Review on 17.6Lbs Load SIRUI NT-1005X+E-10 2-In-1 Aluminum Camera Tripod Monopod With 360 Panorama Ball Head For DSLR Video Camcorders by Sheppard Priest

I wanted to like this, really I did. It came highly recommended from a friend, an advanced photographer (I'd consider myself a bit less advanced, but not in terms of gear experience). My main tripod is a heavy Manfrotto; I wanted something lighter for hiking.When it arrived, I was hugely busy and so I did not read the instructions, just quickly assembled everything and made sure I knew how to put the camera on the plate before I had to dash to a shoot. I set up the tripod for the first scene. and the ball head segment separated from the leg base (luckily I always keep the strap around my neck) and the plastic connecting piece - the "360 panorama base" with the compass markings - fell right off and clunked into a nearby stream. (I recovered it). I used the tripod as a shaky monopod for the rest of the shoot as time was of the essence and I couldn't stand around trying to figure out what was wrong.Well, shame on me for not reading directions.Got home and read the directions. The tripod came with a set of Allen wrenches, and I couldn't find anything in the instructions about how to use them. My husband finally figured out that they are used to secure the ball head to the tripod - great. One would think that would be made clearer.Then I took the tripod on a camping trip to a state park, which involved a longer hike, in drizzle, up and down a few steep slopes covered in rocks and slippery leaves.The same thing happened with the ball head coming detached. The legs were quite unsturdy on these slippery surfaces. And the camera plate, which twists tightly with a ring, loosened from my camera several times (there is a safety pin that pops up, so the camera never fell off the plate).I will say that I work my gear. I shoot from all angles and heights, I'm constantly adjusting legs and I change horizontal/vertical compositions a *lot*.When I shot verticals, this tripod, with a 28-135mm lens on a Canon Mark IV, did not give me a sense of security. I found myself using my remote shutter release, even if shooting at a fast shutter speed, because I was never sure whether I'd inadvertently loosened something.Summary: Great for hiking. Be very prudent with tightening. Do not get overconfident and expect things to stay tight. Always keep your strap around your neck.I'll keep it, because its advantage on difficult or long hikes is its portability. I will not use it in other circumstances.