Ravelli APGL4 New Professional 70" Tripod with Adjustable Pistol Grip Head and Heavy Duty Carry Bag

I've got to say everything the other reviewers have said is true. This thing is awesome, especially for the money. I've broken this down into PRO's and CON's because there are a few nit picky negatives, but I say GET IT!

PROS

1. Pistol Ball grip - This thing is awesome. Easy to adjust and rock solid in any position. I'm doing a lot of portrait work and constantly changing from landscape to portrait. Position changes are instantanious.Grip is easy to work.

2. All Aluminum construction - That pretty much says it. Everything is either cast or extruded aluminum. And not the cheap stuff either.

3. Adjustable positions - The main legs can be independantly set to any of three angles allowing for almost any configuration you could think of. The center shaft can easily be inverted for low shots.

4. Carrying bag.- Unlike what another reviewer had said, you CAN put the tripod in the bag without removing the head as long as you tilt the head... Read more

I'm 6' 3" tall, and needed a tall, stable tripod. After reading positive reviews on Amazon, I decided to take a chance on the Ravelli APGL4.

PROS:

1) very sturdy and stable
2) capable of extending tall enough for an NBA player to use
3) well-designed panhead is quick to adjust, and holds position securely
4) all metal construction
5) adjustable tension leg locks hold legs securely
6) two instant-release mounting plates
7) very versatile
8) reversible column
9) 3 bubble levels on panhead
10) includes Allen wrenches for adjustment
11) low cost

CONS:

1) not ready to use right out of the box - loose screws & other minor
assembly glitches easily fixed with a screwdriver & Allen wrenches
2) screws are made of a softer metal than they should be.
3) a few screw heads were deformed by assembly at the factory
4) funky smell from manufacturing
5) somewhat heavy
6) graphite... Read more

First I ordered this tripod on Amazon.com and it arrived right on time. It qualified for free shipping which was great, the box weighed 20 lbs.

I felt like I was taking a bit of a gamble when I ordered this tripod. There is not much info out there on Ravelli and the APGL4 tripod is a new product. I am really happy with what I recieved. There is no plastic on this thing anywhere. The pistol grip head alone would usually cost more than this whole setup. It comes with two plates which is nice and has all of the features you would expect in a tripod costing much more. The center colum is reversable, spikes on the feet, two levels on the tripod and one on the head. I am using it with a good sized spotting scope which weighs about 7 lbs and it is rock solid. Not much to complain about, the movement on the head could be a little smoother. Also the bag that came with the tripod is about 1/2 inch to short to zip with the head on the tripod.

Bottom line for me is this... Read more