Benro MMA49C Mach3 Series 4 Monopod - Carbon Fibre

The Benro is very sturdy (top section is ~37mm diameter), goes tall (186cm/6.1ft) but doesn't pack down very small (57.6cm/1.85ft), and is not particularly light (700g/1/5lbs). Height will go to eye level for a lot of people without fully extending the thinnest (22mm) section far, if at all. Build quality seems excellent, although I did think the leg-locks felt a little plasticky at first, but they seem robust and function well in use. One quirk is the top plate has a grub screw to tighten against the base of a head to prevent it twisting undone. Problem is you can't get to access it once the head is screwed on to the 'pod, even with a ball-end hex key. You would have to attach the head to the plate and then attach the plate to the monopod, which seems a bit of an odd way of doing things. Fortunately my QR clamp had an anti-twist grub screw built-in, so no real issue. I did really like the 'Big Foot' that comes as standard, but at the price it would be nice to have an alternative included as well. Overall a very solid piece of kit that I felt very confident using with around 4Kg/9lbs of gear on top, and it got the job done admirably. Loses 1 star for not including a spike and the dubious head-locking arrangement. Would highly recommend if you are looking for a sturdy monopod, and are less bothered about compactness and weight.