Are fancier tripods any good?

I've seen some pretty nice looking ones on ebay at good prices (if they're as good as they claim), 8 kg load for £41!.

http://www.ebay.co.uk …opods&hash=item​5ae0833dbd
http://www.ebay.co.uk …opods&hash=item​19d09538ae
http://www.ebay.co.uk …opods&hash=item​53ecba1f14
http://www.ebay.co.uk …opods&hash=item​4d00aedddf

I have this one:
http://www.ebay.co.uk …opods&hash=item​19d09538ae

Replaced the head about a year ago with Vanguard PH-32
http://www.bhphotovide​o.com …46029&Q=&is=REG​&A=details

Legs are pretty good. Light, the latches keep the legs in place... No complaints for the price...

The answer is "it depends"

I think some of the better-known inexpensive bands like Sirui, Vanguard, etc. are pretty decent. If you aren't doing demanding things like macro you can probably get away with them. The uber-cheap, no-name guys are a toss of the dice for quality, longevity, support and most importantly stability. There is absolutely real engineering in making a stable tripod, and it isn't as trivial as you might think.

I think it is harder to find a good ball-head cheap.

Honestly, I'd save and get something good. The cheapies don't hold their value, and the good ones do. If you haven't read Thom Hogan's tripod article, it is worth it ("Thom's Maxim #2"):
http://bythom.com/supp​ort.htm

That said, I do think the Sirui N-2204 with the Sunwayfoto XB-44 would be a decent way to shoot the gap - not cheap but a whole lot of the performance of a Gitzo leg/RRS head combo for $200-$400 less. (I've looked at that tripod pretty extensively and between that and the reviews I've read, I'm impressed for $400. I just reviewed the XB-44 for Sunway, and I liked it a lot vs. my RRS BH-40).

I bought an inexpensive Manfrotto 190XPROB w/ 322RC2 head, and when I got my Gitzo/RRS combo I was amazed at how liberating the differences were...

Isn't the question really "are the cheaper ones any good"?
Of course the ones they copy are good?