2022From a Facebook group: The Steadicam Group
Axial play in the Tiffen M1 gimbal after bearing replacement and tightening—when is it still within spec?
DisputedParticipants disagreed and reached no conclusion. Read the findings as positions, not as an answer.
What the thread found
- The manufacturer provided the M1 manual with tightening instructions and offered video inspection to assess the end play.
- On Tiffen Volt gimbals, the gimbal top can be tightened via the Volt Ring instead of requiring the Blue Whale Tool.
- Noticeable axial play sometimes appears during fast whip pans and rapid pan movements.
Depends on
- No consensus was reached on whether the observed play falls within normal tolerance for the M1.
Gear in this thread
Parts
Same gear or parts
- 2026Low-mode monitor selection for Volt Brain rig: latency performance of Transvideo Starlite versus current alternatives.DisputedFacebookThe Steadicam Group
- 2026Entry-level stabilizer strategy on a 15,000 USD budget: Rever EVO versus used Artemis 2 or M2 plus Volt, in a market with limited secondhand availability.DisputedFacebookThe Steadicam Group
- 2026Pan-bearing friction and image oscillation in Tiffen gimbals with Volt power cable: root cause and acceptance criteria.DisputedFacebookThe Steadicam Group
- 2026Upgrading an M1 Volt gimbal from 1.5-inch to 1.75-inch center rod: insert replacement procedure and encoder ring considerations.DisputedFacebookSteadicam operators group