I figured I was taking a chance with the K&amp;F model, thinking it might be poorly made. But there's plenty to like about it. (I gave four stars rather than five due to uncertainty about how well some of the clamps will hold up. More on that below.)&gt;&gt; LegsRight out of the box they were very stiff. If anything they're too stiff, which makes it a bit of a chore to unfold them. But they'll loosen up over time and it's a lot better having them be too stiff out of the box than too loose.When the tripod is set up, it feels quite solid.One advantage to the stiffness: When the tripod is fully collapsed "transverse" style, you can pick it up by one leg and the leg doesn't immediately begin opening out. So you don't have to pick it up by holding two legs (or use a strap to tie the legs together).&gt;&gt; BallheadSurprisingly good. It seems somewhat better-made than a ballhead supplied with another tripod of mine (a better-known brand). The ballhead's controls feel well machined, and the knobs are large enough to be comfortable to turn. I'd have preferred their being rubberized, but you can't have everything.&gt;&gt; Arca-Swiss-compatible clampNo problems. The supplied camera plate has a sensible design for the attachment screw, so you aren't out of luck if you need to attach it but don't have a flat-head screwdriver or coin. The clamp perfectly fits the Arca-Swiss base plate of my camera's hand grip.&gt;&gt; Release levers for changing leg anglesI've seen comments about such tripods noting that the release levers are somewhat flimsy and might break. It's possible, but I wonder if the problem is that people hold the legs under too much tension when they're trying to change the angles. Instead, push the legs inward slightly before using the levers.&gt;&gt; "Transverse" center column designThis works very well. It's the simplest one I've used so far: Bring the inner section of the center column to its max. height, and then it turns easily to horizontal via a ball-and-socket mechanism. Along its length, the inner column has a groove that fits to a tongue in its housing. So it doesn't rotate within the housing. This makes sliding the column back and forth maybe a bit more difficult than it would otherwise be, but it feels nice and solid.&gt;&gt; Flip-lock levers for extending the legsThese don't feel nearly as solid as the rest of the hardware. I won't be opening or closing them too quickly or forcefully. It's hard to tell how long they will hold up.&gt;&gt; Carrying bagIt's fine. Dual zippers, carrying handle, and shoulder strap are included. Not ThinkTank quality, but it'll do. (I wouldn't have minded if they'd added a small zipper pocket to it. Hardly a deal-breaker.)&gt;&gt; DocumentationCompletely awful and unintentionally amusing. But you won't likely need it. Leave it in the bag and forget about it.&gt;&gt; Not crazy about &lt;<the inner="" center="" column="" does="" not="" have="" a="" spring-loaded="" weight="" hook="" at="" the="" end.="" whole="" arrangement="" could="" go="" off-balance="" and="" fall="" over="" if="" arm="" is="" extended="" too="" far="" horizontally="" there="" isn't="" tripod="" leg="" directly="" under="" it.="" i'll="" to="" think="" up="" some="" workaround.="" point="" need="" counter-weight="" back="" of="" that="" arm.="" deal-breaker.="">&gt; REALLY not crazy about &lt;<the larger,="" outer="" section="" of="" the="" center="" column="" does="" have="" a="" weight="" hook.="" to="" move="" entire="" into="" upside-down="" position="" as="" shown="" in="" one="" product="" illustrations="" on="" this="" page,="" you="" need="" remove="" is="" not="" easy="" it="" should="" be.="" part="" unscrew="" thin="" plastic="" disk—hard="" grab="" onto.="" be="" wider.="" maybe="" it'd="" good="" idea="" keep="" short="" strip="" dycem="" carrying="" bag="" help="" turn="" that="" thing.="" annoying,="" but="" still="" deal-breaker.="">&gt; Overall impression &lt;<it's a="" well="" made="" tripod="" and="" good="" for="" the="" price.="" be="" gentle="" with="" those="" leg="" extension="" clamps.="" try="" not="" to="" laugh="" too="" hard="" at="" documentation.="" i'm="" sure="" they="" meant="" well.="" :)<="" td="">
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