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Copyright 2011
TPIastro.com
Reviews and testimonials
A review by a sales associate at a Major Telescope shop in Toronto:
A review of the TPI Levellers by Craig Temple- An astrophotographer using an Orion EQ-G Atlas:
A video review of our TPI spreader for the EQ6/CGEM (youtube.com):
Ken Durrazo's review of the TPI Levellers (original design non adjustable) Part 1
Ken Durrazo's review of the TPI Levellers (original design non adjustable) Part 2
Ken Durrazo's review of the TPI Levellers (original design non adjustable) Part 3
Ken Durrazo's review of the NEW TPI Levellers (adapted to use on a scope buggy)
Some
comments we have received:
"I
received the (Tripod) spreader & shelf today and already have it
installed. The scope is out right now and we're giving it a
test drive. I must say it is good-looking piece of equipment
(the brushed finish is nice!). Already I can tell how much more
stable the tripod is! Excellent craftsmanship and thank you
very much!!": CT
"As I own 2 of these (Tripod) spreaders and 1 battery tray, I can tell you that they are high quality and everything that is stated about them is true. The workmanship is second to none." : BJ
"Spreader arrived today and I had a few minutes before dinner to install it. All I can say right now is wow! The difference in the rigidity is immediate and very evident. Should the skies stay clear tomorrow evening, I'm heading over to our club's dark sky site and will give it a test drive." :BC
"Thank you so much Dave! Yeah, the rig is really performing well! I had been entertaining a tear-down & rebuild of the Atlas until we got one of your EQ-G leg (Tripod) spreaders. Now, not so much! It's really running nicely - good and stable!"- C&T
"Fantastic Dave, What a difference!. my tripod not only looks great now but no more wobbly legs. I love the battery shelf, my deep cycle is no longer religated to the floor- Thanks for a great product (EQ6 Tripod Spreader) !" :DJ
"The quality is evident, this is one heavy duty piece impeccable finish and operation, well worth the money! (Tripod Leg Levellers and Tripod Spreader/Tray) Thanks Dave!" :CR
"Got the new (CGEM Tripod spreader) tripod leg bracers, accessory tray , new orange anodized leg lock screws. Woohoo! With the bracer and tray in place, that tripod is rock-solid. And I can imagine if I put my 50-lb deep cycle battery on the tray, that setup is not gonna vibrate at all!" :WH
"The new rig is AWESOME!! I can tell you this, the (TRIPOD) spreader has completely eliminated the drift that we were seeing over the course of a night's imaging. Gone...absent...zippo...nada!! " :CT
"Recieved the CGEM Tripod Spreader today. I'm very pleased with every aspect of your device. First and foremost, it does add a noticeable degree of stability to the setup. The fit is exact. Your machining is precise and the finish is beautiful. I could have wasted a great deal of time trying to "cobble up" a similar item. I would recommend your product without reservation! Thank you." B.K.
"hey, Dave. I'm very pleased and impressed (with the TPI CGE AZIMUTH adjuster) :-). this piece is top quality, and the instructions very easy to follow. I ended up going with the knob instead of the allen (low profile) option". J.S
"Got mine today (TPI CGE AZIMUTH adjuster), it works&ldots; what an tremendous improvement. So I managed to get polar aligned and then it clouded over"&ldots; G.S.
"Got mine today(TPI CGE AZIMUTH adjuster). About a 20 minute install including swapping the knob for the low Profile option. Very nice quality. The hardest part was deciding between the front or rear orientation. Can't wait for clear skies to try it out. Seems like Dave is responsible for cloudy skies are one the world this week ;-)" J.S.
"The
(TPI CGE AZUMUTH) adjuster installed just as Dave's instructions
indicate. You need a good set of imperial (inch) allen wrenches
(including a large 3/8" one). You should be reasonably
comfortable working with your mount (taking the electronics pier off)
but there's nothing really difficult about any of the installation. I
went back and forth for a few minutes with the tightness of the two
acorn nuts to ensure the adjuster worked with no play and virtually
no stiction (important so there's virtually no overshoot when
performing the polar alignment)
The
actual AZ adjustment is now buttery smooth ... a real change from
the original unit. If you haven't taken the original stock AZ
adjuster apart you'll be in for a surprise as to exactly how it
works. It's a very simple design and once apart if you're like me
there will be an "ahaaaa" moment as to why the original
adjustment was so coarse and difficult to perform accurately (without
lots of overshoot). If your curious it's quite easy to take the stock
unit apart and look around without messing anything up.
Dave's
replacement unit just makes more sense design wise and the
construction is as good or better than anything else on the
mount." M.L. in Nova Scotia
"If I had another CGE I'd buy another set (of Levellers, spreader , AZ adjuster and Battery tray) :) I'm very happy with the set you built for me... it's working great.. the mount is rock solid." A.A.in Texas
"It
was very easy to install the (CGE PRo) spreader. The result is fantastic.
The
(tripod leg) levellers fitted perfectly too. Absolute precision!
My only work was to enlarge the original holes. No other adjustment
was necessary.
The
end of the tripod legs are touching the salient borders of the
inserts. The screws are only holding the levelers in place.
Wonderful! My first impression is a much more solid and stable
platform. I'm very satisfied." C.G.A in Columbia
"The (pier) topper arrived and I installed it yesterday. Fit like a glove!. I want to thank you for the outstanding personal service that you provided. Drilling the holes in at the spacing that I required was above and beyond. Thanks" G.P. in Maryland