Not going to trust Benros for a long time to come...

You know those action movies where the good guy is escaping or running away from the bad guys, and he eliminates one with only is knife and hands, and then runs away leaving the guns and ammo behind? (and everyone watching is saying/thinking why didn't he take the rifle or the handgun or the bazooka...)

That's something that's thought in the army: don't trust your life with someone else's gear...

For all you know, Benro may be fine, but that particular gear has experienced something at some point that made it less than ideal - doesn't mean the owner was bad or negligent, but you don't know the gear's history, and you went in assuming it was fine...

Lowner wrote in post #10589341
I actually like the "snap" as they open or close. It's proof that they are fully engaged.

It's proof that they're fully engaged, but not that they're tight.

Manfrotto is lower end gear than Gitzo. they are owned by the same company.

The Gitzo twist locs are not the same as others. They engage very quickly and require little turning (something like 1/4 turn). As well, once applied, by the nature of their design the more load is applied the tighter they become.

J.

Bob,

That comes straight back to the previous post about using gear you know and trust. I know my own gear will not let me down and if they ever need a slight adjustment (in all the years I've used Manfrotto I've not needed to yet), then it's easy.

suddenly, the price i've paid for my gitzo aint all that bad...

sorry OP for your misfortune...

for some reason... i was just not 100% convinced when i saw the benro...
(a majority of it probably had to do with my biased misconception on made in china...)

Does Gitzo have a 0.000% failure rate??

I trust my Benros any day any time.

No, but I'm sure it's considerably lower than Benro.

J.

This is why I only trust Gitzo to hold up my Camera Gear. The extra money is definitely worth it in the long run!

You know what, gitzo makes great tripods, but so does benro and for a lot less money too. It just seems far too often people with top end gear jump on threads like this to justify their purchases.

But how can you justify two new benro tripods taken out of their boxes in a store from different series (travel, normal) with legs that easily retract once slight pressure is put on the head?

Headshotzx wrote in post #10597347
But how can you justify two new benro tripods taken out of their boxes in a store from different series (travel, normal) with legs that easily retract once slight pressure is put on the head?

were the locks fully tightened? or did you just do a 1/4 turn and assume it was locked?

klr.b wrote in post #10597768
were the locks fully tightened? or did you just do a 1/4 turn and assume it was locked?

I was looking for tripods, so I made sure I tested everything. They were tightened till I had trouble loosening them without getting more grip from a handkerchief wrapped around the legs, and yet one leg still decided to go down as I applied pressure at the top of the head. Tried on a Benro Travel Angel CF 2 series and on a normal CF tripod.

Went over to another store after that and got myself a Manfrotto 190CX3...

Hardcore wrote in post #10597315
You know what, gitzo makes great tripods, but so does benro and for a lot less money too. It just seems far too often people with top end gear jump on threads like this to justify their purchases.

Sorry didn't mean to offend anyone or justify a purchase, sorry you feel the need to insult a teenager who spent his entire summer, working a minimum wage job, to save up for a new tripod to justify your own purchase of a cheaper tripod. Maybe you should take your own advice and not jump on threads like this to justify your purchases.

Hardcore wrote in post #10597315
You know what, gitzo makes great tripods, but so does benro and for a lot less money too. It just seems far too often people with top end gear jump on threads like this to justify their purchases.

mhazlett wrote in post #10597959
Sorry didn't mean to offend anyone or justify a purchase, sorry you feel the need to insult a teenager who spent his entire summer, working a minimum wage job, to save up for a new tripod to justify your own purchase of a cheaper tripod. Maybe you should take your own advice and not jump on threads like this to justify your purchases.

Ooookay... Chill guys. We aren't comparing brands. This thread was created for the sole purpose of reporting what happened and allowing members to rethink their tripod purchases and usage

I'm sure Gitzo and Manfrotto make great tripods. We often recommend Benro as a good alternative as well, but now that my gear has taken the fall, I'd think twice before recommending it again. Nothing more, nothing less...

Sorry Headshotzx! I apologize for using your thread to argue it out with a fellow POTNer. Don't worry it won't happen again!