Any new impressions on EXOVEST?

[chris fawcett]

Ouch. Let me see if I can chase one up for you. I know demand is exceeding supply, but 6 months :(

 

You're frustrated? I'd be pissed.

 

All the best,

 

Chris

[Frederic Sturm]

I've had the Exo since day one, I believe I have the first or at least one of the very first ones in Germany / Europe. However, I've been waiting for Tiffen to send the promised upgrade for almost a year now (!!) - So rest assured Tiffen's not only pissing off future customers right now, but owners who put their trust in this vest the first day and are now the last ones to receive the final version (that really makes this vest much more comfortable to use) just as much.

 

Their excuse for the upgrades not shipping (despite always being told it's only a few weeks away now, 45 days, bla bla bla)? Too much time spent on making new ones. Hearing that those take 6 months plus to deliver, well it makes me smirk. What are they doing at the factory? (Sometimes I think they spend most of their time shipping out missing parts from previous orders :rolleyes: )

 

However, I strongly second that it's worth the wait, big time. Just sorry for poor Chris who needs to put up with his breakthrough being slowed down every day.

 

(Please don't take this the wrong way, I love Chris' vest, I support Tiffen and their products, own a Tiffen Steadicam, I just dislike their business policies and how they handle things at times...)

 

Bottom line: when you get it, it will be awesome. More than that. I have my fingers crossed you all get your nice Exo christmas presents and upgrades :) (though I wouldn't get my hopes up :P )

[Emanuele Chiari]

I've got the same feeling..... Order on the end of july and after many bla..bla...bla.. Tiffen "hopes" to send me before the new year.... this is not the Tiffen Company that I knew :-(

[chris fawcett]

Damn, so sorry guys :(

[Oliver Roetz]

Hi,

I just received my exovest a couple of days ago (thanks to Betz-Tools Munich) and used it right away for a 2 hour TV-Show. And even though I feel I can make it fit better it worked great. Way less fatigue in combination with a lot more freedom to move and breathe...phantastic.

 

Loooong time ago my steadicam career started out with a backmounted. Years later I switched to the PRO for various reasons. And now that the PRO is old and worn out (don't ask me how that happened.. :rolleyes: ) I moved on to what will hopefully be my final vest.

 

However there are two things I don't like about it...First off: the price. It has been mentioned a lot but I have to say it again....it is just crazy.

Second, and this is more a technical thing: the latches. Coming from the PRO which is very easy to lock I struggle with the shoulder latch in particular but I guess and hope that it's just a matter of time to get used to it.

 

Well, I am very happy to have it - now going back to make it fit perfectly. :)

 

Oliver

[chris fawcett]

Oliver,

 

Sorry about the price. I can't do anything about that. But the shoulder latch, yes. There's a section in the manual "Customising the Shoulder Straps." The quick fix is to slacken the two screws holding the outer dovetail latch at the shoulder, then bed it in, and retighten it gradually as you back it in and out. That will angle the dovetail to your shoulder shape. If it's still difficult to latch, follow the instructions to conform the whole shoulder girdle.

 

That shoulder latch will pop in and out easily once it's shaped to your body.

 

Let me know how it goes!

 

Chris

[Oliver Roetz]

Chris,

 

thanks for the quick response. Please, don't apologize. I never meant to blame you for the price. All good. And I forgot to mention that if the price tag is just crazy - I have to be at least a little bit crazy to buy it, right? :rolleyes: Well, obviously I am. I probably still have another 10 years of operating and I want to be prepared. And the Exovest seems to be the right choice.

 

Played around with it this morning and made it fit perfectly - works like charm. Thanks for your input on the latch. I tried it and it's getting better every time I touch it.

 

 

Best, Oliver

[chris fawcett]

Hi Oliver,

 

That's great. Please keep in touch about your progress in the vest. I hope you work as many more years as you want!

 

All the best,

 

Chris

[John Buzz Moyer]

Wanted to get one for the start of my last to projects but was told 45 days minimum. I tend to forget about buying it then when I decide to do it, I'm told they aren't available. You were witness to my enthusiasm about the vest Chris, why the heck can't a guy buy one he wants to?

[chris fawcett]

Buzz,

 

I wish I knew. I know that they were ramping up production of the vests so they could begin supplying them in big numbers. That's supposed to happen soon, but I don't know when. I think that there are vests available now if you contact Mike Craigs at Burbank.

 

All the best,

 

Chris

[Nathan Chapman]

I've finally received the Exovest with my Zephyr, after ordering in August. Now, the Exovest can't take all the blame for this delay, as (I'm not sure, as I was barely kept in the loop, despite calling weekly - unfortunately, the only Tiffen importer in Australia doesn't care much unless you're spending $200k+) the Zephyr also had manufacturing delays.

 

I ordered the Exovest with the smaller socket block to use the standard Zephyr arm with it.

 

Whilst I'm by no means an experienced Op, the difference in this vest is phenomenal. The weight distribution is much nicer, spreading the weight away from the gut and other squishy parts, and being able to breathe is helping my fatigue (I'm still fairly unfit).

 

I actually think, though, that what I like most as a newbie Op is how when I've got the vest adjusted incorrectly, or bad posture, how I get very fast feedback - also known as pain - within a minute or two.

 

I will say, it is a trial-and-error method to get your correct fit. It's not as simple as "tighten all the straps as hard as you can, and a bit more", which is how I found the regular vest to fit. After about a month, I'm still dialing in my fit - also it is constantly changing, again because my technique is changing (improving?) as I learn.

[Louis Puli SOC]

Welcome Nathan

Did you consider getting a normal socket block and then buying a adaptor from Walter Klassen so you would be able to use the smaller pin block with it.I am thinking you would then be able use other ops larger sled's with your vest on jobs where you need a large sled.

Just a idea.

Good luck .

[Nathan Chapman]

Thanks Louis

What I got was Tiffen part #803-7801 [ http://www.tiffen.com/displayproduct.html?tablename=steadicam&itemnum=803-7801 ], as well as the standard full-sized socket block that comes with an Exovest. This way, I'll be able to, as you suggested, use a larger sled when needed, and have the option to keep the Exovest when eventually upgrading sleds.

[Oliver Roetz]

Chris,

 

what Allen Key size do I need to fix the front / back sliding "bridge"? That stuff is sliding like crazy... I have all the keys for the PRO stuff here - but they don't work.

 

Oliver

[chris fawcett]

Oliver,

 

I'm in the mountains, and far from my vest, so I can't give you the exact size, but it's imperial, that's for sure, not metric.

 

Do you mean the bridge plate that holds the socket block? That should tighten down by hand. Sorry if I am misunderstanding the problem.

 

I'll ask Jerry to keep an eye on this thread until I am back from the wilds.

 

All the best,

 

Chris