Bought a Manfrotto tripod a couple of weeks ago, but went a size down from RB & Mike and got the 190CLB which is a little smaller and lighter than the 055 but still quite stable. When looking at heads I noticed that users complained of flex in the cheaper manfrotto heads so I took a punt and bought a Benro ball head, made in China after reading favourable comments on the KJ series ball heads. I opted for the
KJ-0 Model which had the added benefit of panning over the manfrotto 484RC2. I'm very pleased with the standard of finish and operation of the KJ-0, it has a solid aluminium ball whereas the 484 has a resin ball and the panning on the KJ-0 (which the 484 is lacking) is silky smooth and can be locked. The camera locking plate has a screw tensioner which locks very solidly and a safety catch which has to be depressed before the loosened plate (with camera) can be detached from the head. The only criticism that can be levelled at the finish is that the rubber grips and the aluminium centre covers on the knobs aren't quite up to the otherwise excellent standard of finish on the unit.