Home Forums Explore Subjects Plein Air Wanted:Soltek easel

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  • #469014
    ldavid
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        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

        #781488
        Dcam
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            Lisa: 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.
            Derek

            #781485
            Grotius
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                Good 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/

                #781492
                contumacious
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                    As 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.

                    #781489
                    Dcam
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                        #781486
                        Grotius
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                            My 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/

                            #781493
                            contumacious
                            Default

                                My 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.

                                #781487
                                Grotius
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                                    I’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/

                                    #781491

                                    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

                                    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!

                                    #781484
                                    surfer
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                                        I 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
                                        Hanalei Bay, Kauai, Hawaii

                                        http://artkauai.com
                                        #781490

                                        I 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"

                                        #781494

                                        Look 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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