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Originally Posted by Marvin Mattelson
With all due respect Richard this just isn't true.
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Marvin, it's always a pleasure to be called a liar . . .
respectfully. The operative word (as it was for Kipling) is
IF, and much depends upon it, in the opinion I posted.
Years ago when I was outfitting my then-new studio I found this to be true enough
for me. I built my own "monster" and five student easels for much less than a fourth of what comparable equipment would have cost "off the rack". At the time, my expenditure of time was well paid for hours I could spare, considering the actual dollar difference, and the flexibility of being able to impose my own notions of effective design and material quality still pays me dividends in satisfaction.
For a busy professional who also teaches, there's no doubt in my mind that it is more cost-effective to buy "ready-made". As for hating your previous gear/screw easel, as it was custom made, perhaps the gear-ratio and thread pitch were not optimal for your requirements? The possibilities for that detail alone are nearly infinite. Perhaps your work habits require as much vertical movement of the piece as painting? My easel raises / lowers the tray an inch and a half for each turn of the crank; the screw could easily support a five-ton truck, and the motion is effortless.
Speaking of cranks, unfortunately I tend towards vehemence when discussing subjects that interest me, and the general high cost of "professional" easels for the indifferent quality I perceive is one. It's good to know you are thoroughly pleased with your Hughes . . . the whole point of having a "good" easel is to be able to apply one's self entirely to painting, and never have to give the d***ed thing another thought.