Markins Q3 ballhead

[Lightstream]

Has anybody ever heard of the Markins Q3 ballhead?

http://www.markinsamerica.com/MA5/Q3.php

I handled this today and I was suitably impressed.. am considering whether I want to go back tomorrow and buy it. I'm used to the good heads - the Arca Swiss B1 Monoball is my gold reference standard and the Q3 appears to stacking up very well. My guys apparently tested a Wimberley Sidekick plus 500 f/4 ISL on it, and it held with ZERO creep. I love it. Small - yet holds an incredibly heavy load. Love the feel of the locking knob, tension control and the very short 'throw' at close to maximum tension. Physically moving the head is next to impossible under sheer arm power.

I figure that this will be the LAST stop in my tripod journey - buy this one and never look back. I imagine the 500/4 is already pushing the absolute limits of what I am physically willing to carry, period. However the $310 price tag for the head ALONE is substantial so I thought I'd ask some input from POTN first. It is expensive and I am feeling the pinch....however I figure - as the last ballhead I will ever be buying, it sounds good to me. (the Arca is supposed to be the last word but I definitely feel this one can hold its own against the real Arca B1).

[begovics]

So much I know from my research, that is the best head for money. I never heard anything bad about that head. Unfortunately, for me at the time is too expensive, but I know, one day...:rolleyes:

[shakyhand]

I have the Markin M10 used on the Benro C-428 carbon fiber tripod. That is the last tripod + head setup for me. Used to have Manfrotto 190ProB + manfrotto head. I have the wimberley sidekick too. Work flawlessly...

The only problem now is... I have to find 300 or 400 L 2.8 IS to match the setup..... (scratch head)

[Lightstream]

Nice.. I picked up the Q3, which is a slightly smaller version of the M10 (30kg max weight load instead of 40kg). Will write up my thoughts on it in a week's time. Great to hear that the M10 has worked perfectly.