Review on Peak Design Travel Tripod: Lightweight & Sturdy 5-Section Aluminum Camera Tripod by Tres Carmon

First I ordered the aluminum version, I just found the CF version too expensive, but it either got lost in the mail or was delivered to the wrong address. Revain never gave details, but I got my money back. So I bought another one from B&H and then took it to Henry's cell and looked at the CF version. I immediately regretted my purchase and immediately bought Henry's CF version and the universal ball head adapter. You wouldn't think the weight would matter that much, but it really does. All you have to do is close your eyes and swipe your credit card. For what you get, there are few reasons to complain. The lack of built-in level/parallel panning is my biggest gripe. Yes I can do this by holding the ball head steady while panning, but it will never be perfect so I use a third party adapter and ball head when doing landscape or something with similar requirements. The reason people are crazy about this tripod is that it is not only durable but also remarkably compact. The closed diameter is smaller than my water bottle. The bag that comes with it is good, as is the extra shoulder strap. I am not satisfied with some plastic parts. Although made of plastic the locking mechanism works great. I don't like taking apart the ball head and center column to attach a third one. I'm also not a fan of the plastic hook on the center column, which feels like the weight of my camera backpack is crushing it from sheer weight. I could go either way with a hidden camera mount. It seems a little nifty, and in my humble opinion, if you're using a $350 or $600 tripod to control your phone, you might be making more money than you're worth. A push button tool kit will be much appreciated. I've noticed that the center tension knob, at least on both of my models, overflows with grease/grease and had to take it upon myself to remove what was there, and replacing it with a sparing amount of what I think I can find grease of the same brand. Sometimes, when I released the tension on the B-pillar, the (plastic) handle rebounded quickly. I'm usually a big fan of Peak Design products and this is no exception. I doubt I would use it as my main tripod for work, but the name says Peak Design Travel Tripod. It's imperceptible on a plane, while hiking, or just walking around town. If you've just started using your Peak Design mobile system, I can't wait (and I hope it integrates Magsafe charging). the (plastic) handle rebounded quickly. I'm usually a big fan of Peak Design products and this is no exception. I doubt I would use it as my main tripod for work, but the name says Peak Design Travel Tripod. It's imperceptible on a plane, while hiking, or just walking around town. If you've just started using your Peak Design mobile system, I can't wait (and I hope it integrates Magsafe charging). the (plastic) handle rebounded quickly. I'm usually a big fan of Peak Design products and this is no exception. I doubt I would use it as my main tripod for work, but the name says Peak Design Travel Tripod. It's imperceptible on a plane, while hiking, or just walking around town. If you've just started using your Peak Design mobile system, I can't wait (and I hope it integrates Magsafe charging).