A non-professional photographer friend of mine bought this tripod and, since my much more expensive professional brand was recently stolen, I thought I would try it. I don't often use a tripod in my work, shooting news, sports, and features for a local newspaper. Here is what I have found about the Regetek: it is sturdy, easy to use, easy to carry, and easy to set up and tear down. It's a little heavy for long treks, but I am not a nature or wildlife photographer. I recommend this tripod for amateur and some professionals.

Excellent tripod for the price. My first use was videoing a marching band competition from the top of the announcers booth. I was up there for 14 hours on a very windy day. All day long the tripod was stable in all but the strongest wind gusts; and even then only rocked slightly.

On top of the quality of the tripod I can't say enough about the customer service. I had a question about my tripod, not a problem - just a question. . I don't want to go into the details, but to say they went above and beyond my wildest expectations would be an gross understatement. I will be buying again.

Love everything about this lightweight tripod. Came with cell phone mount which was a plus! I bought this as a replacement for an older, now broken tripod. I love the versatility of having the monopod as a part of the tripod. This is not intended to be considered a “professional” tripod but it works for my needs.

I love that I can put my camcorder on it and have it above eye view when filming my son's football games from the sidelines. the tripod with monopod option is really useful. The head that comes with it is nice for an entry level, with basic functions. Since I'm doing live sports with tons of movement, I put my fluid drag head on instead, and its a great combo. Legs seem to latch and hold well. We will see if it holds up - feels solid so hopeful.

This is a good low cost tripod. If you are a professional and demand the $300 tripods, this isn’t the unit for you. If you are a hobbiest or a person who wants a tripod to get that shot, have a monopod for when you need something small and want a low light of long lens shot - this is a great buy. It is light weight - but not flimsy. The rubber foot pads swivel easily to get you a firm footing, the leg locks are plastic, but sturdy enough and easy to use. The aluminum tubes are sturdy and should last pretty well. The foldable handle to help you carry the tripod is a great touch. I’ve broken some of the fixed plastic handles on other tripods. The three supports that join the legs to the center channel are thin metal with an aluminum rivet. It’s the reason I marked it down to a 4 in durability. I’ve had other tripods with the same construction for those supports and broken several of them. We have high school aged kids use the tripods and they seem to find a way to rip the thin supports off. I am not expecting a problem with these (checked all the rivets and they are well rounded and completely cover the ends so I don’t see a workmanship problem waiting to happen, but my previous experience tells me it can.

The head is plastic, not fluid filled, but very smooth on this tripod. Used it with small video cameras, DSLR camera, go-pro and iPhone (the phone adapter was included - nice touch) and had no problems at all. The action is smooth enough and the cameras did not wobble or waver in the path as I was panning them. The knobs are plastic and large enough to grasp easily.

The bonus is the monopod in the removable center post. You keep your same head, but now have an easily transportable small monopod to use on the ground or if you are so inclined, selfy shots to get a better angle and perspective.

Final thoughts - I would buy another (and probably will when one of my other tripod models “breaks”).