Benro C2580T or Feisol CT-3442 ?

Hello,

I have the above shortlist after checking many tripods and would like some advice about the pro's and con's for these tripods:
Benro C2580T
Feisol CT-3442

Some info:
- both tripods have minimum required height for me.
- I don't really need the center column of the Benro, but having it available is also not a big issue.
- But would like to know if there exists an option to remove the center column of the Benro and mount some sort of a base plate instead?
- I do have a little issue with the larger diamter base plate of the Feisol. It just does not fold to the same compact outer diameter size as the Benro.
- This is going to be used with a sigma 70-200mm f2.8 ex dg os hsm as the heaviest lens, everything else is lighter.

I would like to hear some real world user experience for both tripods and any nice or not so nice things you have noticed while using these.
If any member by any chance has both or used both in the past then a comparison would be very much appreciated.
Thank you.

I picked feisol over benro because feisol seem to have better weight/load ratios than benro when I was doing my research. Got a 3441T and haven't looked back. The larger diameter base plate of the 3442 is actually a bonus, I wish I'd gotten the 3442 sometimes because my ballhead is slightly too large for the legs to close completely around it when reversing them (still fits in the bag, so its not really an issue, more of an aesthetic annoyance), but my point is the larger baseplate allows you far more choice of heads, and importantly, heads with larger diameter balls (this sounds weird as I read it back, but oh well ), which support heavy loads better.

Feisol customer service is also top notch, I don't know about Benro.

Sirrith, thank you for that explanation, really did not think about the ball heads options. The Feisol will indeed allow larger diameter heads when reverse folding the legs.

I chose a Benro traveler over Feisol. At the time I bought I was concerned about the design/construction of the base on the Feisol. On principle I don't use center columns but make an exception for a travel tripod. As far as I know there's no option for center column replacement for the Benro tripods that have them. Benro does make a systematic range but the lightest weighs 4lbs and they are not designed to be travelers.

My Benro C2680T is well designed and the build quality is very good. I've used it for 21 months and have had no problems, it has been reliable and quite durable. I was on vacation last week and took a Gitzo 3541LS systematic instead of a travel tripod for the first time. I had a car so the heavier tripod wasn't a big deal but the difference in stability between the tripods is noticeable.