Review of the SUNPAK PRO 423PX Carbon Fiber Tripod

[Brock A]

I wanted to do a review on this tripod after using it for a few hunts. I'll start off by saying Littlebuf is the one that showed me this and I'm glad he did. I have Amazon prime and use it for everything. After searching for it on there I found it for $99 plus free shipping (prime membership) and I thought its worth a try. Well I noticed the had an "used but like new" one in stock for $79 so I bought that one. It came still in the original packaging so basically I got a new one. Keep in mind this is a tripod designed for cameras and doesn't have the backpacker in mind so a little modifications were necessary.

Out of the box weight was just a hair over 3lbs.

I then looked at what I didn't need or could replace and came up with this pile of extras.

. Neoprene leg wrap
. Weight hook
. Bubble level
. Feet
. Head stem

I cut the neoprene off easy with my havalon, weight hook simply unscrewed, 13 1/2" stem swapped out with a 5" stem(included in box), level held on with a few small screws and had a buddy machine me up the feet. Here a few pics of the mods.

Long stem

Short stem

New feet vs old feet

I simply epoxied the new feet in and I was ready to go. Finished weight was 2lb 8 1/8oz

Finished product

I like how the legs will extend out to lower it giving it more versatility when setting it up.

Also its a 3 piece legs make standing to glass nice.

As far as the pistol grip goes, it works OK. Its kind of small in my opinion but looking at the tripod overall its not a big deal. Functionality of it is smooth.

Anyway, just thought I'd put this out there for an affordable option for everyone. If you have any other questions just let me know and I'll do my best to answer them. Also maybe Littlebuf can add his thoughts.

 

[Matt W.]

Nice! Thanks for the write up. Its a lot of fun to make something work the way you want it to.

 

[Brock A]

It is indeed. If I get real crazy I'll replace all the bolts with aluminum ones and shave a other ounce or two. I'll have to be really bored to do that though.

 

[Justin Crossley]

If you take the bolts out, I can probably get some titanium replacements for you. They would be lighter and stronger.

 

[Eric S]

Nice work on the customization Brock. I didn't think about striping my tripod. No detail escapes the Brock.

 

[WyoBowhunter21]

Is that a 50 in your picture? Do you think it would handle my viper 80?

 

[Brock A]

Is that a 50 in your picture? Do you think it would handle my viper 80?

No its the Razor 85mm. It would handle your Viper 80 no problem.

 

[WyoBowhunter21]

Perfect. Thanks brock. I will take a look at it and see. I wanted a combo like that. What was the final weight after mods?

 

[Brock A]

Perfect. Thanks brock. I will take a look at it and see. I wanted a combo like that. What was the final weight after mods?

2lb 8oz

 

[WyoBowhunter21]

Thanks Brock. I am going to order one in the next few hours, hopefully!

 

[Brock A]

PM me your address and I'll send you a set of feet if you want them.

 

[WyoBowhunter21]

I just checked out amazon and it looks like they are running $122 now. I will shop around and see if I can find them cheaper. I will pm you when I find it and I can send you some postage money for the feet.

 

[Brock A]

I just checked out amazon and it looks like they are running $122 now. I will shop around and see if I can find them cheaper. I will pm you when I find it and I can send you some postage money for the feet.

Yeah let me know if you get one. I'll see what I can't dig up tomorrow.

 

[Hardstalk]

Too funny! Ive been rocking the same tripod for about a year now. The head will eventually wear out and not hold steady (in my experience) I just put a manfrotto on it and it works great. I did however put white plastic guards instead of the sharp ends you used. Ill get some pics in a few.

 

[Hardstalk]

 

[littlebuf]

ive been meaning to get on here and comment. great write up brock. one thing that really surprised me is how great the head holds heavy scopes. brock and i run the same combo of this tri pod with a razor 85 on top. you can turn the head with the scope on it completely horizontal and it holds like a rock. thats a 4 pound scope on a "budget" tri pod. pretty impressive. one thing i did was turn all the clamps in on mine. makes it a liltte smoother going in and out of the long pockets on my T1. so far three guys that ive shown this tripod to have bought one after seeing it in person. two of witch put the same scope on top. it really is a great combo

 

[WyoBowhunter21]

Looking good HardStalk. I can deal with the head eventually wearing out. If the head works for a little bit that would be awesome. I have some shed hunting to do. I may just bite the bullet and buy it on amazon for 122. haha

 

[littlebuf]

head on mine is going strong over a year in to owning it. and i use the hell out of it. like everything im sure there's variances in longevity. but when it does give up you still have a great set of carbon fiber legs that are very lite and sturdy to put a upgraded head on. pretty well a no risk purchase if you ask me

 

[Hardstalk]

Looking good HardStalk. I can deal with the head eventually wearing out. If the head works for a little bit that would be awesome. I have some shed hunting to do. I may just bite the bullet and buy it on amazon for 122. haha

For what it is ($ wise) its a great piece of gear. There are times I leave it behind and grab the pro gt from vortex (heavy as hell but sturdy as a rock!) But when weight counts I usually grab the sunpak. It will give you some sway in the wind though. Im a short guy 5'6" and even with the short neck installed, while I'm standing up with an angled spotter it will shake a bit. I consider it pretty minimalist. You sacrifice a bit of stability for weight savings. Weather or not its worth it is a personal decision. I think Aron said once in a review that the rc2 head could beat a bear to death and keep working great. If you end up having issues with the stock head I really suggest the rc2 with a trimmed panning handle. I got the plastic end caps for the tripod at home depot for like 36 cents a piece.

Also, I was just reminded by my wife while taking pictures how fast time flies... She bought this tripod for me a little over 3 years ago. (Could explain my difference of experience with the stock head compared to others)

 

[Brock A]

Nice input Hardstalk, glad its still working for ya!