[regken]

Hi,
Received my AT-838 tripod w/3 way pan-tilt head today. Went right out to the coast to give it a try. Worked as advertised. not a bad unit for the price. This model sells on ebay for $41.00 to $85.00 plus $22.00 shipping. It appears to be a knock off of the Bogan 3021 tripod and the 3030 head. B & H has these two items listed at a total of $210.00. I went to a local store and looked at the Bogan to try and make some sort of comparison.

Since I am in the tool industry I'll use Snap On and Channel Lock as a comparison.
A Snap On socket costs $200 and the Chinese made Channel Lock sells for $50.00. Both meet spec and will last a lifetime "Under normal wear and tear". If you put a 2 foot cheater bar on them nothing happens to the Snap On socket but the Channel Lock splits wide open. The Bogan is made better.

The weakest link on the Amvona is the grade of plastic used on the leg locks. It's more brittle and would be easier to break. The unit is about a pound heavier. All other items seemed about equal. Since My cost was $63.00 including shipping, I have to say for my purposes it was a buy. I had the unit 6 days after winning the bid so service was good.

Regards,