Compact v Standard Harbron Tripod Easel

Should I Get the Compact or Standard Tripod Easel?

There are two tripod easel designs available from the Harbron Plein Air range. The difference between them is distinguished by the length of the body. The short body model is called the Harbron Compact Tripod Easel and the long body model is simply know as the Harbron Tripod Easel. So why wouldn't you just go for the long body model? 

The Harbron Compact Tripod Easel

The compact easel is my original design and the one I use most on my plein air excursions. This is mainly because I rarely work on surfaces higher than 12 inches which is the maximum height the Compact Tripod Easel can accommodate. These days I cut and prep. my own surfaces from 3mm or 6mm MDF board and they tend to be around 8 x 16 inch to 10 x 12 inch. I also like to do small studies on 5 x 7 inch. The Compact Tripod Easel accommodates all these sizes and holds the board firmly with no movement even when pressure is applied to the outer edges of the surface (with exception of my panoramic surfaces which flex a little at the outer side edges, but it is insignificant to me).     

The Harbron Tripod Easel

The standard tripod easel, with it's longer body, came about simply due to the number of requests for one! It soon became apparent to me that there are many artists out there who want to paint large surfaces en plein air. So this longer body model was produced to satisfy those requests. I don't often paint larger than 12 inch high surfaces outdoors, so I rarely take this easel with me. I do use it a lot in the studio though! That's where I often have more than one project on the go, and with the studio easel being taken, it's nice to have this more space efficient easel to get a second painting going. It is not as stable as a studio easel though and there is more movement at the outer side edges when pressure is applied to the surface. Outdoors, you will find the wind has a greater factor too, especially on those coastal or mountain locations. However, these factors affect other easel designs when painting large. 

Conclusions

The Harbron Compact Tripod Easel is the original design of the Harbron Plein Air range and was created specifically as a lightweight and compact solution to enable artists to access remote locations for painting en plein air without the cumbersome weight penalty that comes with French Easels or similar plein air options. The design is optimised to firmly hold surfaces up to 12 inch height without compromising on stability and is an excellent plein air system when coupled with a lightweight tripod. If you plan to cycle to locations, or walk any great distance with your equipment, and you tend to work relatively small (for example, up to 10 x 12 inch), then the compact easel offers an excellent lightweight solution. 

The standard Harbron Tripod Easel is a longer body easel that compromises a little on stability, to enable larger surfaces (up to 16 inch height) to be fixed for painting. The same minimalist design is applied to  maximise portability and enable artists to access remote locations without suffering any major weight penalty (the difference being only around 30 grams!). The standard easel will accommodate a greater range of surface sizes and is ideal for those more ambitious projects, or as a supporting easel in the studio. If portability is NOT the most important to you (for example, you paint next to, or near your car), or you want a space-efficient easel you can pop in the corner of your studio, then this standard tripod easel offers a greater range of surface sizes for a small sacrifice in stability.     

If you have any questions about the Harbron Plein Air Range, please get in touch.

Alex Harbron

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