This tripod is a nice step up from the stick-leg style that I have been using. It adds quite a bit more stability and features for not that much more money. It's not as good as the higher end pro models, but I feel they made some decent compromises to keep the cost down while still maintaining features. The main parts of the tripod like the legs, cross support, and head are metal, but the leg clamps, hinges, and some other smaller parts are plastic. This affects durability, so you are going to have to take care of it if you want it to last. To that end, this tripod includes a really nice padded soft case for storing it in. The case even has a small interior pocket for storing accessories like the included shoulder strap and hex wrenches.The fluid head movement is smooth for both tilt and rotation, and the handle is pretty easy to position where you want it. I like the bowl set for leveling out the head, though it could be a little smoother when moving it. I think the rough textured paint finish might be causing the roughness. The tripod legs have rubber feet snapped on to ball ends that are fixed in place. I don't think they can be removed for adding on spike feet for outdoor use.The QR plate is similar in size to some other tripod and stabalizer plates I have (larger than Arca-style), and have a safety lock to prevent your camera falling to the ground when you loosen the QR clamp. The plate doesn't slide very smoothly in the clamp, again probably due to the textured painted finish. I own some other K&F Concepts products and they seem to do pretty well with picking decent quality products to put their brand name on. Overall, I'm pretty happy with this tripod.