Share your favorite ball or gear head experience and brands

I finally purchased a very stable tripod. Sirui SR-3004
I would like to purchase a portable, versatile reliable tripod head. One thats not too heavy but has a high load capacity.
I would like to see a useful tripod and tripod heads review category. Plus be able to add them to gear we own and use.

The FAQ is a good place to start;
https://photography-on-the.net/forum/showthre​ad.php?t=740131
It includes links to most reviews threads.

For ballheads there are three brands I regularly recommend, and I use all three.

Best: FLM
These heads are Mercedes of ballheads, and the ones with the tilt only feature are of particular interest. I love mine, and consider it the best ballhead I have ever used.

The Mainstream favorite: Markins.
I still have my first Markins. It has been with me in; Africa twice, Peru, Equador/Galapagos, Guatemala, and all across the country and Canada. It's a great ballhead on it's own, and pairs very well with a Wimberley Sidekick.

The Bang for your Buck option: Sirui
Sirui came on the scene like gangbusters several years back offering capacities and features of heads costing twice as much. You simply can't go wrong. There are now more affordable Chinese options, but none of them have endured or developed the reputation that Sirui has earned and maintained. A K30x on your legs would be a perfect match. If you think you might someday need to mount a VW bug on your tripod, then look at the bullet proof K40x.

Jake got you started with some great suggestions. Other quality units...

• RRS (which uses Arca similar QR and plates
  
• Arca (who established the pseudo 'standard' QR plate
  
• Linhof (which does not usally come with the Arca-style QR but can be fitted with one
  

Have no experience using any other great heads out there except these two. Of the two, I tend to use the PMG's more:

Thanks. Fully agree.
FLM product descriptions are great and the Max load looks great.
I'm sure lighter weight mirrorless camera bodies work great with carbon fiber tripods and smaller ball heads.
I have not switched to mirrorless.
The newest model is Sirui K-40II Ball Head with aluminum knobs. It may be the best ball head in its price range for $199.99
I looked at 2 geared heads. Manfrotto 410 & 405 displays, they are smooth and felt precise but slower and add a lot more weight plus the extra size.

Ive been using Sirui K-40X ballhead with a wimberly sidekick. My gear is a sony A9 with 200-600 lens, weighs about 3.5kgs (7.7lbs). The panning wasn't as smooth as I liked when just edging. If panned swiftly its fine. I've got myself a Benro gimbal now. Much smoother and have a Robus RC-5558 Vantage Series 3 tripod on order. The manfrotto befree advanced I have just isn't sturdy enough.

Edit: The order is for a Robus RC-8860 Vantage Series 5 as its a better deal actually. Cheaper than the 5558 and $155 (with shipping and tax to me included), lower than the MSRP on the Robus site.