Quote Originally Posted by jrw View Post
If you have access to a machine shop, or know someone that does, it is very quick and painless to make your own plates out of scrap aluminum bar stock. I have no idea how they get to be so expensive in stores other than outright greed. There are non-Wimberley plates that are a fraction of the cost if you need to purchase plates. They will not leave your wallet feeling like it has been violated.
There's something to be said for exacting dimensions. The RRS lever clamps are apparently unforgiving when it comes to incorrect plate size: too narrow and they don't clamp firmly, too wide and they deform <something> or break. There's also the end stops on top of the shorter plates, making it easier to keep the plate square, or the captive screw that's easy to attach a lens but won't fall out unless you move it to one end. Some have safety stop screws so you can't slide them out of a clamp. Yes, they might be over-priced, but I'd rather not work through the mechanics of getting all those details right at a metal shop.