Though not a new piece of Technology, I am in total awe of PS Technik’s Skater Mini Dolly. Discovering this demo reel only further reinforced the versatility and solid design of the Mini Dolly in my mind- and why I would own one if my wallet were suddenly 5 thousand dollars fatter.
5 THOUSAND Dollars??? Reading around the forums, most users seem to be equally astonished at the price. Sure, it’s precise, but isn’t it basically 3 skate wheels and a mount?! It also happens to be the most original concept on the market- and it looks like what you are paying for most is the concept. (And a highly patented one at that.)
Surely there has to be something even *close* with a slightly less demanding price tag?? For several years, the answer has been NO. Although on DVXUser, a guy named Texanite was briefly selling his DIY version. Unfortunately, he had so many requests to build one, he eventually called it quits (somewhere around Skater #10.)
It looked like this:
But where there is demand, there is eventually supply. I was browsing Ebay the other day, and ran into the junk-crap-cheapo *ahem.. * ..Indie version for 120.00.
Pictured here:
I don’t usually go for cheap junk, but it does still appear to be the only alternative to selling a kidney for the PS Technik Skater. (What’s a Kidney go for these days anyway??) And with the diminished size of the Epic, it just may work- at least for something. Either way, it could serve as a good jumping off point if I were able to improve upon the original design- or just end up using it as a rolling Hi Hat.
From first glance, there are definitely design issues. Without a proper reference, the degree marks look only slightly more than useless- and the wheels are at the end of the spokes instead of in the middle like the PS Technik, so weight may be an issue. Also, the wheels will be unable to rotate a full 360 degrees, and from the look of the triangular design, aligning the wheels for certain movements may throw off the balance enough to topple the rig:) But it got my interest enough to seriously consider trying it out with some well deserved Christmas bonus cash. (Well deserved because I had to lead music for our Christmas Service with Strep Throat) Anyhow.. It does have a 7 Day return Policy..
Ordered. If there is any useability to this at all, I will certainly document it here.
Keep ya Posted.
PROBALSLEY 