Silver Spring Arms

[Richard James Lewis]

It's around $12,000 ish new, don't know refurb price. Contact Dean and he will tell you everything you need to know...

[BJMcDonnell SOC]

I own a steadyrig arm and it has been great! Before I had a old CP IIIA arm. The steadyrig silver spring arm made a huge difference in my operating and it looks great. I am currently looking to buy a PRO arm now so I am selling my arm for $8,500. If anybody is interested shoot me a email. It is in pristine condition.

 

BJ McDonnell

[Richard James Lewis]

Do you mind me asking why you are selling it for a PRO??

 

-Rick

[BJMcDonnell SOC]

I personally like the way a PRO arm feels. It is like no other arm in my opinion. Smooth as butter. I have always wanted to get the PRO arm from day 1 of my operating so it is really just my personal choice.I just could not afford one when I started out. I am ready to upgrade my arm so that is it. I hope that answers your question.

 

BJ McDonnell

[Charles Papert]

C'mon BJ, you just want the PRO arm because chicks dig it.

 

BTW, you might do better with white lithium grease instead of butter when it's time to lube up the arm...

[BJMcDonnell SOC]

Damn it charles! you are totally right. Foiled again!

 

BJ McDonnell

[Richard James Lewis]

Cheers BJ. I was looking at a silver spring arm myself, but then decided that it was all fine and well having a great arm, but useless if you didn’t have enough money left to buy the sled and vest.

 

Sounds like a good deal to whoever gets your arm!

 

-Rick

[Nacho Minguez]

Yellow shark? What is your name?

 

In concern of Steadyrig Silverspring arm. YES, it´s a real alternative to the PRO arm. I don´t say better because they´are different arm designs and the price range it´s different. The steadyrig arm cost about $12.000 (check with Dean or Hugo from Steadyrig for prices) vs around $20.000 for PRO arm.

 

Definitively, if you´re looking a IIIA style arm, is the best arm you will find on the market. It´s perfect engineered, made with the best materials and modern CNC machines. In adition, has some updates from the IIIA arm like frictionless arm post, titanium pin block, new rubber stops and others. I attach pictures from Streadyrig in wich you can see the high quality.....and believe me that I don´t work for Steadyrig, I´m only a happy customer.

 

Best

 

Nacho Minguez

Steadicam Owner/Operator

SPAIN

[Nacho Minguez]

And of course, don´t forget the service you get after purchase your arm. Paddock is well known by the very good service and Steadyrig is not less. Dean and Hugo are very nice people and very professional. You will have a perfect arm and a exceptional service. Other brands can´t say the same and this is other very important point to have in mind before buy one of these equipments.

 

Best

 

Nacho Minguez

Steadicam Owner/Operator

SPAIN

[Marcus Schlicht]

And of course, don´t forget the service you get after purchase your arm. Paddock is well known by the very good service and Steadyrig is not less. Dean and Hugo are very nice people and very professional. You will have a perfect arm and a exceptional service. Other brands can´t say the same and this is other very important point to have in mind before buy one of these equipments.

 

Best

 

Nacho Minguez

Steadicam Owner/Operator

SPAIN

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

 

Hi Nacho,

 

thank for your reply. In the meanwhile I bought an silver spring arm from

Dean and Hugo and I am almost happy with it. It´s correct that the Pro Arm

is a little easier to operate, you need less energy to push it up or down of

center, and it stays almost there were you want it. But you need more energy

by carrying the Pro, the silver Spring is nearly 1,5 kilos under the the wheigt

of pro. There a big difference in the price, so the silver spring is great arm

to start with.

 

Best

 

Marcus Schlicht

Steadicam/ Camera Operator

Berlin, Germany

[JamieSilverstein]

Several weeks ago I sent an inquiry to Hugo of Steadyrig regarding the pricing of the Silver Springs Arm. I was going through my inventory and earnings this year and trying to think about what I needed to upgrade or have more of. So I began to think about a second arm to supplement my Masters Arm. I was intrigued by the Steadyrig arm.

The thing that appealed to me about the arm was that it was very modular, easy to assemble, and made of rust resistant materials. All of these things are not true about the Masters Arm. I haven't the foggiest about assembly, it sure isn't modular, and there are lots of rust prone things about it.

Shortly after I posted the question to Hugo, he called me and told me that if interested, I could use a Silver Spring Arm that was in New York. I could hold on to it for several weeks and put it throught its paces, at home and on the job. What did I have to lose, I said ok.

