Home › Forums › Explore Subjects › Plein Air › Wanted:Soltek easel
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February 11, 2019 at 10:34 pm #469014
I purchased a guerilla box easel but would rather have a soltek. I have a guerilla box but it’s too heavy. I have pins in my back and can’t make it more than 10 feet. Anyone looking to sell? Email me! Thanks
Lisa David
www.lisadavidart.comFebruary 12, 2019 at 10:42 am #781488Lisa: do you think you might get more bites over in the Plein Air forum on this?
I think most of the oils forum folks work on indoor studio easels. Good luck.
DerekWebsite: www.artderek.com
DEMONSTRATIONS:https://www.wetcanvas.com/forums/showthread.php?t=1363787
https://www.wetcanvas.com/forums/showthread.php?t=1343600
https://www.wetcanvas.com/forums/showthread.php?t=1431363February 12, 2019 at 11:10 am #781485Good idea to try over at the plein air forum. As it happens, I do own a Soltek, but I’m not planning to get rid of it — I love it!
One word of caution, though: it’s kind of heavy too. It weighs about 8 or 9 pounds. Now, that does include its own tripod, and so the net result is that it weighs about the same as my pochade-box-plus-tripod. Indeed, one of the wonderful things about the Soltek is that it’s all-in-one. Still, there are lighter solutions out there — a Guerilla thumb box without any tripod at all, for example.
- Geoff.
My website and blog: https://www.geoffwatsonart.com/February 12, 2019 at 12:13 pm #781492As Grotius said, there are lighter options out there if weight is a big issue.
My ultralight plein air package is a carbon fiber tripod with a birch plywood mast and a lightweight tripod shelf that fits into a Masterson air tight palette box. It weighs just over 5 pounds including the Masterson box that I usually leave in the car. The entire setup, carbon fiber tripod, ball head, tripod shelf, panel mast and the Masterson box cost me less than $100, but I did make my own mast and tripod shelf.
The biggest complaints I have seen with the Soltek is when grit gets into the legs they can jam, plus the plastic parts tend to break. I have never used one myself, just going off web reviews.
February 12, 2019 at 12:24 pm #781489Actually: as we speak (write) there is a post in plein air forum about making an easel from a camera tripod. Which is really light.
https://www.wetcanvas.com/forums/showthread.php?t=1461083Website: www.artderek.com
DEMONSTRATIONS:https://www.wetcanvas.com/forums/showthread.php?t=1363787
https://www.wetcanvas.com/forums/showthread.php?t=1343600
https://www.wetcanvas.com/forums/showthread.php?t=1431363February 12, 2019 at 1:56 pm #781486My Soltek has held up well over two years of heavy use. It’s very important to keep the legs free of grit, as contumacious says. The manufacturer’s instructions emphasize this. I do this by covering the ends of the legs with little dog-foot balloons I got from a pet store. I haven’t had a problem with the moving plastic parts; I just use them carefully. But I do worry about these two issues (legs, plastic parts) more than I did if I owned, say, a Strada easel.
- Geoff.
My website and blog: https://www.geoffwatsonart.com/February 12, 2019 at 4:21 pm #781493My Soltek has held up well over two years of heavy use. It’s very important to keep the legs free of grit, as contumacious says. The manufacturer’s instructions emphasize this. I do this by covering the ends of the legs with little dog-foot balloons I got from a pet store. I haven’t had a problem with the moving plastic parts; I just use them carefully. But I do worry about these two issues (legs, plastic parts) more than I did if I owned, say, a Strada easel.
What are the problems one encounters with the Strada? From memory I think about 1/3 of the artists I know use a Strada on some camera tripod and about the same 1/3 use the Soltek.
February 13, 2019 at 12:11 am #781487I’d like to know too, because I’ve been thinking about getting myself a Strada (maybe the Mini) for situations in which light weight is important. For example, it looks like it might be easier to pack a Strada on an airplane than a Soltek.
But one thing I don’t miss about my old Sienna box is dealing with a separate camera tripod. Quick-release mounts mystify me a bit, and wind is more of an issue. My Soltek has never come close to blowing over, not even in a moderate wind.
- Geoff.
My website and blog: https://www.geoffwatsonart.com/February 16, 2019 at 12:49 pm #781491I purchased a guerilla box easel but would rather have a soltek. I have a guerilla box but it’s too heavy. I have pins in my back and can’t make it more than 10 feet. Anyone looking to sell? Email me! Thanks
Soltek is a magical easel, however, and this is a BIG HOWEVER, it does not last. I had mine a little over a year (after spending full price direct from the manufacturer) before it couldn’t even hold a canvas properly.
I’ve had my Guerrilla Painter box for more than seven years, and my French Easel much longer, and both combined are the fraction of the price of a Soltek.
Get an ArtComber, or anything cart/bag with wheels. Basically, you can get a folding shopping cart with wheels for about $20 almost anywhere. Hope this helps! The ArtComber has a built in chair, which is phenomenally helpful!
March 15, 2019 at 4:03 pm #781484I have had to replace my soltek legs 4 times!!! It is a great set up but don’t travel with it. I took it on a trip and sure enough leg broke. Same with others. I prefer the large Open Box M for traveling for an easel you can depend on.
Pierre Bouret
http://artkauai.com
Hanalei Bay, Kauai, HawaiiMarch 19, 2019 at 9:49 am #781490I deal with both a major shoulder repair and a knee implant. I just decided to eliminate “carrying” things to the field. I mounted a backpack on a foldable luggage carrier to carry all. I also attached my umbrella mount to it. Gary
[ATTACH]864460[/ATTACH]
"Painting is a verb"
March 19, 2019 at 12:34 pm #781494Look at this video.
Maybe you could adapt the system (well not as heavy) to a roling small suitcase.https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UA3mksdPJzU
Maria - Made in Portugal
"Really I don't like human nature unless all candied over with art" - Virginia Woolf
https://womenwagepeace.org.il/en/ -
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