Giottos MT-8241 tripod and MH-1302 ballhead

Does anyone have any experience or opinions on Giottos in general? How about this tripod or ballhead:
Tripod
http://www.bhphotovide​o.com …ails&Q=&sku=512​947&is=REG
Ballhead
http://www.bhphotovide​o.com …H_1302_Pro_Seri​es_II.html

Any other suggestions would be helpful, but I am being price-aware and trying to stay under $250-300, and would prefer light, small and quality built tripods.

The ballhead looks really interesting because of the separate pan-lock, which would act (I suppose) like a pan/tilt with one direction unlocked. Also, the mm scale of the QR plate seems like it could be useful. My backup is the 488RC2.

Any suggestions, opinions, etc would be appreciated. Whatever I end up with, I plan on posting a review and anything else helpful that I can think of.

Thanks

I have the mt-8350 legs. It's light and sturdy enough to support a 20D with batt grip+70-200 2.8L+flash. Build quality is up to par with my Manfrotto 055pro. Height is alright for me and I'm 6'1", though I have to extend the center column a bit. I have only taken this out once so as far as durability goes I can only guess it will last a long time. HTH

Can't say about those models specifically, but in general I'd say the build quality is pretty good with the brand. I've been happy with my gear.

If you're going to get serious, I'd suggest using a more universal QR system though, such as Kirk, Arca, RRS, etc.

As it turns out the 8241 doesn't support as much weight as the B&H website states, which is odd...

I've found that the 9250, 8250, and 7250 are the same, as is the 9251, 8251 and 7251. The different is that the first three are 4 leg sections, the second three are 3 leg sections. Furthermore, the 9xxx series are aluminum, the 8xxx series are carbon fiber, and the 7xxx series are basalt/volcanic rock.

I hope this helps anyone searching in the future. I am looking for the x250 series but Adorama and B&H only carry Carbon Fiber (8250's) for $270-ish. I was hoping the aluminum (9250 model) would be cheaper and I'd be okay with a little more weight.