Both the Innorel N52 and N44 have been tested and rated very high in TheCenterColumn.com ball head rankings. They are better than many ball heads that are many times more expensive than them. So it's a bargain. The N44 is fairly light but still delivers great performance. I also own several other high quality (and more expensive) ball heads including the Sirui K-30X, Kirk BH-1 and Leofoto LH-40. Compared to these ball heads, the Innorel N44 doesn't have that silky smooth movement, but it still moves very smoothly. Panning is also very tight. The main locking knob needs to be turned a few turns to actually lock the ball head. On the other hand, in this way it offers more precise control over the friction of the ball. It doesn't have a separate tension knob, but I don't really use this feature on my other ball heads, so I don't think I'm missing anything. I really like the double U notch and flat design, but I'm hoping the main and pan knobs should be swapped. Overall I am very satisfied with this ball head and can only recommend it.