Flowtech 100 Legs - Any Long Term Owner Experiences Out There?

R

robotfist

Active member
I've been eyeing the Flowtech 100 legs for a while, but after reading a single review on BH's product page, it has me second guessing them. In it the user writes:

"Had one for the last week. The legs do not drop free when you release the red clamps, and must be physically pulled down and extended manually. The leg lock hinges also constantly unlock, causing the legs not to be able to spread out when tripod is opened. The leg hinge lock buttons are too easy to push, and will unlock from simply laying in the trunk of a vehicle. For ENG quick deployment, I am finding this to tripod takes a lot of setup time. After it is setup, a full minute later, the tripod is extremely stable, especially torsionally, meaning it doesnt twist when a lot of force is applied, and the built in handle is really nice. When the legs actually dropped freely the first few days of ownership, that handle made it easy to hold the tripod in the air while the legs fell to the ground. Spreader seems built like a tank, and the feet are a big improvement over past Sachtler feet that would tend to roll over 90 degrees."


I was about to pull the trigger on one of these when I read that. I currently own a used pair of Miller Sprinter sticks, which are supposed to act in a similar fashion. You can adjust the extension of the legs from a single point on the tripod. But the Miller legs I have are old, heavily used, and a bit janky, even after being serviced by Miller. They don't extend with gravity and I am forced to manually pull them down, which is endlessly frustrating. I was hoping the Sachtler Flowtech could achieve what Miller originally set out to do. But perhaps after a bit of ownership, the Flowtechs will end up sticking just like my Miller does.

Has anyone owned the Flowtech sticks for a while? Are they still working the way they are intended to? Do the legs still extend smoothly without effort?
 
I've had the Flowtech 100's since a few weeks to maybe month after initial release(my sales rep managed to get me a pair of legs away from a head/leg combo early on before the legs themselves were supposed to be available- Vitech wanted to sell packages first[$$$]). I've used Sachtler Speedlocks since late 2007(2x regular 100 Speedlocks and a 100 HD pair) and these are my GO-TO legs. I use them paired with a Vinten 100, as my 'A' set-up and have used them with a Vinten 250, too. My only real complaint is that sometimes the legs don't deploy as easily as I'd like for taller set-ups, but it may just be that I need to clean them more. Otherwise, they are pretty much superior in every way to Speedlocks and every other ENG type legs that I've ever had or used in ~23 years of shooting.

Buy them and don't look back or have a second thought. And they're less expensive than the excellent Speedlocks.
 
The complaint of legs sticking could be any set of tripod legs with a little too much dust or gunk on them. RnG would know if they weren’t good.

All tripods need to be maintained and occasional work, like making sure there are no loose screws or cracks in the carbon fiber, etc. they carry precious cargo.
 
Great feedback all around. Thanks. I think I’ll go for it. Now I just have to decide if I should get the mid-level spreader or not. My Miller Solo sticks don’t have a spreader and I love those things. It seems like the mid-level spreader on the Flowtech might actually hinder their functionality by preventing the ability to move quickly into low mode.
 
You need the spreader. While you can use them without the spreader, and it does attach/detach quickly, the leg joints are not heavily tensioned like Gizo's, Millers, etc. and they can flop around on you at extreme angles. I do wish they were tensioned more, so that I could pull the spreader when there are times that I know that I'm going to be doing some down on the deck hi-hat like shooting. That actually reminds me, because I've been meaning to reach out to Vitec and ask if it's possible for them to find a way to make them behave like that.
 
Eric Coughlin said:
Just don’t lose a foot like I did. I called Sachtler to get a foot replacement and they said they only sell them in a set of three and not individually. Who do they think I am, Quentin Tarentino?
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I hear ya. I just had to replace a single, custom screw on my C200. $75! If there's one number I don't ever want to know, it's how much I've spent on ancillary replacement parts over the years.
 
I've been using flowtech legs for a couple of years now and really like them. I'm hard on them and they've held up. They're fast to get up and little things like the magnets are appreciated. Like any carbon fibre legs they could stick if they're really dirty. Maybe the reviewer had a pair that was over tightened?
 
markoconnell said:
I've been using flowtech legs for a couple of years now and really like them. I'm hard on them and they've held up. They're fast to get up and little things like the magnets are appreciated. Like any carbon fibre legs they could stick if they're really dirty. Maybe the reviewer had a pair that was over tightened?
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Same here, love mine, and agree about the reviewer.
 
I don't own the Flowtech legs but have used and rented them a few times. A DP friend of mine bought them and he loves them too.
They seem to be the best legs on the market for most uses (other than the biggest, heaviest duty O'Connor or Ronford heads for 1,000mm nature shooters).
I will eventually buy a set but my Miller Solos (I have a Carbon and an Alumminum set) work and are paid for so I am stuck with them for a while.

