Well I have seen a few threads on this lately on this forum and a couple others so I thought I'd share my opinions of a few tripods I've purchased to compare recently. I was looking for a new lightweight (presumably carbon fiber) tripod for backcountry hunts so I ordered up a few of what seem to be the favorites. My budget was about $300, so no Gitzo or Outdoorsmans for me. I also wanted something sturdy enough for a 65mm spotter. I ended up trying the Sirui T025x, Slik Pro 624CF, and the Promaster XC525C. I compared the 3 sitting on the couch with my angled spotter in front of me, tripod on the floor which ended up being about 34". I rarely ever glass standing up, so I figured this was about max common use height for me as I often sit on a log or big rock to glass.
Based on initial impression the Sirui was my favorite, although once I saw the way the neck was fixed in the extended position, I figured it wouldn't be sturdy enough for a spotter and in my opinion it isn't. Other than that it is by far the lightest and most compact, and would be sweet for running binos or probably a mini spotter when weight is at a premium. The legs are pretty sturdy, there's just a little wobble in the neck with the 65mm. Other than that it is super smooth and tight feeling, and the legs slide right out with less than half turn of the aluminum twist locks which makes it handy for quickly spinning all of them at once. Max height is about 45" not including head plus another 6" with extension for a total of 51", although it seems to be a shaky setup at this height. I think the T1205x might be a better hunting tripod although I haven't seen one in person.
The Slik was my least favorite out of the box, I didn't like the bulky plastic twist locks and the legs didn't slide out under their own weight like the Sirui. Everything just felt a little stickier and less refined. The release for the legs to open past their first stage is also a bit funky, but i got used to it. Over the course of a week of messing with them however it is already starting to get a little bit smoother and easier to use. It's the only one out of the 3 that opens in "conventional" tripod style, while the other 2 have legs that completely cam-over and store in the backwards postion to get to the most compact storage (which I find to be a bit more of a pain when opening) . It is noticeably sturdier at that 34" mark than the Sirui, and although the legs are a bit skinnier it seems right on par with the Promaster. It's also the shortest of the 3 at 36" plus another 11" of extension for a total of 47" max height.
The Promaster was the one that I expected to be my favorite. The build is very similar to the Sirui with smooth low-profile aluminum twist locks and quality feeling components. The legs are slightly thicker than the Slik, because it's a 5 section tripod. If you glass standing up this would be the best choice, but I never do so basically I'm just carrying extra leg sections. Also I was surprised to find that it was a bit "spongy" in the open position when pushing weight straight down, there seemed to be some give in the leg joints due to the cam-over style connection I mentioned earlier. One unique feature of the Promaster is the fact that one of the legs unscrews and can be used independently as a monopod extending up to 50", and is threaded to accept a tripod head also. I thought maybe this could double as a great center pole for a floorless but its a bit too short for a Silvertip or LBO shelter. Also I thought maybe this would be a good lightweight option for running bino's but it didn't prove to be any more stable than just glassing from a seated position with elbows on knees. It comes with 2 center pole options, a short aluminum one and a longer CF one. Max height is 50" with shorter center pole and 59" with CF extension.
I am no expert by any means and I'm sure I am forgetting some stuff but after comparing the 3 I'll be going with the Slik. I just can't justify the extra hundred bucks plus few more ounces of weight and bulk of the Promaster for my application. A few photos for weight and size comparison, these are all at lightest possible configuration that I could come up with, last pic is basically shortest open height without spreading the legs way out, showing the fixed neck on the Sirui. Also the Sirui and Promaster both came with what seem to be decent ball style heads if that's the style you prefer, while the Slik was just a set of legs. All comparisons were done using the Promaster ball head.
