Like many others I've bought numerous tripods over the years, starting cheap and, in my case, working up to the industry recognised best in Gitzo. I have both a 3 and 5 Series Gitzo but wanted a light but sturdy travel tripod for those occasions where packing the big guns was just not practical. So after a fair bit of deliberation I decided on this model and kept my fingers crossed that something costing a fraction of the cost of my main, 'serious tripods', would be good enough to carry my expensive Canon gear and yet still pack small and be light. Surely that can't be possible?So, it arrived, and after unpacking, examining and then. extending to it's full height, I was, to say the least, well impressed. Sure, it doesn't feel quite as well engineering as my Gitzos, and it may flex just a little bit more than ideal, but I'm nit picking given the weight and cost. You do get better if you pay 4 to 6 times the cost but not that much better. At £175 (without a head) this is superb value for money and I would highly recommend this to anyone wanting a sturdy, lightweight, cost effective tripod.
