it in my opinion +Stu 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
+Stu Posted April 6 Author Share Posted April 6 50 minutes ago, Streetbob said: Not sure about carbon fibre tripods but my Berlebach Uni is a joy to use. Easy to setup and adjust and good at damping vibrations. Expensive but worth it in my opinion It's definitely one of those hobbies where you get what you pay for. Are there any other brands that are on a similar level? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
+Bino-viewer Posted April 6 Share Posted April 6 Hi Stu, I'm not an expert but i do have some experience here. Over the years i've owned several Berlebachs (i'll refer to them as BBs) including..... 3x BB Uni 18 (1 was second hand) 1x BB Planet (second hand) several aluminiums tripods (a second hand Vixen HAL 130) All the other aluminiums have come with EQ mounts with 1.5" and 2" tubular steel legs that you get on SkyWatcher & Celestron etc. I also have had 2x carbon fibre tripods : a cheap Manfrotto that wasn't very good and a much more expensive Gitzo. Out of that little lot I only have the BB Planet and the Gitzo carbon fibre. Photo below of my Gitzo with a small alt-az on it (a DM-4) my current DM6 on a BB Uni 18 and my old TTS- Panther on a BB Planet I'm not really a fan of metal tripods myself, wood is so much nicer, and dampens vibrations that much better. The BBs have other nice features like the wooden shelves, and foot / spike options. If I was getting a nice alt-az such as the Rowan AZ75 or AZ100, the BB Uni should be all you need assuming its counterweighted if you are mounting a biggish OTA. With something like a 100mm tube, you may not need the weights at all. My DM-6, my main workhorse alt-az mount now sits on the BB Planet. I need the extra stability the Planet offers as i have no counterweight option, and my big 5.5" refractor (nearly 10kg) demands a good tripod. Its my only scope now. The BB Planet is 11kg vs the 7Kg Uni, but the Planet is in another league in terms of stability and dampening. The dark brown Uni, the DM-4 alt-az and the TTS- Panther, above, have all been sold on. I still have the Gitzo, which is a really nice bit of kit and is so light. I may pair it up with a AZ75 at some point for easy grab and go with a lighter OTA, but currently, i've fallen out of love with the hobby a bit, and can't justify spending more money when the weather is so dire 99% of the time. I hope that helps a bit : both the Stellalyra FLO tripod and the BB Uni look good options for you depending on what size tubes you have planned. Also, keep an eye on the used market. Both the BB Planet and Uni tripods pop up on ABS from time to time so decent savings can be had. My used BB Planet is one of my best astro purchases ; it was a bargain price on Facebook Marketplace, and i was lucky to snap it up. Right time, right place etc..... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
+Stu Posted April 7 Author Share Posted April 7 @Bino-viewer Thanks, that's most helpful. I just had a look at those DM mounts on SGL, some guy called Space Hopper. Your twin? They look pretty cool. If there's enough overtime going at work the AZ75 is what I was hoping to get. Being a push to mount, dampening vibration is a priority. It'll be used with my 6" mak most of the time and the GT81 for a bit of solar viewing, so nothing too heavy or lengthy. For now at least....... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
+Streetbob Posted April 7 Share Posted April 7 I have an az100 which originally was push to and it is so smooth that vibrations aren’t a big problem. +Stu 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
+Bino-viewer Posted April 7 Share Posted April 7 @Stu no problem. The AZ 75 will be perfectly matched on a BB Uni If you go for the 75, see if you can run to having the encoder option fitted. Well worth it, and you can then pair it up with something like the Nexus DSC And this guy called Space Hopper on SGL ?? I know him pretty well actually, he’s got some decent kit, but i think he’s one of those ‘all the gear, no idea’ types in reality 😉 +Stu 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
+Stu Posted April 7 Author Share Posted April 7 1 hour ago, Streetbob said: I have an az100 which originally was push to and it is so smooth that vibrations aren’t a big problem. They look like the must have as far as alt-az mounts go, are they similar in build and performance to the Losmandy AZ8? They also popped up when I was looking around. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
+Stu Posted April 7 Author Share Posted April 7 12 minutes ago, Bino-viewer said: see if you can run to having the encoder option fitted To be honest I wasn't going to, same sort of thinking as you regarding the weather as it's a big jump in price as I still need the tripod and a few other accessories for it. If I ever invest in a dob for visual then I'd probably be looking at encoders as fainter objects will be more available. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
+Streetbob Posted April 7 Share Posted April 7 52 minutes ago, Stu said: are they similar in build and performance to the Losmandy The Losmandy is more like the Az75 but with slo mo I think. Rowan mounts are more expensive but more versatile. They turned down the counter weight shaft to fit my existing weights. I’m probably biased but I’d go for the AZ75 given the choice. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
+Stu Posted April 7 Author Share Posted April 7 57 minutes ago, Streetbob said: but I’d go for the AZ75 given the choice. I think that's the way I'm heading. Just whether to get the encoder option, @Bino-viewer has got me thinking now as it'll probably be something I'll be hanging on to for a long time. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
+Streetbob Posted April 7 Share Posted April 7 You can always retrofit the encoders. But it’ll definitely last you. If you can wait until September they’ll be at the IAS near Coventry and then you can have a look before committing yourself. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
+Stu Posted April 7 Author Share Posted April 7 @Streetbob I didn't realise IAS was nearer to me this year, worth a thought 👍 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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