Review on Vanguard VEO 2 204AB Black Aluminum Travel Tripod with VEO 2 BH-45 Ball Head: Ideal for Sony, Nikon, Canon, Fujifilm Mirrorless, Compact System Camera (CSC), DSLR Photography by Fred Griffin

Packaging impressions: DISCLAIMER: I use this tripod for painting outdoors - or will use it when it stops raining. You might think this is a less tricky use than photography, but I disagree. There's nothing more annoying than a cheap tripod that wobbles when you try to draw, or legs that fall off (thanks Sirui, you get the WORST customer service award EVERRRRR), or no tilt adjustment for uneven terrain. Since I'm using a Daytripper (from Prolific Painter), I want the legs to have an end high enough for the box to hang off the legs high enough that the mixing area isn't too far from the platter. The leg spread is quite wide, and it works great for that. More generally, the pivoting center post makes setup SO quick. Legs feel firm, open and close a quarter turn. Collapsing and expanding is fast and smooth. The mounting plate is easy to attach and easy to use. Everything has a solid, serious feel and looks good to boot. I was looking for a reasonably priced tripod with a reasonable height (mine is 5ft 3in so you wouldn't think it would be such an issue) AND WEIGHT before Christmas. I ordered from OBO, but the box got stuck. about 2 feet off the ground. If I didn't want to sit all the time, that's a little little to paint! This seems like it will take time. Let me take it a few times and I'll share some photos and let you know how it works in practice.