There are a few issues worth addressing up front. First and foremost, this tripod is not 10.5 feet tall as advertised—it measures exactly 10 feet from the ground to the tip. The second issue is with the castings: there is a small amount of flashing that rubs against the legs as they extend, which makes opening and closing them a bit more difficult than it should be. This is easily corrected with a quick touch-up using a file or grinder, but it's something that really should have been addressed at the factory. Finally, the locking pins can feel a bit clunky when engaging and disengaging.

That said, the tripod is extremely well-built with heavy-duty castings and a lot of attention paid to the locking knobs and structural supports. It easily handles significant weight and feels stable at all times. The tripod base is especially useful for large-scale installations where we need laser lines at higher elevations, and it significantly reduces our setup time. We also use it extensively for in-house product photography, where the wide range of height adjustment is perfect for positioning lights and diffusers.

The locking mechanisms are robust and hold everything securely in place. The tubing is stainless steel rather than aluminium, which adds meaningful stability and durability. The trade-off is a bit of extra weight, but that hasn't been an issue in practice.

Even with its quirks, this is an excellent piece of kit. Given how solidly it's built, I don't anticipate ever needing to replace it.