I recently acquired a new tripod, which I quite like, but I needed to test this tripod head and so I replaced the original tripod head and immediately fell in love with this! This tripod head is fantastic!

I never put a lot of thought into how a tripod head functions, but this one works so smoothly that it's hard to not notice a difference. This tripod head adjusts super easily, which doesn't exactly set it apart, but it also has a more adjustable quick release plate and more importantly, it has a super helpful extendable handle.

When you adjust the tripod, you'll notice the smooth fluidity of the motions. It might not be especially helpful for most photography, but if you use this for video, the smooth movement will come in very handy. I imagine being able to pan the camera with almost no shake, all through the shot. With the extendable handle, you'll have to make tiny movements with ease.

I really love this tripod head and have permanently installed it on my new tripod. It's not exactly a cheap upgrade, but I think it's pretty reasonable given the quality of the device!

This small fluid head is perfect for my small tripod and camera. It is easy to get a nice pan with this well machined head. Highly recommended.

I mount this head on my smallest tripod, and use the assembly for street interviews. My whole setup fits in a water bottle sleeve and doesn't take up endless amounts of space. I use a combination of arca swiss rails and plates, so being able to continue to use these with a smaller tripod is a huge relief. I can now swap between my different cameras indifferently, and have one less consideration when planning shoots. The telescoping handle is smooth, although the resistance in the panning seems a little softer. I think that's fine because I don't want to compensate for shaking and jerking on a lighter assembly. Do I think this is good for beginners? Yes, but I believe that as they build their collections they may opt for a heavier head, but this is not a deal breaker. This model is light, simple, portable, and does what I need it to do.

To me, the 2 most important features of a fluid head, is the smoothness of motion, and the quality / adjustability of the counterbalance.

This K&F video head hits on the smoothness, but misses on the counterbalance.

Smooth, fluid travel is very nice, both side to side, and up and down. For the price point we're talking here, $50 bucks and change, this is a solid win.

The counterbalance is where it falls short. There are 2 basic types of counterbalance in a fluid head like this, fixed spring and variable. This is sometimes called "return to neutral". Fixed spring is non-adjustable and is the cheapest system, and this is what is included in the build of this head.

You will find that as the prices climb, the counterbalance is mainly what changes. Some of the more expensive units have 10-12 steps of adjustability. This head is around $50, and has NO adjustability.

Now, some of the "light duty" video folks out there might have no problem with this. Some may, out of sheer luck, use a gear combo that balances well. Some won't. If you're looking for a dirt cheap yet decent fluid head, this is a really solid piece. The adjustable / reversable handle system really shines in particular. And the overall build quality is excellent.

If you're looking for something for more professional video work, then you will want to spend a bit more and get something with an adjustable counterbalance.

This is a great head for the money, just make sure you understand the limitations.

In the fully collapsed configuration this thing is small. The handle is just a little nub.

The panning motion is pretty smooth once at speed. There is a tiny amount of resistance that the pan or bearing must overcome before it actually starts to spin even at the loosest setting. At the tighter settings there seems to be some kind of notch that develops that I can definitely feel when panning further than 90 degrees.