Manfrotto 190XPROL for $110 on Amazon gold Box - Limited time!

[Mt Spokane Photography]

This is the tallest 190 series tripod, its aluminum, and while most are looking for carbon fiber, it might be a good choice for someone trying to save money.
 
http://www.amazon.com/gp/goldbox

[Mt Spokane Photography]

The deal is over, I ordered one to see how I like it.  I'm tripod and monopod poor, so I may sell a few of my old ones if I like this one for light duty use.
 
I have 4 tripods and two monopods now, but they are too heavy for many uses.

[Mt Spokane Photography]

I received the tripod yesterday, but was not pleased.  It was advertised as being extra tall, but was really just about 48 inches tall with the center post down. 
The tripod also had adjustable leg angles, but with the legs at any other angle than the steepest one, the legs were so limber that the tripod was basically a big spring and bounced up and down.
 
My cheap Chinese Benro is 6 ft tall with column down and when you change the leg angle it is still sturdy.
 
I immediately setup a return to Amazon and left my review, it was not a good one.  You can get a $15 tripod that is short and has limber legs.

[Mt Spokane Photography]

I received the tripod yesterday, but was not pleased.  It was advertised as being extra tall, but was really just about 48 inches tall with the center post down. 
The tripod also had adjustable leg angles, but with the legs at any other angle than the steepest one, the legs were so limber that the tripod was basically a big spring and bounced up and down.
 
My cheap Chinese Benro is 6 ft tall with column down and when you change the leg angle it is still sturdy.
 
I immediately setup a return to Amazon and left my review, it was not a good one.  You can get a $15 tripod that is short and has limber legs.

The 190XPROB is 48" without the column extended, the 190XPROL is 55" without the center column extended. I have a 190XPROB and it is fine for what it is, I actually end up using it for a short lightstand/reflector holder more often then not now, the 055CXPRO3 is a far more serious piece of kit from Manfrotto.

Its certainly a short 55 inches.  I did not measure it, but as a 6'2 person, there is no way it would come up to eye level with another 8 inches added for the camera and head.
 
The real clincher was the flimsy legs.  This is supposed to be a $170 tripod.  I have had many tripods, including a few that are low end $50 ones.  They might even be better.
 
I have a dozen light stands, over $100 for a light stand doesn't appeal to me.

[Mt Spokane Photography]

Hey I am not trying to change your mind, I don't care if you want one or not, I was just pointing out the difference in manufacturers spec and your by eye assessment. The truth is I half expected you to come back and say they had sent you a regular 190XPROB by mistake as that spec does match your estimate.

The model on the box was right, it was the model with the horizontal center post.  That feature worked fine.
 
Amazon had it on their Gold Box deal with just a few minutes left to buy one, I didn't have time to really research it.  There were a lot of poor ratings for it quality wise on Amazon, but most were good.
 
I would not have bought it if they had specified the height as being with center post up. I have 4 tripods now, but was looking for one a bit lighter, since mine run very heavy.  I also thought that I'd use the horizontal post for macro, but that would not work out well even with the legs retracted because there was a lot of spring in the joint.  I put the center column in its horizontal position, about 5 oz is all that it took to tip the tripod over, so the legs need to be spread out further to be practical and not risk my gear.
 
I've had a number of the old Bogen / Manfroto tripods and all were sturdy and excellent.

[neuroanatomist]

I would not have bought it if they had specified the height as being with center post up.

From what I've seen, if a tripod has a center column and only one length is specified, it's the length with the center column up.

[Mt Spokane Photography]

I would not have bought it if they had specified the height as being with center post up.

From what I've seen, if a tripod has a center column and only one length is specified, it's the length with the center column up.

Yup, I just acted without checking.  Amazon descriptions are often incomplete,  tripods in particular.
 
I did not really need one, maybe I'll just buy a horizontal arm for one of my existing ones, I know they are sturdy and won't tip over.  I was being cheap

[Mt Spokane Photography]

"it was the model with the horizontal center post"

All the XPRO models have that, I have the 190XPROB and the 055CXPRO3 and they both do, I too think it works very well, indeed it was a key aspect of me getting both my smaller Manfrottos. The much larger 58b doesn't have it but I use the 131DDB for the same functionality on that.

Here is my 190XPROB using the Q90 feature with a heavy setup for macro.

I'm glad it works for you, I probably have a different set of expectations.  I've had 20 or more tripods over the years and have my own expectations based on what I paid for them.