Comments about Induro Induro C114 Carbon 8X C-Series Tripod Leg Set, Extends to 57.77", Supports 11 lbs.:

Induro is the new brand of tripod introduced by Benro in the United States to compete directly with the very expensive Gitzo brand favored by so many professional photographers. Induro tripods are not cheap, but they appear to offer terrific value compared to Gitzo and Manfrotto. The pros at my local camera store have been selling Induro tripods for a little while now and say they have had virtually no returns or complaints. My traveling gear is very light -- a Nikon DSLR with the highly-compact 18-200mm VR lens, so a tripod rated to support 10 pounds is plenty for my needs. I wanted the lightest and most compact tripod that would meet my needs, and was willing to pay a premium for it. I could not find the Induro C114 carbon fiber model in any local stores, but I did see the Induro A114, which is their similar-sized aluminum model. I was very impressed with the design, and the C114 was the ideal size and weight combination I was looking for when traveling. By comparison, Gitzo has one model (the GT0540) which is lighter and smaller -- a little too small -- with much skinnier legs, and another model (the GT1540) which is also lighter than the Induro but a couple of inches taller when closed, making the Gitzo tougher to fit into a backpack. So I ordered the Induro C114 sight-unseen. The tripod looks great, appears to be solid as a rock, and comes with a high quality padded bag, strap and hook, compass, level, and interchangable spiked feet with toolkit. The Induro C114 does not have a ground level set feature like the Gitzo, and is just a tad heavier, but on price, appearance, and accessories, Induro has Gitzo beaten hands-down. I was thrilled. Unfortunately, some anxiety kicked in when I set up the tripod. Since this is a 4-section tripod, the legs have a total of nine locking rings. The locking rings on the carbon fiber C114 model did not have the exact same design as the aluminum A114 model I'd seen in the store. Induro's locking rings on the carbon fiber model have rubber grips, and 1 of the 9 grips slipped and continued rotating when I tightened it. After closing and opening the legs again, a second rubber grip starting slipping. This didn't affect the stability of the tripod legs, but it clearly wasn't designed to work that way, and made me wonder if this was symptomatic of the long-term build quality for this relatively new brand. To make sure I wasn't crazy, I went back to my local camera store to verify that the other Induro legs didn't have this problem; clearly, the one I received was defective. In the end, since I am looking to own these legs for a lifetime, I went with peace of mind and bought the slightly-bigger Gitzo GT1540, and sent the Induro C114 back [...]. I have no regrets at all. I am thrilled with my Gitzo, but if you simply can't see spending [$]on a set of tripod legs, I still believe Induro is a safe bet. I was just a little unlucky and obsessive. In fact, if you really want a value, I was quite impressed with their aluminum legs. The Induro A114 is still extremely light, and is less than half the price of the carbon fiber model.