When you need to place a shotgun in an unusual location, it can get tricky. A company called Frio offers a solution. While it’s not the only solution on the market, it’s probably a great one. I tried the Frio Hold to find out.
They call it the only cold shoe you can trust. The Frio Hold It’s basically another cold shoe that allows you to use your shotgun in a different position than the camera’s hot shoe. So why is it different from other cold shoes currently on the market?
The system that Frio offers is based on the Frio Hold, a small piece of molded polymer that can be attached to a 1/4 inch or 3/8 inch thread. It can be directly connected to a tripod, light stand or video rig. Your handgun or other device is held in place by a locking system; Simple and effective.
The Frio Hold is part of a modular system that offers a wide range of accessories to place a flash or any other hot shoe device in any position. The Frio Hold is just a cold shoe. You need to combine it with one of the other accessories from the Frio system to get its full effect.
Frio Hold, Frio Stand and Frio Arch
The Frio Hold is a simple cold shoe and it works nicely. There’s nothing more about it. Some flicker like Canon Speedlite 600EX-RT designed to make the rack weatherproof. The rubber gasket makes attaching and removing the flash to the Frio Hold a bit more difficult. The Profoto A1 flash without a rubber gasket is easier to attach and remove.
The flash is securely fixed but the Frio Hold itself doesn’t offer much versatility. You can attach it to a tripod or light stand, but that’s all. The Frio Stand is the Frio Hold fitted on a small adapter with a 5/8 inch connection. However, the Frio Stand has no way of pointing the flash in any way other than straight forward, other than the ability to tilt the flash head. If you need more flexibility, you need Frio Arch.
The Frio Arch is a cold shoe setup with a small ball top. It can be attached to the 1/4 inch mount and allows you to point the flash in any direction. It’s basically a mini ball head with Frio Stand connect to it. I think Frio Arch is the minimum setup you need for any flexibility.
Frio Grasp Mini and Grasp Bigi
It becomes more interesting when Frio Arch combined with Capture the Mini or Grab Bigi. These clamps are low profile and allow you to attach your device to any round or flat surface. And it works great. The third point of contact allows for secure mounting on any ring. Use columns, railings, table edges, or whatever is available.
The Grab Bigi is a larger version of Grab the Mini. It also has a much-needed third contact point for stability. You can use it as a mini tripod, but with a heavy flash, I wouldn’t trust it.
There is one thing you need to keep in mind. The connection between the Frio Arch and the Clamp itself can loosen when the flash is positioned at a 90 degree angle. The weight of the flash is enough to open the Frio Arch. If possible, rotate the clamp 180 degrees so that the weight is equal to the screw thread. This way it will be fixed.
Frio Cling
If it is necessary to place the flash near a mirror, window, or any other non-porous surface, Frio Cling may be useful. It’s a suction cup with a vacuum pump that holds the Frio Cling amazingly well. The pump has a visual indicator so you know it’s secure.
I’ve used it on a number of non-porous surfaces and it works great. It’s secured for hours, so it seems reliable. Once again, Frio Arch is attached Clingingand if the flash is at an angle, make sure to level with the screw thread.
Is Frio the one who keeps the coldest shoe?
There are many solutions for cold shoes available. The Frio Hold just another one and I think it’s a simple but effective one. Frio claims it’s the best cold shoe ever, though that might be hard to prove. Sure, it holds your gear very well, but you need to use it in conjunction with one of Frio’s other products for maximum versatility. While the Frio Hold may be the best cold shoe, if it’s not securely connected to other products, it can still fail you.
So far, I have used a rotating cold shoe adapter fix my flash with a knob. That works perfectly, although you have to be careful not to tighten the screw too much. It’s a versatile system, allowing me to attach the swivel to a lightweight stand, tripod, or super clamp.
The Frio Hold Easier and faster in use. You just slide the flash in and it’s safe. But you’re still not done with Frio Hold alone. It becomes a versatile system only if you have Frio Arch, Capture the Minior Grab Bigi. That could prove a substantial investment altogether. That is something to note. If you are ok with the investment, the Frio system can be a great system to use.
What I like
- Secure mount
- Flexible system
- Well designed clamp
- Low profile
What I don’t like
- The weight of the Frio Arch . detachable flash
- The third touch point makes it more difficult to attach Grasp Bigi
- Grasp Bigi is not stable enough to use as a mini tripod
- Expensive if you need the full flexibility of the Frio . system
