A Tremendous Value For The Money, Rock Solid Sturdy
Purchased this as much for a third-hand shop accessory as for it's intended hunting purpose. First some details that seem to be lacking from other reviews.
The head itself is all cast aluminum, no plastic. The jaws clamp from both directions guided by two stainless steel guide rods. Both of the oversize wing knobs are aluminum as well.
The tilt adjustment is extremely well executed. There is a hex trunnion on each side that is keyed to the head, these press against friction washers on the panning portion the head, the clamping bolt pulls them tight. As a result there is no bending of parts to create the clamping, it is stress free. The clamp knob is limited in travel by a lock nut covered by the cap on the knob, so you can't over loosen it. The head is a fixed design, there is no option for a 1/4" stud or Arca style mount.
Like everything I buy, I had to take it apart to examine it. The panning portion of the head is a copy of a typical bicycle handlebar bearing design. There is a caged bearing top & bottom covered by dust shields, a top & bottom steel race sets in the leg casting. There is a covered 8mm stainless SHCS in the bottom which adjusts the bearing preload. Mine was a little too tight for my liking so I loosened it some. This is where I ran into a problem. There is a pan friction adjustment under the head, it cannot be called a pan lock as it is incapable of locking the head. It is a plastic collar keyed to the head and it grips the outer race of the pan bearing. With the pan bearing preload adjusted to my preference, the friction adjustment when tightened would allow the bearing race to spin in the leg support casting. I solved this by adding a 3mm setscrew that secures the race to the casting. You could do the same with a few drops of adhesive.
All of the leg components are cast aluminum with the exception of the thumb lock levers. The leg clamping tension is adjustable with a hex wrench. Along with the bubble level in the leg casting, there are slots that can be used to suspend weight from the tripod or tie it down for stability. The angle stops are similar to a cross bolt safety, they limit how far the legs can be opened but don't restrict the folding inward. The rubber feet retract via threads to expose metal spikes. The rubber strap secures the legs closed and it is silent in use. There is a padded grip on one leg for carrying but I would rig a sling or attach it to a pack for any distance.
As for the shortcomings, the pan friction ring is plastic, the leg strap is rubber and the thumb lock levers plastic. I would very much like to see Bog/AOB to offer these as repair parts. While adequate for their purpose and above average quality material, they are in my opinion the most likely items to break.
Ideally as improvements I would like to see a true pan lock similar to a camera tripod and made from metal and the plastic leg locks replaced with metal levers. If it weren't for those two small details, this would easily be a $250 class tripod given the present street price of $125 on Amazon.