The Ries Tripods business status thread

[Drew Wiley]

What do you mean? There never were mountain men in Chicago. And even Capone's public relations crew used a brand called Thompson instead.

[Vaughn]

Us real men use a old "Chicago" Majestic....

I had one...must have lent it out because I have not seen it for years. The geared head was nice, too, but there so many knobs and such on the dang 'pod it was tough to carry over a shoulder any significant distance. Which I did anyway...until I got the Ries A100/250.

But I got the Majestic at a yard sale for 25 bucks. I had to take the bent rod out of the gear head and bash it with a hammer to straighten it, but it worked fine after that.

[David Lindquist]

Us real men use a old "Chicago" Majestic....

Wynn Bullock combined both, here using a Ries tripod with a Majestic head: https://www.flickr.com/photos/johnlegweak/4161509897

I first saw this photograph many years ago, pre-internet, in the book The Photographer's Eye, John Szarkowski, Museum of Modern Art, New York.

I remember the story was that the Majestic tripod was originally made by a Chicago company called (I think) Modern Builders whose main product was scaffolding.

David

[Drew Wiley]

I've seen pictures of literal scaffolding being built to support giant frontier cameras. Every different location, another scaffold. A carpentry crew accompanied the photographer, and given some of the prairie locations, they must have brought along their own lumber too.

[MrFujicaman]

I had one...must have lent it out because I have not seen it for years. The geared head was nice, too, but there so many knobs and such on the dang 'pod it was tough to carry over a shoulder any significant distance. Which I did anyway...until I got the Ries A100/250.

But I got the Majestic at a yard sale for 25 bucks. I had to take the bent rod out of the gear head and bash it with a hammer to straighten it, but it worked fine after that.

I got the legs for the Majestic at a flea market about 1988 for a blistering $5. I had an adapter made so I could mount a Bogen 3047 head on it.

[r.e.]

I recently bought a Ries head and Ries tripod/head kit and the experience has left a lot to be desired. It took many many weeks, e-mails, and then a call to get them. The first head looked like it was cobbled together as I order the black knobs but received one black and one bronze, but hey a partial upgrade I guess. It was wrapped in bubble wrap put in a box and shipped, no packaging, paperwork or anything. It had spots of oil here an there on it and some chips off the paint plus it didn't even have their name anywhere on it. Looked more like a used one or a prototype.

Now the tripod kit, it had bad (almost no) threads on the camera screw and the tripod head screw. I sent those back for replacement and it took at least 3 weeks with e-mails and a call before he sent me anything. Keep in mind I was told he would ship out replacements the day he received them back. When I received the replacements, the knob on the tripod screw (for the tripod head) was sloppily pressed on crooked and the brass retaining hardware on both of the screws replaced was improperly machined and wouldn't even screw on at all. I have sent photos, more e-mails, and called but no one answered to try and get replacement brass retaining hardware. That's been a few days ago and nothing since.

I really like the idea and look of these tripods but it seems to me that the quality is not non-existent and since I've pretty much been "ghosted" now I'm wondering if they are basically in the process of closing their doors now.

Anybody else here try to deal with them recently?

Your experience is not unique. I'm aware of discussions via personal message and e-mail, involving credible people, about delays, communication and construction. People are reluctant to say anything in posts. Some of the posts in this thread show why. I purchased a tripod from Ries some months ago. The tripod was the last of a set that Ries was selling at a premium and had reason to take particular care of. I knew that the tripod was already made, photos suggested that construction was sound, and all Ries had to do was ship it. I'm happy with the tripod, less happy with the explanation that I was given for a delay in shipping, but the delay was minor. I would not have ordered a tripod from scratch.

[Svein]

I have ordered a tripod head from Ries. It was paid mid December. I have heard nothing from them, except an autoreply confirming the payment. No delivering confirmation. I have tried to contact them via their home page, mail and by phone without getting in touch with them. Have you similar experience with their service level? - or any idea on how to get in touch with them
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Svein

[bmikiten]

There are several threads addressing quality issues, a newer production facility and generally poor service over the last year. I suggest you continue to call them.

[Drew Wiley]

Everything slows down in December all kinds of places due to holidays and the shipping crunch. As formerly a buyer for an active company, I refused to order or ship anything past the first week of December due to all the seasonal temporary parcel service workers and temp truck drivers with all their chaos and theft. And Ries might actually need to make what you ordered; they don't necessarily have a surplus of that item on the shelf already. But if you sent your payment by mail, it is important to double check that it reached them. I never send payments by mail after the middle of December either - too much risk of loss in the Holiday crunch.

[r.e.]

But if you sent your payment by mail, it is important to double check that it reached them. I never send payments by mail after the middle of December either - too much risk of loss in the Holiday crunch.

Read Svein's post. Ries confirmed receipt of payment a month ago, has been silent ever since, has not shipped the head that he's paid for and is ignoring his attempts to communicate.