How good is the Matthews Dolly?

[David Baumber]

I'm in the market for a good solid dolly that will last me the rest of my carear (how long that will be is anyone's guess).

I like the look of the matthews doorway and roundy round but never used them. Pricey but worth the expense?

 

[Jason Beckwith]

You can never go wrong with Matthews gear.

Solid stuff.

 

[Douglas Underdahl]

They are great until you come to a crack in the floor, or you want to go from the floor to the carpet, or use them on gravel, sand, grass . . . . then you're going to have to lay track.

 

[Pete Lutz]

I own a roundy round dolly. I love it. It is TONS better with track for sure. I have gotten some great shots without track though for sure, it's just finicky about the surface it's on. They all are.

 

[SeanBrown]

used the Matthews a bunch love it.On and off track.

 

[Alexander Thomson]

Ahhhhhh the good old orange Matthews dolly. I've used it quite a bit, very smooth, stable, 10 times better when on tracks.

 

[Michael Mayda]

Bulletproof. Dependable. Easy to transport. Great for just moving gear around. Good downhill racer...

 

[Andy Jarosz]

Very easy to use, very smooth, can take a beating and keep going.

Been thinking of modifying one to have ice skates...

 

[Alexander Ibrahim]

Matthews are OK.

I've used them plenty, and they serve. Honestly though they leave me wanting a bit more performance.

I'm starting prototyping soon on my own doorway dolly though.

To borrow from Jarred, "Heh heh."

 

[Andrew Patterson]

I've had the Round-D-Round for almost five years and if you keep it on smooth concrete, tile, etc. then you will get extremely smooth shots, in my opinion.

For me personally, I wanted a dolly that could do tight orbit moves -- and to get circular moves you typically need a round track -- and most don't fit in a typical room. So this lets me get everything from super tight circular-rounding product shots to wide circular drifting orbits -- and then does all the other straight stuff you could want. That to me is worth the asking price.

For $2500, you can't beat its feature set.

 

[Douglas Underdahl]

For a track dolly, one that you and an assistant can ride, that works on straight and (our own ) tight curved track, might I suggest the original skateboard dolly: longvalleyequip.com

I designed it because doorway dollies need very smooth surfaces, and smooth surfaces are only there a small percentage of the time.

 

[Brian F Kobylarz]

I'm in the market for a good solid dolly that will last me the rest of my carear (how long that will be is anyone's guess).

I like the look of the matthews doorway and roundy round but never used them. Pricey but worth the expense?

The Matthews Doorway Dolly is well built and will last a lifetime of use - no matter how long your career may be. If memory serves me right, I've had mine since the early 80's. Chrome and paint are flaking a bit, but all parts remain in working order.
The staff at Matthews is a hard team to beat. They do a great job thinking through their products, build them well and are receptive to customer input.

Pricey? I would not consider it so - especially once you factor in the longevity and low maintenance costs. In my case, that initial investment translates to less than $ 80 per year.

I did invest in a second Matthews doorway dolly - that is perhaps one regret - looking back, I should have picked up a Western Dolly - or similar product instead. Balloon / large pneumatic tires help out a lot on those ceramic tile cracks, carpet to tile thresholds or outdoor parking lots.
So I added a lot of precision track and sled wheels to the collection. Then a jib or two - just because vertical moves are important too. All of a sudden, you need a truck just for all the camera support.

Think about the type of projects you may end up on. There are many ways to move cameras now.
Look at the various sliders on the market -
Look at a CamTram.
You can add a lot of capability in a small package - some of which will not require additional crew members - or a larger vehicle. There is something to be said about portability.

 

[David Baumber]

Thanks everyone for your invaluable input. I baught the Matthews Roundy Round today and expect delivery in January. I've found a really good dealer here in the UK and seem to have avoided much of the import freight charges I was worried about coming from the US. I'll buy track and Centipede later on but can hire as much as I need in the meantime. I'll let you know how I get on. Thanks again and it's much appreciated.