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  1. #41
    Senior Member sandykayak's Avatar
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    I'd suggest contacting the company and saying, "A friend bought the Vario for the same price as the Dubose. Do you still carry the Vario?"

  2. #42
    Senior Member SmokeBait's Avatar
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    Received my Byer of Maine Vario today. I got it from Amazon who had free shipping. Can't believe they are going to continue that for long as the shipped weight was 64 pounds It was double boxed and well packed. Took only about 10 minutes to set it up. This thing is everything CK1 says and than some. Very sturdy! It is slightly different than the picture on the Byer of Maine website in the the bottom 2 adjusting knobs are now on the side of the tubes, not the top. And the gussets do have a continuous bead of weld on both sides. Had the pleasure of a short nap in my WBBB on it. I'm very impressed with the quality. Thanks CK1 for pointing me in the right direction.

  3. #43
    Senior Member coolkayaker1's Avatar
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    Smokebait's new Vario

    Weird, mine came from Amazon today also! I agree, it was double boxed and is an absolute bear to move. I have to set it up tomorrow (I went to see Avenged Sevenfold and Disturbed live today in Chicago at all day festival--just got home) in my sunroom.

    I will take more photos of the box and the hammock stand, as this thread can be used by others in the future who are interested in this Vario stand--or the Dubose stand, which also seems nice and more economical--both those who search it, and for us to link to them when they ask about a treeless or indoor hang. Smoke, post more of your thoughts about it once you've used it for a while, also. +'s and -'s that you find from it. C ya

    It's off to bed.
    Last edited by coolkayaker1; 08-22-2010 at 09:02.

  4. #44
    Senior Member coolkayaker1's Avatar
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    Photos

    Here are a few more photos, including the box that Smoke and I received yesterday. I wonder if this Byer hammock stand is a newer version (or older version, I suppose) of the stand that Zim and SKayak and a few others own? The other version imported by Dubose is longer, has different paint schemes/colors, different welding, but otherwise similar. Hmm. The world, unless we get together and compare sometime, may never know.

    Either way, the best thing is to just go out (or in, as the case may be) and hang.

    What is nice is that this thread, which links the older threads about this stand. Post any new thoughts you have, owners, for posterity.
    Attached Images Attached Images
    Last edited by coolkayaker1; 08-22-2010 at 09:35.

  5. #45
    Senior Member stoikurt's Avatar
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    I agree with CK1 on most points of difference. My Vario has full seam welding, screws are on the side instead of the top of the bottom bar, the paint is glossier and I think darker, and has hard plastic attachment points. However, I think the metal thickness is probably the same or looks very nearly so; there can't be enough extra length on the Dubose for a thinner walled tube to increase the package by 9 pounds. The rubber feet just won't last though. They either slip off pretty easily and get lost or the rubber splits, but that's not a problem for me.
    Stoikurt
    "Work to Live...Don't Live to Work!"

  6. #46
    Senior Member sandykayak's Avatar
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    MUST be a newer version. Probably got sued because those #$%^%$## knobs injured someone.

    having knobs on the side is awesome.

  7. #47
    Senior Member coolkayaker1's Avatar
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    Good point, sandykayaker

    And stoik--idea: if the rubber feet fall off and someone was to want them (e.g using the stand indoors), could cut bicycle inner tube in segments (like a wide rubber band, or calamari) and stretch over the feet again.

  8. #48
    Senior Member PKT's Avatar
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    It's nice to see the Vario get it's due praise. I have one set up in our spare bedroom
    and have slept in it most every night for a year or better and love it.
    I believe both models are made by the same parent company.
    I purchased mine from hammocks.com for 100. free shipping and was labeled Vario, they go on sale quite often.
    The only time I used mine outdoors I added a small piece of bungee to tieout the tarp,
    through the uprights to the ground.
    Enjoy them, money well spent.

  9. #49
    Senior Member coolkayaker1's Avatar
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    The answer!

    It’s great to hear from someone else that the Vario stand is working out. You sleep in it every night—wow! You must have a spine that looks like a twisted tree root, PKT.

    Hey, I finally did what SandyKayak suggested (great suggestion SandyKayak): I called Byer of Maine (800-338-0580) and simply mentioned that I am thinking of buying a Vario, but saw one on hammocks.com and wondering if that is a Byer of Maine? I then got the straight scoop which explains everything we have been saying on here, and why the above poster’s hammocks.com box from over a years ago said “Vario” on it, etc. Ready?

    Hammocks.com was a retailer and sold official Byer of Maine Vario hammock stands until about two years ago. Then, they ceased ordering from Byer of Maine and had “knock-offs”—that’s the word used by Byer customer service—manufactured in China. Orders from hammocks.com to Byer thus ceased when they started selling the knock-offs. Hammocks.com has not an official retailer of Byer stands as of the time they opted to make and sell knock-offs

    So, that makes perfect sense. I doubt (and this is me talking, not Byer of ME now) that the two hammock stands, the Vario and the “knock-off”, are made in the exact same Chinese plant—likely Byer would stop the contract if the same company was making knock-offs. Plus, there's just too many differences. I think the length difference, Dubose almost two feet longer with shipping wt 69 lbs, versus the 64 lb shipping weight of the Byer suggests a lighter-weight Dubose product.

    So the length difference, the paint type difference and color difference (and color choices with the Dubose), the different knobs, the different hanging hardware, the spot welding versus seam welding and the different warranties (2 years with Byer) are all because they are, as surmised, different hammock stands. That’s a fact.

    To finish, just to be sure, I asked Byer rep if the hammock stand sold from Amazon is a Byer of Maine, and she stated, “Yes, absolutely, Amazon is an official Byer of Maine retailer.”

    So there it is, ladies and gentlemen. Anyone buying from hammocks.com two years or more ago (and likely more recently than that as they likely had overstock) owns a Byer of ME. Now, it’s a knock off.

    Now, with all that said, someone would have to make a personal decision as to whether a $99 stand is as good for them as the $149 stand—the former has the merit of being cheaper, and if breaks, replace it. Two Byers for the price of three Dubose…a personal decision. The photos, including from Zim, are exceedingly helpful for future purchasers to make the decision that is best for them.

    Glad to get all this on here for future buyers.
    Last edited by coolkayaker1; 08-24-2010 at 18:25.

  10. #50
    Senior Member sandykayak's Avatar
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    good research.

    I got my vario about 7 or so months ago...i think it was from hammock.com (hayneedle shows up in the invoice) and I paid $99 including shipping.

    If the vario is now $149, thats a huge increase.

    Frankly, my advice is go with the one with the side knobs. It's so annoying if your hammock sags a lot and you can feel the knobs digging into your back and you really can't be bothered to get out.

    also, you could really do some personal damage, which is why I put an el cheapo lifejacket over the knobs, which, in turn, raise the height of the knobs another inch or so.

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