Let me start by saying this review is for the '62" Aliminium' tripod as there are quite a few option under the one listing. Initial first impressions are great but there are a few minor points i will outline below.I will strart with the box. Such a simple component that opften gets overlooked or just thrown away, and in most cases I dont let the quality of the box effect my judgement of a product but in this case its worth a mention on a positive note! Given the price of tripods, I think we can agree this is a budget model but when handling the item in its box fresh out of the packaging it definately gave me confidence as to what to expect inside. I know its not important but the box was good quality, thick cardboard and nicely presented. Inside is a canvas style zip up bag holding the main tripod. Again, great quality nice feel, even comes with a shoulder strap (inside). Zips are nice and smooth, overall so far a great package!Onto the actual tripod... First thing i noticed was the foam around one of the legs, althought i havent used it in the manor, this is the 'grip' for when converting into a monopod. The quality of the foam is typical of what i would expect, although the overall feel could be a little better but certainly not bad or enough that it detracts from the product. The next thing is the finish of the legs/body. Its not a nice smooth finish, its almost grainy if you look closely. Now again, it effects the tripod in no way, and im mentioning it as a purely asthetic observation in that it could be inproved to make it perfect but it does not take away from the product. While we are on the subject of finish, regardless of the point i just mentioned, the finishing is excellent, ie no blemishes or marks or rough area, commonly found on 'budget' items. The same them carrys over to the mechanical working of the tripod. The legs hinge out with a stiff but buttery smooth motion which really set home the feel of quality and a well thought out and engeneered product. The spring clips lock firm with positive clicks and a very nice weigh and feel to the 'springyness' (technical term) when pressing to disengage. The levers on the legs to extend or retract are fully plastic, i suppose it would be nice if they were metal but they open and close in such a firm, reassuring manor i dont feel they need to be. Although plastic there is no real give or flex and hold the legs very secure. I have tried moving the legs once locked and i feel im going to break something before the legs slide in the clips, very nice to see! The feet are a standard rubber affair, nothing fancy, time will tell how well they last.The center column and main head. The adjustment for the hieght is with a screw/turn type locking colar, not my favourite but is does work well and secure the column with my D7200 + 16-80mm + speedlight. I havnt tested its a longer/heavier lens but from what ive seen so far i dont think it will struggle. One point i will mention is that the screw colar is very grindy, almost like it has swarf or grit inside. Now i cant say that they are all like this, given what ive seen from the rest of the product i doubt it but worth a mention never the less, maybe if the manufactuer sees this if they could advise on how to clean/dissasemble maybe? Hopefully this wont be an issue for others but it could potentially be a quality control misshap, or show if its easy to get dirt/grit inside, may not be the best to take on a beach for example. Again it does not effec the product from my findings so far but definately worht a mention! The ball head has been protected in a suede type cover for transport, and upon removing i see what appears to be another qualtiy part. The panorama panning is amazingly smooth with a great weight to it which is adjustable with one of the turn screws to either lock it in place or free it up. The ball head is smooth and locks securely although it only takes a very small anticlockwise turn of that particular screw to go from locked in place to loose enough you camera fall to the side with a bang with your heart stopping in the process thinking its going to fall. Not really sure how this could be improved, smaller threads maybe? Again now ive done it once it wont happen again but something to be aware of! Which leads me nicely to the quick release adaptor which kept the camera in place on that previous 90 degree journey. Ive not used one of the 'arca swiss' style quick release before, and althogh a little slower to mount, i feel holds more secure than the spring lever style. I find the plate part that you attach to the camera is a little small though. Dont get me wrong, it does the job fine and is very secure, but having the mount hold dead centre of the plate doesnt give the best alignment on my camera. To combat this i have ordered a seperate 60mm and 100mm plate to use instead which have a series of mounting holes/channels, also the beauty of this style plate that slides in the mount is with a 100mm plate, you can use it almost as a focusing rail for macro work. There is a bubble level on the mount which i guess is better than nothing but i wont take to seriously.So just to recap on the above:Overall excellent build quality and finish, not 'perfect' but certainly fitting this price point and above.The mounting plate may be fine for your camera but I would advise one with other mount holes, they are only a few pounds.Excellent carry caseIm 6'1" and when fully erect my viewfinder sits just below eye level, almost identicle to where i would naturally hand hold.I think this tripod is well worth 5 stars. If it was out of 10 i would rate it 9/9.5 all things considered. I belive the slight problem with mine is a one off but still wouldnt stop me buying this product again. All in all VERY happy.And just so people know I did NOT get this product for doing this review, it was a christmas present from the family :)