I had this tripod for about 6 months when the connection between the head and the center column started getting "loosey goosey." This is really not an ok thing for a tripod!I liked it when I got it, thought it was a reasonable value, and used it quite a bit. I decided to shop around and look for something better rather than fighting over whether the degradation of stability was a warranty issue -- I'd rather learn my lesson and get what I really wanted/needed to begin with.Feature list for this tripod and overall construction seem about average for the price.Longevity obviously was a problem.I believe that Manfrotto has put its name on a product that really doesn't deserve it.Bottom line -- you can do better. Take a look at the Slik line. The 700 is a little less expensive and blows this tripod away.