Before purchasing this Slik tripod, I was originally looking at another brand. The other brand cost twice as much and had no feature advantages, which made buying the Slik more sensible. In using it extensively for a five-day workshop, a two day hike and number of local outdoor shots, I've found it to be a great lightweight travel tripod. While I would not recommend it for consistent use with a Digital SLR with a heavy lense like a 200 or 300 mm, it is ideal for other lense and camera combinations. It is very quick and easy to set up, has great flexibility, and can accommodate range of locking positions.

Really fast release and stable. My first use was in Disney theme parks and night photos was better than expected. It's little heavy because it has a metal body but not too heavy for a men. Some times you have to have special care to prepare this tripod to move the head horizontally because if you free the central tower then the head fall down.

The short: Get one, you will not regret it.

The long:
This is an excellent travel tripod, it is extremely light, somewhere in the range of 2.25 pounds. If you put a clip on it, it is short enough to hang nicely from your belt, and yet it still manages to extend tall enough that I, who am 6'1" do not have to bend, and actually, have about 1.5" left in the center column. Even extended fully it maintains surprising stability, sure the head sways as the legs flex when you move the camera, this is inevitable when you extend so little material so high, but it still feels solid, it bends but it will not break, and absorb vibration well.

I have always preferred 3-way heads to ball heads, but this all metal contraption seems to be it's own category combining the best of both worlds. shifting fro horizontal to vertical is like any other 3-way, however, Both pan AND tilt are controlled with the SAME lock, which means only one thing to twist if you want to recompose, no thumb screws, and no forgetting to re-latch one and having your camera tip to the side. It also means less stable panning, but this trade off is personal preference, and I prefer the configuration on this pod. Speaking of panning, the head feels a little rough on it's own, but as soon as the weight of my D70 (which it holds easily) is added it feels very smooth, not bearing smooth, infinitely better than the plastic 3-ways found on drugstore tripods (try putting the camera on backwards, it seems to handle better that way)

The "special" features of this pod are nothing short of amazing, yes it works well normally, but when you are balanced on a rock in the middle of a creek, have one leg of the pod in the water, one angled up and resting on the embankment, and the third competing with you for foot room, the center column reversed with the camera hanging upside-down, nearly touching the water, and are recomposing for the third different shot, you see from that position, you begin to realize that you have a very versatile pod on your hands.

What it all comes down to is this: this is an excellent tool, well conceived, well engineered, and well made. Do not expect it to match pro pods, and do not expect excellent stability. But take it places that you did not take tripods before and your pictures will improve. Get one, you will not regret it.