L Bracket: RRS or Kirk (or other)

How do I decide which L bracket to get?

All of my tripods currently have Manfrotto heads, but I am looking to move to the other side specifically to get the flexibility and support of an L bracket and because I bought another head that is arca compatible. But I do not know which one to get.

I was going to get (1) Kirk Enterprises SQRC-3157 Manfrotto 3157 Quick Release Clamp as an adapter for all my tripods. Figuring it was cheaper than replacing all (4) of my ball heads at once. (Don't ask why I have so many)

But then which L bracket?
Do I stick with the Kirk? BL-7D
Or to I get the RSS? B7D-L

The big advantage of the Kirk seems to be that it is in stock and I could walk into B&H and buy it. The RRS is not sold at B&H, and the RRS website says it is backordered. But the RRS seems to be the L-bracket of choice. But why?

Any thoughts on which to get and why? Or is the answer neither?

Thank You in advance for your thoughts.
Heath

P.S. Secretly I am hoping that http://www.hejnarphoto​store.com/ comes out with arca clamps that I can swap directly onto my Manfrotto heads, but none of the ones he has are currently compatible.

I like the RRS brackets I have. I have a Kirk bracket for my Elan 7E and it does the job just fine. The RRS brackets seem to be less "blocky" in my opinion.

Which company has a most of the accessories you will get over time? For us this is easy as we do RRS ballhead, L brackets, plates,...and more. Getting all that stuff from one source means you will not have incompatibilies.

I have several RRS plates and they are great. I only have one small generic plate from Kirk and it is good too. I have a very slight preference for RRS plates.

Kirk L plates seem to be bulkier, RRS blends with the body better.

i have rrs l brackets on my cameras, they work well.

OP, once you hold a RRS product in your hands, you'll understand why they sell more L plates than any other manufacturer in the world. Only RRS L brackets for me...

Bryan

Interesting bit of information.

The bulkier Kirk bracket is 4.3oz while the sleeker RRS bracket is 6oz.

The key for me is going to be the patience it will take to wait for the RRS to be in stock.

I love my RRS equipment and everything is RRS except my Wimberly head, and my tripods. My 7d w grip plate is a little tight with the cable release in portrait mode, but I love it.

I recently went with RRS and love it with the 7D. The accessibility to the remote /side functions is outstanding and hassle free with the RRS design.
I looked at all of them......... for my needs the RRS scored the highest.

I have to put in another vote for RRS, it's the only thing that works for me, the build quality, the smoothness of how it cradles the camera, the compatibillity between quickrelease products, it's just the best there is.

Well, just to be contrarian, I have Kirk brackets on both cameras and plates on all my lenses. I can walk into my local store and pick them up, feel them, sniff them, whatever I want to do. They work perfectly for me and I would not hesitate to recommend them to anyone.

Kirk fits and worked best for me on my 7D. Preferred the longer dovetail. Don't waste your money on the Universal one. Only Kirk and RRS works perfectly.

I own and use both Kirk & RRS and I like them both.

I normally buy Kirk, but I think that's only because when I've bought it's seemed to be the easiest to get. If they were equally available, I'd buy the one I could get the best deal on. They both work fine.

Yno wrote in post #14102872
Well, just to be contrarian, I have Kirk brackets on both cameras and plates on all my lenses. I can walk into my local store and pick them up, feel them, sniff them, whatever I want to do. They work perfectly for me and I would not hesitate to recommend them to anyone.

^^This^^

Although for so many people to recommend RRS when they can ge Kirk in their local store, says a lot about the quality of the RRS plate.

Still undecided. I'll probably head to the store and check out the Kirk tomorrow.

Another question. Does anyone use a Black Rapid strap with an L bracket? How do you attach it?