By Scott Quier:

I ordered the tripod I thought would fit my needs from their secure web-site. Ordering process was simple and smooth. As soon as I created an account with them (a requirement), I received an e-mail, part of which is quoted here:

By ordering your FEISOL equipment from our shop, you can take advantage of several great benefits:

. Official FEISOL Distributor for the USA and Canada
. 3 Year Warranty on all new products
. Shipping from North Carolina, USA
. No International Bank Transfer Fees and Hassles
. Warranty and Return Address in the USA
. Repair Service in the USA
. Easy to use Online Shop
. Product Reviews you can read and write
. Pay with Pay Pal, Credit Card, Bank Transfer, Money Order or Check
. DHL Tracking Number provided for purchases in the USA
. Support Ticket System

As soon as I completed the order (on a Saturday, 21 March), I receive the usual confirmation. On Monday (23 March), I received an order status update, indicating the tripod had been shipped. But, no tracking number, no mention of which shipping company was used. Four hours after I got the update from Feisol, I got an e-mail from FedEx providing me with the tracking number - from which I was able to determine expected delivery date. The package arrived on Wednesday, 25 March. Doesn't get much better than that.

When I opened up the shipping box, the product box was completely surrounded by shipping peanuts. Packing was good.

Opening the end of the product box, I see black fabric. Hmmm ... I didn't remember that the tripod came with a bag.

The tripod in the bag

In a plastic bag

One of the legs

The tripod base - just for a sense of scale

With the Acratech Ultimate Ballhead, again for a sense of scale

The coupler - A 3/4 (+/-) turn of the lock gets you from tight to loose enough to extend/collapse the leg. Loosen the coupler and the leg slides very nicely, no bumps, no muss, no fuss. Tighten it down a bit and it's SOLID.

Collapse the leg in just a touch, press the top portion of this catch and the legs will open out to 1 of 3 different lock positions, the last being almost flat.

A couple of images to give a sense of the size of the largest tube (there are three sections). The specs say the top section is 37mm in diamater. Disassembly of a joint shows the tube thickness to be on the order of approx 1.0mm - 1.1mm thick - that's the best I can do with the crude measuring tools I have at hand - no micrometer :)