saadasound Posted October 17, 2011 Report Share Posted October 17, 2011 I've been using K-tek for some time now, but wanted to know of any other boom poles that would be able to extend 12ft. and over, be lightweight and have low/no noise with an internal coiled cable. Any suggestions? Thanks, Steve Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
studiomprd Posted October 17, 2011 Report Share Posted October 17, 2011 (edited) Hi, Steve, and welcome... One of many things we have here are various opinions and preferences regarding boom poles, and because the choice is ultimately personal and subjective, I suggest you do some reading on this sight, and if the site search is wonky, try Google search, as Google crawls this site regularly. Keep in mind for long poles, that along with length and weight, strength + rigidity become important, as well as balance. K-Tek, for example offers a "Hodges effect " counterweight accessory. In addition to maximum extended length another factor will be minimum collapsed size & number of sections. yep, lots of options...and many folks find that an internal coiled cable is not usually the best choice for lowest noise in long poles... yep, lots of options, and opinions. We have (active here) several "usual suspects", professional production sound dealers who specialize in the products we use, and carry and know the various brands and models. The dealers closest to you are probably Marty Atias <Marty@atscomms.com> in the Washington DC area, and Vark Audio, also nearby.. As to your question specifically: are you not satisfied with your K-Tek pole(s) ?? They are very highly respected, there are lots of models, including the Studio (long) poles, and customer support and service are tops! Yes, there are other fine, quality options, and as the folks at our "usual suspects" specialty dealers are not on commission, you can count on them for honest, quality advice, and support, with minimal bias, often based on customer feedback... You include VDB in your tags, and they are a popular offshore alternative, as are Panamec, and Ambient. Made in the USA includes K-Tek and PSC All have their fans, and pros & cons, and all are comparably priced. There are some other brands (Gitzo comes to mind) so best you talk to a knowledgeable production sound Pro dealer.to help you sort out the better options for your specific needs. (note: B+H is not one of our "usual suspects", as they are a mass marketing box house, and their folks are on commissions.) Edited October 17, 2011 by studiomprd Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
saadasound Posted October 17, 2011 Author Report Share Posted October 17, 2011 Thanks for the advice, Mike. I've spent a good amount of time looking on the site and found a lot of good advice. It's not that I don't like my k-tek, it's that my rig is already about 40 lbs. and I'm looking for something that will help with that without losing any reach. I ended up purchasing a PD 606 about a year ago at a really good price, but it's really not meant for the OTS jobs that I'm getting. Looking to sell it (which it has been posted here) and get a 744T and 442/552 mixer to make life a lot easier for myself. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jim Gilchrist Posted October 17, 2011 Report Share Posted October 17, 2011 Vark Audio is also in the DC/Baltimore area and they carry several lines of poles and usually have at least a few in stock. Also a great resource for custom fabrication. Best regards, Jim Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
studiomprd Posted October 17, 2011 Report Share Posted October 17, 2011 (edited) thanks, that's more helpful information... do you have a K-Tek Klassik pole (graphite/CF)?? My experience is that the differences amongst poles of similar spec's and reach, tend to be fairly close (ounces) on weight, For example the K-152 weighs 1.34 pounds, and the PSC Elite Large (4" shorter at max) weighs 1.13 pounds which is about 3 oz less. " also in the DC/Baltimore area " Thanks, Jim.... I thought there was someone else in that region... Edited October 19, 2011 by studiomprd Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dfisk Posted October 18, 2011 Report Share Posted October 18, 2011 For example the K-152cc weighs 1.56 pounds, and the PSC Elite Large (4" shorter at max) weighs 1.13 pounds which is about 6 oz less. " Hey Senator, just a quick note, you are comparing a cabled pole to a non-cabled pole there. The proper uncabled comparison would be the K-152, which is 1.34 pounds. Adding a cable to a pole will add weight, as well as adding length, no matter the manufacturer. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Boomboom Posted October 19, 2011 Report Share Posted October 19, 2011 ... But *it depends* which cable... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dfisk Posted October 19, 2011 Report Share Posted October 19, 2011 Well, yeah, that's true, but adding anything that has mass will add weight...unless you are working in deep space. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
studiomprd Posted October 19, 2011 Report Share Posted October 19, 2011 Thanks Dave, and sorry... I intended to compare apples to apples... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
taylormadeaudio Posted October 19, 2011 Report Share Posted October 19, 2011 what if he gripped it by the husk? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
taylormadeaudio Posted October 19, 2011 Report Share Posted October 19, 2011 I have a couple of K-Tek poles (16' w coiled internal cable, and 21' with straight internal cable) and a couple VdB's. The VdB's are more rigid, but the K-Tek poles are still my favorite. I still keep my VdB 6' on the follow cart for when my boom op needs to squeeze into a tight space. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
saadasound Posted October 19, 2011 Author Report Share Posted October 19, 2011 I have the aluminum KE 110 with right exit. It's an OK pole, but I could really use something lighter and with better locking knobs. I'm hearing some good things about Loon poles, but not sure what I want to do. I've used the K-tek carbon fiber poles and they're great. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
studiomprd Posted October 19, 2011 Report Share Posted October 19, 2011 Loon ?? take a look at " Loons ready to pump out some poles " under NEWS and Announcements. The KE series poles are (heavier) aluminum. Why aren't you on the phone with K-Tek, PSC, or a dealer ?? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Boomboom Posted October 20, 2011 Report Share Posted October 20, 2011 How are the k-tek locking knobs compared to the VdB ones (last versions of VdBs) ? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Olle Sjostrom Posted October 20, 2011 Report Share Posted October 20, 2011 I have a PSC elite large pole. It's lightweight and rigid. Extremely satisfied. I don't have an internal cable, I dont like it much for drama. For eng I always go with K-tek cus all the tv companies here have deals with the rental houses and they supply k-tek only... So I wont have any luck trying to rent them my psc. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ed Denton Posted October 20, 2011 Report Share Posted October 20, 2011 I loooooove my Ambient carbon fibre pole. Not internally cabled because you add a hell of a lot more cable when its spiralled compared to a straight mic cable. Over a 5 meter pole that is a lot of dead weight. But each to their own. You may trade that extra weight for the convenience of an internal cable. The Ambient poles can be retro-fitted with an internal cable afterward if you change your mind. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
studiomprd Posted October 20, 2011 Report Share Posted October 20, 2011 " ...locking knobs compared to the... " subjective, personal choice. I know that a lot of thought went into the K-Tek "dimpled" knobs.... those dimples are carefully engineered at an angle, not flat. My boomers (and I) have liked them for years! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Boomboom Posted October 21, 2011 Report Share Posted October 21, 2011 I was more referring to the locking mechanism. I got two poles, one caught rain once and never locked tight again while the other went through lots of heavy rain-snow-sand-etc and still works A1A. Incidently, I prefer the second pole's collars (the dimples) way over the other that doesn't lock anymore. So it's a full win for the second pole... I remember having worked with Ambients several times and loved it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
studiomprd Posted October 21, 2011 Report Share Posted October 21, 2011 " for the second pole... " ?? At K-Tek, the poles with the dimples came first. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Boomboom Posted October 22, 2011 Report Share Posted October 22, 2011 Second pole:the one that did the job A1A throughout time and got the design I prefer. I was referring to two different brands... I might check a K-tek eventually;I just saw the one that got the angle in the middle for long interviews -amongst others- and didn't like it since it's heavier than a standard straight model. I'd have to see and try a straight model... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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