2 tripods purchased - this at 2LBS 3.6OZ and another that weighed nearly 4LBS - and concluded that 4LBS is not suitable for long hikes. At 61" it is about as high as can be viewed standing, but with the low end at about 13" (& then add camera height) there are likely situations where I'd like to go lower - some of the best landscape framings are closer to the ground. Reversing the center post would allow it to go lower but shooting with the camera upside down is not for me. If K&F were to provide an ca.5" accessory center post this would solve the problem - as far as I can find there are no 3rd party post extensions of 23mm diameter that could be cut to size. I can't speak to how long it will last but the quality seems excellent and exceeded my expectations, maybe better than my larger Manfrotto and similar to my max size Gitzo. And fwiw it's a cute tripod. When stability is an issue I tether small tripods from the center hook with a 7" three blade aluminum tent peg + guy string and synch it tight. Regarding the ball head - for me more cons than pros. It is very light and can easily hold steady my 3-4LB camera+lens combinations. However, the arca plate clamp section is made of a plastic resin, looks like two halves glued together - in contrast the excellent lightweight plate that attaches to the camera is made of metal (CNC cut aluminum?). The chief issue here is that one side of the actual clamp is in the form of a bridge, it is not solid. My concern is that a break here might be catastrophic for the camera or lens. Not likely to happen if you're careful, but stuff happens in real life and for me that's maybe too many $ riding on that resin bridge. A second issue is that the housing and screw that connects the clamp to the ball is slightly raised, probably to provide extra strength because metal clamps generally have the screw recessed. This extra height bumps into both my longer plates that slide along the clamp (mine are 85mm and 100mm long) and prevents being able to use their full length to set the camera+lens center of gravity over the center of the ball head. Because I like the tripod (and it may be unique for its height/weight combination), I looked for a replacement ball head. Two look promising: the $49 Sunwayfoto and the $40 K&F. The former was recommended on the phillipreeve landscape website. This head is all metal (only a couple ounces heavier) and has the advantage that by partially synching the ball you can smoothly position the camera without having to support its weight. But I find the knobs are not as easy to use as those on the original K&F ball head. I haven't yet checked out the $40 K&F, but it looks promising and has the better ball synching knob.Update September 4th: The weights of the 3 ball heads are: original K&F 5OZ, $49 Sunwayfoto 7.3OZ, $40 K&F 7.8OZ. Comparing the two expensive heads. They have a similar load rating. I prefer the more CNC production of the $49 versus the Magnesium + something alloy of the $40 which is cast and has bits glued - I think the $49 will last longer. The knobs on the $40 K&F are better than its $49 rival, but strangely enough I still like the knobs of the original K&F best. Note that the Magnesium is softer than the CNC and I scratched the base just attaching it to one of my tripods, so I won't be able to take advantage of the free returns. It's decent enough so I'll use it on one of my other tripods. The $40 comes with an arca plate, the $49 does not, but again I prefer the original arca plate included with the K&F tripod - it's a bit lighter and the screw can move for positioning ($40 is fixed) and the shape is more standard, the $40 plate being narrower and pointlessly (imo) a bit longer. A final point on the shapes of the arca plate clamps - the Sunway is your standard rectangular clamp which per ounce of clamp weight seems to maximize the amount of contact along the edges of the inserted plate. In contrast K&F has opted for a triangular (original) or circular ($40) clamp. In summary, I prefer the the knobs and ergonomics of the included K&F compared to both the more expensive add on plates, but do not like its resin plate holder. A lightweight CNC rectangular plate holder would solve this but the $49 ball head, though pricey, gives added security with a weight penalty of only a couple of ounces.