good pod/bad pod?

http://cgi.ebay.com …&ssPageName=STR​K:MEWAX:IT
Would this be worth it as my first tripod and monopod?!
I have very little in the way of funds (I am planning on glass first).
Are there any disadvantages of buying JUST a monopod? I feel I would use that more than a tripod. (but when you need a tripod, you REALLY need a tripod)... I do own a junky $10 tripod

Reviews at Amazon don't look very good

http://www.amazon.com …pod-68-Inch/dp/B001M5RHOE

Why are you looking for a monopod at this stage (I looked at your gear list).

Man if I could get back the money I spent on tripods I purchased from Radio Shack, Penn Camera and Sams Club, well...

I spent $99 on a tripod from Penn Camera...never used it and tried to do a trade and upgrade and they only wanted to give me something like $20 and think I was going to dump some money on a tripod. They could've given me $50, which is what I was hoping for, made a nice sell on a new over-priced tripod and sold the trade-in (still brand new, box and all) used for $50 and not been out any money; they pretty much lost me right there.

Stick with the cheapo for now and save to get a more decent tripod; do it once man believe me.

Man if I could get my money back...

No need for a monopod with your gear. Save your money for a decent tripod. The one you linked to is probably no better then the cheapo tripod you already have.

I don't think its as vital to spend big money on monopods as the others. For years I used a cheap (and nasty) 'pod that had to be taped up to prevent it collapsing. It did the job until my wife used it as a crutch after badly twisting her ankle at a foreign MotoGP, from which use it never recovered.

Again, unlike the others, I believe a monopod is vital for motorsport. I would find it impossible to handhold a 500mmL all day, and 600 or 800mm lenses have to be even worse.

True, if he had a lens longer than 80mm.

I understand what ya'll are saying, and while I won't have big bad*ss glass for a while, I love the idea of a monopod. After I posted this I watched a video of a pro (can't remember his name for the life of me) and he never handholds (even using flashes and fast shutter, I don't understand , but whatever floats his boat)
I have a bad problem of my hands shaking, and I am responsible to photograph a weekend at Warren Wilson College (june17th-ish), and there will be evenings (dinners and events) I need to shoot, and while I will have my nifty fifty, if I want to shoot across the room (or even during the afternoon when cloudy or low-lighted) I will need a support
(BTW I will have a 55-250 or maybe rent/buy (then immediately sell) a bad*ss piece of glass for this weekend).
I guess since posting this, I came around to think that a monopod would be amazing IMHO.

Here's a cheap test for you.

Buy one of these:

http://www.radioshack.​com …nopod&origkw=mo​nopod&sr=1

If you find you like working with a monopod, then you can step up to a Manfrotto or whatever. Either way, your only out ten bucks.

I use one of these with a cheap Slik head attached for a Canon G11 and it's all I need.

With a camera like yours weighing about 2#, it should be fine.

Walmart sells the same monopod for $ 15.00. It has a 1/4" screw. If you need 3/8" you'll need an adapter.

(A friend of mine uses a stick with a 10 cent screw in the top for a monopod!)

Yeah I think I have one of those but got it from Sams Club. It will work. If you were nearby, I'd give you mine

I'd add a very cheap ballhead or simple uni-directional joint myself although I know that many monopod users prefer to work without. But I agree, it's cheap enough.

Methodical you could always ship
just kidding
I will be out to get one soon
A ball head is a good idea IMHO