When I got the arm, it was unassembled. Undeterred, I went to the Steadyrig site and looked over the instructions and went ahead and built it. It took me 20 minutes to put the springs in the arm tighten them and place the covers on the bones. And it wasn't hard at all. I was impressed, and I liked the idea of being able to take apart an arm to clean and maintain, instead of sending it out to Tiffen or Rob Luna.

Then I set up the arm and my sled with my cage on it and tried it out at home. The boom range is pretty much the same as the 3A, which I think is a tiny bit shorter than my Masters, and even shorter than the PRO. but sufficient just the same. I liked the bearings on the post hole, but I think that feature would take a little time getting used to, and even if I didn't , I could keep it locked all the time. Either way, it was there if I needed it. A nice feature. What I really liked about the arm, however, was how smooth it felt through the boom range. I took some time balancing the bones to each other so I expected it to be pretty good, but it was alot smoother than I expected.

All in all a nice arm at home.

I then took the arm to work with me, filling in for Andy Casey on Kidnapped. Sled, Arri LT, Cooke S4, Cine tape, and Steadicam mags. Once I balanced the arm (which for me, a Masters arm guy, was a different procedure) and put the sled on the arm, I felt as though I had been using the arm for a long time. It became an old friend quickly, doing what I asked of it, and never complaining. The shots weren't that tough, but they required that I go through the full extent of the boom range, and the arm was, again, very smooth.

I took it over to 6 Degrees where I was operating A camera on second unit, and Francis Spieldiner was doing steadicam, and I let him use the arm for the day. He is a very good no nonsense operator. His gear is old (PRO Sled, 3A vest and arm) but in very good condition. He replaces the bells and whistles of lots of shiny gear with just plain old good Steadicam operating....... He used the arm for one shot, and then told me that he wanted to use it for the rest of the day, which he did. I feel comfortable saying that he was very impressed with how the arm responded, how easy it was to take apart and clean and as important in the whole equation, how reasonable the price of the arm was considering the quality.

Thats the kicker, and was the majority of our conversation for the rest of the day centered around price. At less than half the price of the PRO arm, it becomes very attractive to those not ready to spend $22,000. Bear in mind, its not the same as the PRO arm, or the Masters for that matter, but at around $10,000.00 it is alot of arm. An arm that will be more than able to make just about any shot that you can imagine.

We went through a lot of equations, and I think the conclusion was that if money was no object, then go with the PRO, or maybe the new G70. But if you have limited funds and maybe want a new back mounted vest to go along with a new arm, then for the cost of less than a PRO arm, you can have both.

All things to think about when buying new equipment.

Don't misunderstand me. I have tried the PRO arm and it is without a doubt the Bee's Knees. Would I like to own one? Sure. Do I want to lay out that much cash? I have two kids and their college funds are desperatly in need.

So back to alternatives.

Putting it as plainly and simply, the Silver Springs arm is a really well engineered arm at a really good price.

This is not an add, I don't work for Steadyrigs, and I am not getting anything in return for writing this. Not even a hat or tee shirt! It is just my opinion. As I have always said, there are a lot of alternatives out there, be aware of all of them and then decide what you want, need, and can afford.

[Mark Karavite]

Hey Jamie,

 

Great assessment of the Silver Spring arm. I have owned one for 2 years, and it has served me well. Like you, I have private schools and college to think about. When I built my rig, going with 2 BFD's (instead of a FIZ) and Silver Spring (instead of a PRO arm) saved me a boat load of money, without loosing capabilities. If I really need a FIZ, I rent it.

 

I had been flying a 3A arm for 12 years prior, so I was used to the feel. Besides having a wider weight range (both higer and lower) the modular aspect of the arm is great. I just had mine apart this morning, giving it a good cleaning after a tough location. I had the whole arm apart, cleaned, and put back together in about 45 minutes. Besides the quality, you couldn't ask for better support than what Hugo gives. He goes above and beyond to address any issues you might have. When I see used 3A arms on the market for $7K or $8K, those buyers should take a serious look at the Silver Spring arm for $10K. Of course, it's not a PRO, and you don't have backup cartridges ready to go, but the arm is bulletproof, and well worth the $$.

 

I'm going to have to ask Hugo where the T shirts are.

 

Mark Karavite

A Camera / Steadicam Operator

mkaravite@comcast.net