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Arrow 55 Group Buy?

M

Mark B.

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If we did a group buy of the Miller Arrow 55 head, how many of you would be interested in joining that venture?
 
Mizael said:
ide be interested, what is the discount and timeframe? need it in a month latest!
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The discount would depend on how many people are interested in getting a discount (circular, I know).

What we'd want to do is get a rough estimate of the total number of people interested in buying a head, then send that number to Miller to get a quote. We'd then pass that quote back to the group and see if the discount is acceptable or not. If some people then decide to back out or others decide to jump in, it might change the offer and we'd have to repeat the process. It depends on how Miller handles the numbers, whether they quantize their discount. Eventually, we'd reach some sort of stasis in the pricing.

Time frame is an unknown at this point. How much time should we give people on the board before we have a solid sampling of interest? Should we give people extra time to get their finances in order, or should we assume that everyone has already set aside money for a head and is now just looking for the best deal?
 
Lowkus said:
The discount would depend on how many people are interested in getting a discount (circular, I know).
Click to expand...

You'd be better off asking Miller for a 10 person and 20 person price and put that up first so people could get an idea.

So.. group buy doesn't happen without 10 people (or 5 or whatever) and that price is $XXXX. With 20 people the price would be $XXXX.

There's no reason for a bunch of back and forth and time delay to get an estimate. There's someone at Miller that knows what they're willing to do for 20 units right now.
 
Miller is contractually obligated to sell through their dealer network, of which Abel is one. A group buy deal could be put together, but a dealer would have to be involved. If you or Miller would like us to be the ones then we're happy to work with you. This is what we did on the big Arri mattebox & followfocus group buy.
 
Arri deal

Arri deal

Hi Mitch,

I must of missed the Big Arri Mattebox & FF unit? Is that done?

Thanks.
 
The original Arri is deal is done, closed out back in January. But since then we've instituted a special RED kit price on these and other items. Information is available on our website's RED store or you can always contact us directly for a quote.
 
I'm going to need a new head for my RED ("redhead", haha), and would consider the Arrow 55, although I'm also considering Cartoni, O'Connor, and Panther models. The right price on a unit would go some way toward helping me make up my mind.
 
My 2 cents, for what they're worth, are :

If you plan to mostly use your camera yourself, and want something of quality, but not too big ; go with the Arrow 55. It is the 100mm bowl head that can take the heaviest load, I would however get the HD aluminium legs, definitly not the CF legs.

If you plan to rent your camera, get a 150mm head, that is the industry standard, and most DPs want a sturdy head, that can take big loads. I would go with the O'Connor 2060 myself.

Personnally I've got an Arrow 55, but think I should have gone with the O'Connor as we do rent our camera out quite a lot and most DPs don't want the Miller.

Cheers,
Damien
 
Frankly I think you all should be looking at the Miller DS-60 instead of the Arrow 55. It's a far beefier head that is much more appropriate for the RED and we have an excellent deal on it for REDusers. It's a 150mm ball head with an all around better build than the Arrow 55. It's tough stuff and still light enough for general shooting.
 
I've been using Miller Arrow 55 tripods for over a year now with my RED cameras, and I've been very happy with them. They're relatively affordable, the head action is excellent, and I've found it more than enough tripod for RED One. I've loaded it with every size cine set up imaginable, from a fully accessorized Optimo 24-290 (55 pound load), down to the smallest cine primes, every size 35mm still lens setup possible (Canon FD 150-600, Nikon 400, Nikon 50-300, Nikon 17-35, Nikon 14, etc.), and large to small B4 HD zoom setups (Fujinon 42x, Canon 40x, Fujinon 22x, Fujinon 13x, etc.) - and the Miller 55 has handled all it easily, with excellent head performance, easy adjustability, and relatively lightweight mobility when needed.

I use two different sets of sticks with my Miller 55 heads: Miller single stage aluminum alloy for heavy loads for general indoor and stationary outdoor use, and Miller SOLO 1505 VJ spreader-less carbon fiber sticks for more moderate loads and mobile outdoor shooting.

For super-big loads, above 55 pounds, when I'll be stationary, I also have an O'Connor 2575 - but frankly though it is a superb tripod, it was a poor investment for me because 98% of the time me and my crews are using a Miller Arrow 55 because its the better choice for what we do - mobile production with loads below 55 pounds.

Show me a DP or cinematographer who turns up his nose at a Miller 55, and I'll show you a DP or cinematographer who probably hasn't tried one, is probably influenced by peer pressure to use what a lot of others around him are using, and with that kind of a closed mind probably won't be working for me.

On top of all that, I've found Miller customer service to be excellent.

IMO the Miller 55 is one of the very best tripod choices a RED One owner or user can make. No, I haven't been using Miller throughout my career. In fact I've traditionally used O'Connor, Vinten, and Sachtler, which are all excellent tripod lines. I have no connection with Miller or a Miller dealer - I just happen to really like their tripods after putting them to extreme testing for over a year now with RED One. They're good tripods...
 
If it's good enough for Gibby...

I've just sought a quote for two here in Sydney (A$5925 including GST for the 1718 system)--if the price is cheaper than what I can get locally (including shipping to Oz) then count me in. Would you be getting sticks as well as heads (I need sticks too)?
 
I would be interested ...
 
Mitch Gross said:
The original Arri is deal is done, closed out back in January. But since then we've instituted a special RED kit price on these and other items. Information is available on our website's RED store or you can always contact us directly for a quote.
Click to expand...


Thanks Mitch,

I will check it out.

Thanks.
 
Hey Jim, where did you look for your quote in Sydney? I'm in Sydney too and planning on the Arrow 55 in the next month or so..

I'd also be in for a group buy if the price makes sense..
 
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