Vitec hit a home run with these
 
I'm using the FT75 and it's great and it feels a lot better than any 75mm tripod I've ever used.
 
puredrifting said:
I will eventually buy a set but my Miller Solos (I have a Carbon and an Alumminum set) work and are paid for so I am stuck with them for a while.
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I bought the 3 stage Miller Solos back in 2012 and they have become the longest lasting, most durable piece of equipment I own (along with my C300 MK 1 which is still kicking). I still use them to this day. And my gear gets put through the test. I've been the head cinematographer for The National Sierra Club and Sierra Magazine for a decade now. My Solo sticks have been through -25 degree temperatures in Alaska and Minnesota, in 110 degree sand and sun out in the Mojave desert, through the waters of the Grand Canyon, and drug through the dust while hiking along the border wall in Nogales. And though I'm really ashamed to admit this, those sticks haven't been serviced or cleaned in 8 years. Not once. And they still work like they're new. Their design is so simple that the dirt/dust seems to just fall right off them once you move them. They're still my go-to sticks for lightweight travel.

While the Solos can take a bit longer to setup, once you have the muscle memory down, it's fine. The only issue I have run into with them is when I have an AC with me and they're setting up my tripod for me. Miller is an Aussie company, and so the whole righty-tighty-lefty-loosey thing is backwards. You tighten them by screwing to the LEFT. That's fine for the owner, but for a random AC that might not know your equipment, it's a recipe for disaster. I witnessed my old Red Dragon take a nice 4' drop to solid concrete because my AC had thought he'd tightened those legs. I don't use them on sets now when I'm not the one setting them up.
 
How do you all clean your carbon fiber legs when they stick? Warm water and a cloth, white lithium grease or something else?
 
robotfist said:
Their design is so simple that the dirt/dust seems to just fall right off them once you move them. They're still my go-to sticks for lightweight travel.
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I really like my 3-stage aluminum Miller Solos too. Been thinking about these FlowTechs though for faster setup, and because I don't like having to guess what my camera height should be without easily being able to preview it.

I don't often hear anyone talking about other faster-deployment tripods like Sachtler Soom, HotPod, Cartoni SDS anymore. Are the FlowTechs that much better?
 
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robotfist said:
I bought the 3 stage Miller Solos back in 2012 and they have become the longest lasting, most durable piece of equipment I own (along with my C300 MK 1 which is still kicking). I still use them to this day. And my gear gets put through the test. I've been the head cinematographer for The National Sierra Club and Sierra Magazine for a decade now. My Solo sticks have been through -25 degree temperatures in Alaska and Minnesota, in 110 degree sand and sun out in the Mojave desert, through the waters of the Grand Canyon, and drug through the dust while hiking along the border wall in Nogales. And though I'm really ashamed to admit this, those sticks haven't been serviced or cleaned in 8 years. Not once. And they still work like they're new. Their design is so simple that the dirt/dust seems to just fall right off them once you move them. They're still my go-to sticks for lightweight travel.

While the Solos can take a bit longer to setup, once you have the muscle memory down, it's fine. The only issue I have run into with them is when I have an AC with me and they're setting up my tripod for me. Miller is an Aussie company, and so the whole righty-tighty-lefty-loosey thing is backwards. You tighten them by screwing to the LEFT. That's fine for the owner, but for a random AC that might not know your equipment, it's a recipe for disaster. I witnessed my old Red Dragon take a nice 4' drop to solid concrete because my AC had thought he'd tightened those legs. I don't use them on sets now when I'm not the one setting them up.
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My oldest set of Speedlocks are from late 2007... Never serviced and somehow still has all of the original feet.
 
QuickHitRecord said:
I really like my 3-stage aluminum Miller Solos too. Been thinking about these FlowTechs though for faster setup, and because I don't like having to guess what my camera height should be without easily being able to preview it.

I don't often hear anyone talking about other faster-deployment tripods like Sachtler Soom, HotPod, Cartoni SDS anymore. Are the FlowTechs that much better?
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I almost NEVER see HotPods anymore. They were popular with some news guys when stations used to buy real equipment. I've got a buddy with a few pair. I'm not a big fan. They're heavy and have a pretty limited height range. The biggest advantage I've seen with them, if you're shooting interviews and you need to make a hight adjustment without "re-bubbling". But you still can't do the "ped-up" live.

Overall BEST tripod currently available: Flowtech 100

2nd Best overall: Speedlocks

Fastest height adjustment traditional design: Flowtech

Fastest height adjustment specialty design: HotPod

Most versatile: Gitzo/Miller Solo/(or similar design)

Most aggravating to use: Gitzo/Miller Solo/(or similar design)
 
I have the older model Sachtler legs. This procedure seems like it might work as well for the older ones. Hopefully it does, they're sticking a lot & I've never tried to clean them.
 
mothmachine said:
How do you all clean your carbon fiber legs when they stick? Warm water and a cloth, white lithium grease or something else?
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One of my friends asked some of the guys on a race team one day what they use to clean their carbon fiber with and they replied Potpourri Pledge. When he asked why specifically Potpourri Pledge, they replied that was the same "flavor" the girls used to clean the pole at the strip club.
 
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