have used various tripods in the past that were significantly cheaper and always found them "actually not that bad". But when you suddenly have a tripod with real quality, like this one, it puts the others in a completely different light. I immediately cleared out and others ended up in the trash. Here, everything that matters is made of metal - mainly aluminum, so that the weight of the tripod remains nice and low. This may have disadvantages in terms of stability outside in the wind, but advantages in terms of transport and handling - you just have to know what you need. I use tripods like this for various cameras and cell phones and for a self-leveling cross line laser. With the latter, it has happened more often recently that I had to attach something just below the ceiling - I always had to resort to tricks with other tripods and put them on top of something because it wasn't high enough. That was another reason why I was keen on this tripod, because with its 231 cm height it is the perfect height for "just under the ceiling", at least in new buildings with the usual 240 cm ceiling height. The folding mechanism is unusual, but makes sense straight away. Everything is immediately in place once it is locked in place, only when extended to full height everything seemed a little wobbly, but absolutely stable enough. Various measuring displays help you to set certain angles of rotation. I probably won't be using any other tripod for a very long time.