Help sell me on why you like yours. Muddy and the 3rd Arm are my top 2 choices thus far. The LW lags behind only due to its arm length.. which is like 18"... or very little. I've used the Muddy arm and loved it in the past even though it weighs in at like 32 pounds. What say we?? Which do you prefer and why. Thanks.
I picked up a 3rd arm a couple of months ago. I've had it in a tree 3 times so far. It's really lightweight for the size. Very smooth moving and silent. Easy to level once on the tree and has good reach. Other than that I'm no expert, but the boss man Todd really likes his and gives it high marks, for whatever that's worth. Just in case you missed it. http://www.bowhunting.com/blog/post...rm-to-the-3rd-Arm-Camera-Arm-this-season.aspx
I don't make a dime on suggesting anything, so I could care less what you buy :D... but I LOVE my Muddy. Why? I really can't see how anything could have much more quality built into it... I'm just SUPER impressed with how well-built this thing is.
Duke I don't have a stake in it and I know you may not want to go to HNI and look but Passthru's camera Arm I do like the arm.
Jason's arm looks nice, I just don't like the strap/leveling system. Very similar to the LW which IMO has some limits on adjustability and never seemed to lock in quite tight enough. The ratchet strap is definitely much more secure. That said, I don't think you can go wrong with either the Muddy or the 3rd Arm. I need to play with the 3rd arm more before I can really decide. I'll try to snag Graf's and we can mess around with it during our filming night....whenever that is.
I've used a 3rd Arm the past two seasons in a row, and after switching to Muddys this year....I feel like I traded in a Ford Pinto for a Cadillac.....No comparison IMO. I don't own either, but have spent a lot of time with both, and am fixing to purchase a Muddy of my own for backup. The Muddy is a tank, couldn't be quicker or easier to level, and can handle the heaviest of cameras....Their lowest grade arm is really nice, but the middle grade one is a noticeable difference better. I LOVE the rubberized finish on it. That said, one thing 3rd arm makes is their Mini arm for a second camera angle...That thing is Freaking sweet. Weighs literally less than a bow hanger arm, and is PERFECT for angling a second angle from above, the side, wherever.
Trevor - you're spot on with the mini 3rd arm. Todd picked up a couple of them and they are sweet! I'll be using one for my 2nd camera angle this fall. And having used the first Muddy arm the past two seasons and liking it, I think I'm really going to like the new arm. From what I've seen they've pretty much addressed the few shortfalls of the arm I have now, which could make it darn near perfect. It's essentially a smaller version of the HB Sniper Pro from what I've seen.
I have one and don't really like it for the reasons above. Once you get it set, its solid, but its hard to get it level.
I use the Huntcamcradle with a 501 HD head and I love it!Very light ,smooth and very quiet to set up.
I'm assuming if I just bought one last month I got the newer one? Any way to tell? Or is it just the Boss Hawg they made changes to? I bought the Outfitter series for my smaller cam...
The Outfitter arm is the same one they've had for a few years now. There's nothing wrong with it persay, especially for a smaller (handheld 1 CCD) camera. The issue I had with the bigger camera was sag in the arm when it was fully extended out. You just can't get the side to side adjustment knobs tight enough to hold 10 lbs or so when it's fully extended out, so the arm would sag and bounce a bit. The new Hunter arm is bigger to it supports more weight, and it has machined grooves on the two plates that support the side to side adjustments. So once you lock it down it won't move or sag on you. That particular arm is really built to handle the middle sized cameras like the XHA1, Z5U, etc. Stuff that's going to weigh 7-8 lbs plus the weight of the head.
Thanks thus far for the responses gents.. about what I figured. I'll have to look at the two "others" mentioned in this thread though.. never heard of either.
