well, to close the thread off I bought the Velbon Sherpa 250R.
It was very sturdy, certainly compared to the CX-480. The CX-586 looked good , too, but i had already bought the Sherpa at another store so could not be bothered changing it. The Sherpa does not have a levelling bubble. I do not think it has a fluid-filled head, like the CX-586, but it still seems pretty smooth to me.
The CX-686 *may* have been better but was an additional $40 so...
anyway, will test it this weekend and at the eclipse on Tuesday.
cheers,
DJDD