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Steadicam Pilot Gimbal Grip


Frederic Sturm

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Hi,

 

as already promised to a number of you guys, here are the first pictures and details of the new Pilot gimbal grip.

 

After the Zephyr Gimbal Wrap Grip (see http://www.steadicamforum.com/index.php?showtopic=19778), it became clear that ops of some other models might like a bigger grip diameter, too. Now the nice little pilot, which I adored while I started Steadicam with it, doesn't have a gimbal grip at all. Now you can have one!

 

It's got a 1.7" Diameter which fits the rig size of the pilot very well, and is also a perfect fit for the gimbal. It comes with an integrated friction lock, so unlike the gimbal itself moving it is tool-free. (Right now there's a kipp miniwing on it, and located so it doesn't get in the way, but still it may be changed for a clamp or..., currently testing options). The grip is made from one piece, so feels perfectly smooth, and has an opening down the front to make installation easy. (Seperate the posts in the middle -2screws-, route the cables through the opening of the grip, slide it on, put posts back together, adjust the grips fit with 2 screws that are hidden inside the grips diameter, insert friction lock screw, done.)

 

It's been tested for a while now and is a great improvement over just grabbing the carbon post. The first ones will be ready in about two weeks.

 

 

Pricing will be just like the Zephyr Grip, as it's pretty much the same material and effort:

 

USD 120 / EUR 90 plus shipping (plus VAT if you're in Germany).

USD 15 / EUR 10 gets your name printed on it (see the Zephyr thread for how that looks).

DHL traceable shipping to US: USD 25,-
Europe: EUR 15,-
Germany: EUR 5,-

 

 

Looking forward to your feedback :)

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Hi Herman,

 

sure. At the lower end of the outer post is the clamp you use to extend or shorten the post (you see it at the very bottom of the first picture).

This clamp, when opened allows the inner (lower) post to slide in and out of the outer (upper) post. It is fixed to the outer post by a friction-lock

screw, and the orientation is locked by another little set screw, you'll easily see this when you look at your pilot. Remove those 2 screws and you can

slide the clamp down from the outer post onto the inner post. You can now pull the inner post out of the outer post and see 2 cables in there.

Slide the cables into the grip through it's opening slit along the front, and you can now easily slide the grip onto the upper post. Reassemble

the clamp. Put in the friction-adjustment screws and the friction-clamp screw into the grip, adjust fit, aaaand done.

 

It' really easy and takes no more than 5 Minutes if you've done it before and shouldn't take more than 10 the first time :)

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While it was a little complicated to get it on (the cables in my post are quite short), this grip is amazing - it's a big performance improvement. Feels right now, much better handling. Very light but tough material. Thanks for a good idea turned into a nice product!

Cheers, Frank

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This grip is fantastic, I'd say essential for the Pilot, I love it! The difference is night and day better.

 

It was quite tricky to fit because there's almost no slack at all on the cables in my post, so I had to improvise. Frederic was very helpful and we talked via FaceTime to come up with a plan.

 

I ended up putting the two post sections at 90° (only just about possible with the cable available) and using a large flat blade screwdriver to gently prise the grip apart further than normal for fitting to enable me to slip the cables in and start working them through the fitting slit to the other end of the grip.

 

Well worth the effort though, the difference is remarkable.

 

I also ordered the Zephyr HD Monitor Yoke for my Pilot, which is another brilliant upgrade.

 

More from me on this here:

http://www.steadicamforum.com/index.php?showtopic=20074&p=102958

I've posted a photo set to my Flickr account for anyone who wants to see what they look like fitted in some detail:

https://flic.kr/s/aHsjZBc4tf

 

Highly recommended for Pilot owners.

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I'm really happy to hear that you guys like your grips, thanks so much for all the positive feedback!

 

A lot of design work, fitting and testing went into these, so I'm very glad you appreciate the fit and feel!

While I fully recognize that the fitting is a bit tricky, I'm sure the benefits of the fully round 1-part design
without any unnecessary gaps at your fingertips is worth the extra 10 Minutes of installation.

Until now, we could fit it to every Pilot, even the HD versions with the shorter cables. I have assisted buyers
with installation via facetime and Skype and will be available for that to everyone who has questions installing
theirs, or just wants my personal reassurance that it is rugged, and if you did manage to break the grip during
installation, I can safely offer you a new one for free (as of now that was never necessary :lol: )

 

Thanks guys!

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SmallFeedback: The position of the lower bolt should be altered to be in the middle of the grip - that way the fit might be even better (I had some slippage on very hard whip pans), it's pretty much useless under the excenter anyway. Still: Best add-on for a Pilot.

Cheers, Frank

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Hi Frank,

 

thanks for your Feedback. The bolt ist not ment to hold the grip in place or prevent slippage, all it does is adjust the fit to your post and prevent wiggle. It's basically a size adjustment as not all Pilot posts are the same size. any tightening to prevent slippage comes only from the excenter clamp. So maybe you could try to rotate the excenter hex screw by 1 notch, i.e. 1/6th of a turn at a time until its prefectly tight (not too tight either, this still is a plastic part ;) ) - the screw is turned to be right on delivery, but of course chances are its rotation got changed during installation.

 

That said, I have thought about a third connecting bolt in the middle (since it does seem a tiny bit less tight in the middle), but feel that it's better this way without any interruption to your fingers feel - thoughts of you guys that are using it every day?

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