tabletop and travel

I purchased the Maxi 343E after reading Herb Keppler's article about it in Popular Photography. I really needed a tripod that I could travel with; my Bogen might be sturdy enough to mount a small car on top, but it comes with a price... WEIGHT!!

PLUSES:

It travels EXTREMELY well, and fits nicely in just about any piece of luggage, breaking down to about 18" and weighing barely a pound.

The ball head is easy to use, and even with a Nikon D100 SLR and a telephoto, the head keeps the camera locked in place. (Very little sag.) ALTHOUGH, for a REALLY long telephoto that weighs more, I suspect that this ball head wouldn't be up to the task.

The flap-locks are great. I like them much better than the screw-type locks seen on some tripods. Setup and breakdown is very fast.

PROBLEMS:

It's a light tripod. There's something to be said for MASS. In anything more than a little breeze, there just isn't enough mass to keep things from shaking.

The ball head works well, but you cannot smoothly pan from side to side as you can with a more expensive head.

BOTTOM LINE:

Certainly worth the price I paid... and considering the fact that the price has dropped $20.00 since I purchased it a few months ago, it's now a veritable bargain.

I purchased this tripod based on editorial reviews such as: http://www.imaging-resource.com/ACCS/VEL/VEL.HTM, right before embarking on a 10 week x-country roadtrip.
2 weeks into the trip, the clamp that allows extension in one of the legs broke, making it impossible to extend and lock the leg.
It turns out the the inside pieces are cheap plastic!
Please note that I was a bit rough with it (undoing the clamps and flipping upside down to let the legs collapse), but given that this was designed for outdoor, 'roughing it' expeditions, it should really not have broken so easily.
I will say that the size and weight are fantastic.
The inner components should definately be stronger!!!

i had a 347GB which i think is quite similar the construction with the 343 except few structures. i am not giving the comments on the practicality in terms of photography because i am still new in it, i would like to commend on the construction of the trilpod. the near-all metal contruction is good in sense that it can stand the test of in case there is any failure, but it is unlikely because it is so strong.