Slym Skater

B

brandonstastny

New member
Hey does anyone know if these are still available? I knew the guy used to sell them on ebay but it seems he's stopped production. Are there any other alternatives to the skater mini available? I'm looking to pick one up! If anyone has one for sale let me know, thanks.

Brandon
 
SlymSkater was too DIY for commercial productions anyway so feel free to look elsewhere. I have first hand experience.

T
 
I produce the slym skater. It for sure is DIY. I make these from my home out of Oak. Im would never dispute that my dolly is better than the Axis dolly or the P+S. If you have the $ buy those. My dolly is more for those who were interested in building from the plans gathered on this site but did not have the time or tools. I spend around 12 - 15 hours per dolly and use a number of tools. Brandon, I am still making these. You can contact me or just watch for the auctions. I make 2 or 3 a week depending on time. You can also order without a tripod head and supply your own.
 
I bought a Slym Skater and have been pleased with the results. It is DIY, but after giving a try at building my own (I spent enough on power tools to pay for the SS) and still didn't get a serviceable product -- it's a steal.
 
Slym Skater early thoughts

Slym Skater early thoughts

So it may be just us....but we don't get the Slym Skater. Here's why:

There are three individually moveable skate wheels that you can line up with a laser level. All cool. However, what we don't understand, and we'll talk more about it in our full review, is why not rotate the camera head?

Instead of moving three separate wheels and making sure they are perfectly aligned, why not simply keep them static and rotate the the camera mount.

We'll show you what we mean on the site next week....

That all said, it's still a cool tool and relatively inexpensive.
 
shoot-edit.com said:
So it may be just us....but we don't get the Slym Skater. Here's why:

There are three individually moveable skate wheels that you can line up with a laser level. All cool. However, what we don't understand, and we'll talk more about it in our full review, is why not rotate the camera head?

Instead of moving three separate wheels and making sure they are perfectly aligned, why not simply keep them static and rotate the the camera mount.

We'll show you what we mean on the site next week....

That all said, it's still a cool tool and relatively inexpensive.
Click to expand...


Youre review is going to suffer from ignorance which isn't a good way to start out. Having static wheels completely defeats the perpose of this type of dolly. It's not meant to simply be a tabletop dolly that moves back and forth. The whole point of a skaterdolly is that you can create rotation around any fixed point. You can lock it in on an obeject only inches away or many yards. The dolly will keep the object dead center while the world seems to move around it. Or set up a reverse rotation and do a smooth pan.
I've built one based on the plans provided by toenis and I have to say I believe results every bit as good as the P+S can be achieved with this system. This isn't rocket science here; just three rotating wheels. Gete some nice ABEC 5 bearings and you're good to go. I suggest you watch the videos on P+S to get an idea of just what this dolly can do. I have a feeling you havn't fully experimented with what this little spitfire is capable of.
 
Shoot Edit.com. The object is to move the camera smoothly around an object or subject. Check out the P&S website to see videos showing how it works.
 
Here's my version. VERY DIY.

Here's my version. VERY DIY.

Here's my attempt at the skater dolly. I was inspired by Rudy Meier's version. It cost about $25 bucks total.

Hardware
3 Rollerblade wheels (Sport's Authority $9)
3 Casters with removable nuts ($3 each)
3 butterfly nuts, screws, and washers (size 1/4)
1 piece of wood (check out scrap wood section-$1)

Tools
Jigsaw
Drill and 1/4 Size bit
 

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Bao: Wow! Now that looks like something I could actually do. :D

Did you put any markings on the bottom to know how to line up the wheels, or is all by feel?
 
It's mostly by eye (turning the wheels and locking them with the butterfly nuts). l plan on putting some markings on the wheel base and the wood so I can line them up for different options. The whole thing took me about 2 hours to make. I just finished making a track out of another piece of scrap wood from Home Depot. The bumpers are just 1/4 round.
 

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Wow, the shots in teh P+S site of the Skater mini looked really good, and shows how you can use it. I think i'm gonna buy a Slym Skater now!
Anyone got any suggestions for a portable, light surface for a Slym Skater?
 
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I am looking to get a skater dolly. Can anyone articulate the features that the PS version has that I would be missing out on with a Slym or an Axis dolly?
 
I have the Slym Skater. It works pretty damn good. But I had to change the head to a cheap bogen ball head. (the one it comes with only moves forward or back)
It works great for the price, it is homemade style, but it works. I have never seen or used the P+S version so I can't really say how much different they are.
 
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