Brief:
It is possible t' be involved in high power rocketry without your own pad. Usually you fly with a club and can use t' club's pads. Begad! Still thar are plenty of times when a good high power pad is a necessity. Many high power launches ask folks t' brin' their own pads. Ahoy! I'll be proud t' brin' me QuadPod t' any launch. Aye aye! For t' past year, ya bilge rat, shiver me timbers, I've looked at high power pads. I'd seen up close the Vaughn Brothers pad, matey, and t' Yellow Jacket pad, shiver me timbers, arrr, but I settled on the RocketVision QuadPod. Begad! I'm sure I'd be happy with either o' t' other two, but I think I got t' right pad. Begad! Arrr!

Construction:
First, t' purchasin' experience with RocketVision is first rate. Arrr! Their e-commerce site is one o' t' nicest on t' web. Ahoy! Avast! I was able t' track the package as it moved through their warehouse and then on t' UPS. Avast! UPS did their best t' mess things up, arrr, but a quick call t' RocketVision cleared it all up. I had me pad in a little over 7 days, matey, t' week after Christmas. Arrr!

T' construction is first rate throughout. Begad! Head is cast aluminum and the quality be t' same as you would find on fine spyglass mounts. Ya scallywag! Begad! T' steel bolts holdin' it together look like they are sized for heavy trucks. Avast, me proud beauty! T' first word that comes t' mind when you look at t' blast deflector is 'millstone' it's so heavy and solid. Blimey! Aye aye! T' legs are thick tubing. Blimey!

Set up is extremely easy. Arrr! Blimey! It's nay necessary, shiver me timbers, arrr, but I remove t' blast deflector since this part gets quite dirty. Begad! Blimey! First I invert t' pad and deploy the legs. Begad! Blimey! Then I flip it over and attach t' blast deflector with 4 screws. Ahoy! Blimey! I don't consider attachin' t' launch rod t' be set up because t' launch rod gets changed quite often. T' QuadPod makes this easy needin' only 2 screws to be closed on t' rod. Blimey! Blimey!

Use:
Gettin' t' rocket on t' pad is relatively easy. Aye aye! Avast, me proud beauty! You pull t' pin and t' rod lays down almost 90 degrees. Feed t' rocket onto t' rod, me bucko, me hearties, then lift t' rod and replace t' pin. This doesn't mess up t' elevation adjustment at all. Avast, me proud beauty! Ahoy! This is t' only part o' t' operation that be t' least bit awkward. Begad! T' pin is a bit hard t' push in or pull out. Begad! Ya scallywag!

If you need t' angle into t' wind or if thar's a general slope t' your launch site, like it is for me, t' QuadPod adjusts in azimuth (it swivels) and in elevation. Unscrew one bolt screw t' release t' rotatin' head and it swivels on ball bearings, then tighten. Aye aye! Avast, me proud beauty! Adjust t' elevation with t' jack screw. Ya scallywag! Done. Aye aye! Nice and smooth.

T' rod holder will even hold a 1/8" rod, matey, me hearties, but you'll need a longer rod than an Estes 1/8" rod because it will take 8" o' rod t' engage both screws. Begad! Blimey! I've launched rockets with 1/4", 3/8" and 1/2" rods.

I also purchased a 72" x 1/2" launch rod from RocketVision. Well, blow me down! Their one piece stainless steel rods is very nice, if you can transport it. Avast, arrr, me proud beauty! I put mine in a Subaru Legacy, nay problem. Avast! I also tried a Blacksky standard rail. T' rail fit into t' launch rod hole. Ahoy! Blimey! There's no need for an adapter with this pad.

Summary:
I would have no problem launchin' anythin' up through an L motor rocket off this pad. Arrr! I haven't tested it in heavy winds, me bucko, but it seemed very steady. Arrr! It's sturdy, arrr, me bucko, portable, arrr, adjustable and pretty. Begad! T' only thin' t' consider is that you lose 8" o' rod in t' holder, and you will most likely need a standoff of some sort. Blimey! So far, I think t' best standoff I've found is a BT55 tube coupler slipped over t' rod. Ahoy! As a high power launch pad, I give it a 5. Ahoy! It's not cheap, ya bilge rat, but this is nay a piece o' equipment where cheap is any sort o' a recommendation.

Overall Rating: 5 out o' 5