Apparently Sachtler has heard all the bad experiences folks have had with the aluminum sticks sold as part of the lightweight Ace package.

Listed below is the result of my correspondence with Barbara Jaumann, Shactler Product Manager . After her email was posted here at DVInfo.net, I wrote her. She responded very quickly and finally said said they have not changed the design but have changed the way they are manufactured.

Here is my exchange with her:

Hi Barbara,
Thanks for writing back.

I am not sure how to interpret your comment about the aluminum legs. When you say that "
it needs to be reliable as all other Sachtler products and we have made sure it is now." are you saying that the design or construction has been modified from the original? I don't mean to put you on the spot, but I am wondering if there has been a change that will create a more reliable product.

Thanks again for being so responsive to one small, but devoted, customer.
Ron

Barbara Jaumann
9:52 AM (8 minutes ago)
to me

Hi Ron,

We have not changed the design of the tripod, but made some changes in the manufacturing process.

Best regards
Barbara

Selling the head separately would solve the problem.

Ron, do you know if they are replacing faulty products? And where have you seen other people complaints? I have one where one of the legs comes off when I open it!

Erick,
I have no knowledge of the changes that Barbara mentions earlier in this thread. The problem you have seems to be very typical based on my conversation with my local rental house. It might be worth contacting Sachtler directly.

The new Ace system with carbon fiber legs seems to be a solid build with a few nice bonus features like better markings, higher load capacity, rubber spike covers that attach like the larger Sachtler tripods, and an illuminated bubble level.

I have only had one for a week so I can't comment on long term reliability, but so far it looks good.

Thank you for the reply Ron, I'll contact Sachtler and post a follow up.

I posted the following comments in another thread, but since I started this one I thought I should post my conclusions after two months of use.

I am very happy with the performance of the ACE L carbon fiber tripod and head. It was lent to me by Sachtler and I now plan to buy one.

I am producing what is expected to be a broadcast doc on national healthcare.
Just finished shooting a reenactment of an actual event during which the husband of the Dean of a major nursing college has a stroke while waiting to board a plane at O'Hare Airport in Chicago. It may well be the opening scene of the program and will definitely be part of the trailer. You can see why I wanted it to be very high value production.

I shoot lots of verite' docs myself. For this scene I hired an outstanding DP because he will make it look great. His comment on the Sachtler tripod: "It is clearly the best lightweight tripod available. I have used many of the other tripods in this class. The Sachtler is the only one I want on the job."

My take on the ACE L: It is light weight and quick to setup for two-man, fast action documentary work. It is smooth and responsive for executing careful moves on photographs and artwork. It has been exactly what I and my DP needed in every situation we encountered. Still testing? Nope, I am sold.

Does the ACE L have any shortcomings? Well, actually it did come up short in one way. We were using a Dana Dolly on the airport shoot. The threaded bolt in the bottom of the head that goes through the tripod bowl was not long enough to make the connection. We had to use another manufacturer's head when using the dolly.

In every other way, I love this setup.
Ron

I've used and owned Sachtler tripods and heads for over 25 years and they make the best sticks out there IMHO. Have used Vinten, Cartoni & Miller and always ended up with Sachtlers.

I did a lot of research on this board to buy my first fluid head tripod (thanks for all your knowledge!). I really considered the Vinten Vision Blue, but decided on the Sachtler Ace L due to the price and extra weight capacity. If you guys are interested, I've got a review up on my website here. Keep in mind, I'm not a pro so it's based on my limited experience. Overall, I'm happy with it so far. I plan to do more extensive testing in the coming weeks.

Sachtler Ace L - A DSLR Filmmaker's Review — Keil Productions, LLC (http://keilproductions.com/blog/sachtler-ace-l-review)

Thank you for your input Andrew. This is the first review of the ACE L I read.

I'm glad you found it helpful - there are so many options to choose from, I probably spent way too much time researching tripods and their manufacturers. This wasn't a terrible thing, considering it gave me time to save up money for the purchase! I couldn't find a great deal of information on people's personal experience with the Ace L (besides a few videos from conferences), though it only existed in demo form before I pre-ordered it. I figured my review was a way of giving back to people in the community who detailed their thoughts on countless other tripods and fluid heads.

Now, I just have to find a great place to shoot a test video with it. I live in Arizona, and the summer heat is coming on already!

Apparently Sachtler has heard all the bad experiences folks have had with the aluminum sticks sold as part of the lightweight Ace package.

Listed below is the result of my correspondence with Barbara Jaumann, Shactler Product Manager . After her email was posted here at DVInfo.net, I wrote her. She responded very quickly and finally said said they have not changed the design but have changed the way they are manufactured.

Here is my exchange with her:

Hi Barbara,
Thanks for writing back.

I am not sure how to interpret your comment about the aluminum legs. When you say that "
it needs to be reliable as all other Sachtler products and we have made sure it is now." are you saying that the design or construction has been modified from the original? I don't mean to put you on the spot, but I am wondering if there has been a change that will create a more reliable product.

Thanks again for being so responsive to one small, but devoted, customer.
Ron

Barbara Jaumann
9:52 AM (8 minutes ago)
to me

Hi Ron,

We have not changed the design of the tripod, but made some changes in the manufacturing process.

Best regards
Barbara

Several weeks ago, I contacted Sachtler to try and find out how one would know if a given tripod of this model had been manufactured under the old or the new process. Within a few days I heard back saying my request would be forwarded to appropriate department. Never heard another word. Anyone know the answer to this?