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Dolly Help!!!

Equipment Discussion

Last Post by bjdzyak 14 years ago

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carolingmmoore

(@carolingmmoore)

Posts: 4

Active Member

Topic starter

Hi Everybody--
Semi Newbie Here.
Need some expert help on dolly choices!
My experience includes:
I've had some experience with Modern Studio Equipment dollies, have never used American Grip's dolly or any of the JL Fishers or anything like that (that's overkill for us). I've heard good things about Matthews Studio Equipment and Black Bear Studio Systems.

We're definitely looking to purchase rather than rent because of the frequency of usage we intend on for the dolly.
We'd love to get a roundy round type dolly that steers with all four wheels but it's something around $3000 for that option after shipping with a Matthews and that's not in the budget right now. We could put down $2000 for a regular dolly but I know we'd want to get a roundy round in about three months and don't want to have to sell a used dolly and take a loss after we're done with it. I know the Black Bear dolly converts to a roundy round with an attachment but don't know if any other doorway dollies out there will do the same. We also want to be able to utilize the dolly on track in the future.

So I guess my options are these:

Black Bear dolly (around $1600 with the roundy round attachment) ( www.blackbearstudiosystems.com )

Matthews Roundy Round for around $3000 and rent until we can afford it? ( www.msegrip.com )

Or a super cheap ebay type dolly (Diamond?). http://cgi.ebay.com/4-WHEEL-STEERING...ht_1762wt_1141

Thoughts?

Posted : 07/01/2011 2:29 am

certified instigator

(@certified-instigator)

Posts: 2951

Famed Member

That little Black Bear is well built - I've seen them on very low budget
sets but never used one. Not as versatile as the Matthews which is an
excellent doorway dolly.

As with any piece of equipment, you get what you pay for. And you
know your needs better than any of us here. I would never purchase
a doorway dolly, but if it's more cost effective for you to do so then
my suggestion is to rent both of them and put them through a few
tests.

Since these little dollys do not appreciate in value, it's unlikely that
you will sell a used one at a profit. You wouldn't pay $1,800 for a
used Black Bear you could get new for $1,600.

=============================================
The aim of an argument or discussion should not be victory, but progress.
Joseph Joubert, essayist (1754-1824)

Posted : 07/01/2011 11:43 am

carolingmmoore

(@carolingmmoore)

Posts: 4

Active Member

Topic starter

Thanks so much for the input, certified instigator! Great suggestions! I've always felt that mse is overpriced. You definitely get what you pay for but a roundy round doorway dolly for $3000 has always seemed ludicrous to me. I'm going to try both out and definitely post the results.
Thanks!

Posted : 09/01/2011 3:51 pm

bjdzyak

(@bjdzyak)

Posts: 587

Honorable Member

I don't understand. If you are using a dolly that much, why is using a Fisher or Chapman "overkill"? I assume you've looked at Panther, which IS the dolly of choice whenever a professional production needs to do a roundie-round with a dolly.

As mentioned, you get what you pay for, and it seems like if you are using a piece of gear as much as you say, it would be worth it to get a high quality dolly (and track!). It's sort of like saying that you drive all the time, but a car is overkill so you'll just get the cheap bike instead. No?

Brian Dzyak
Cameraman/Author
IATSE Local 600, SOC
http://www.whatireallywanttodo.com
http://www.realfilmcareer.com

Posted : 09/01/2011 5:30 pm

carolingmmoore

(@carolingmmoore)

Posts: 4

Active Member

Topic starter

Thanks so much for the input, bjdzyak. Your points are well taken.

The Fisher / Chapman is overkill for our crew for a few reasons--one, they're so heavy as to be impractical for the types of situations we'd be using them in. two, a breakdown of the equipment in some of the locations we shoot in would be catastrophic and the complexity of the Fisher / Chapmans is a problem, particularly the gear systems and the hydraulics (The Peewee has over a thousand parts!). And, three, the most important factor--cost. Rentals of Chapmans or Fishers for the amount of use we need is above budget and as far as I know you can't purchase chapmans or fishers at all. we'd like to have a dolly that we own to avoid having to rent every time we have a shoot. it's just a convenience thing. Panther is also above budget.

I think we've decided to rent a whole bunch of dollies for a day, test them all out and see what is best. I know "you get what you pay for" can be great advice, but something isn't necessarily great just because it's super expensive. likewise, something isn't necessarily a crappy product just because it's a good price.

I'll post the results of our testing for anyone that's interested.

I appreciate everyone's expertise on here!

Posted : 10/01/2011 10:38 pm

bjdzyak

(@bjdzyak)

Posts: 587

Honorable Member

quote:

Originally posted by carolingmmoore

but something isn't necessarily great just because it's super expensive. likewise, something isn't necessarily a crappy product just because it's a good price.

That hasn't been my experience at all, but good luck and I look forward to hearing the results! 🙂

Brian Dzyak
Cameraman/Author
IATSE Local 600, SOC
http://www.whatireallywanttodo.com
http://www.realfilmcareer.com