I needed a light, easy-to-carry tripod that I could carry for hours when I am shooting video in a city or on a hike. I decided to go with this Benro Aero 2 tripod, and it is definitely light and strong. I like the good firm flip-locks for the legs, and I also like the chunky ring that twists to lock the elevator column to raise and lower the camera. The ball mount that allows for easy leveling of the head is excellent -- that is very nicely done. Overall, the Benro Aero 2 feels sturdy, well-built and long-lasting.One other neat feature of the Benro Aero 2 is that you can make a perfectly usable monopod by unscrewing one of the legs (the one with the pad on it) and pulling the vertical shaft out of its mount. Those two pieces screw together and form a good monopod. I've not had to use the monopod yet, but I did check it out and was impressed. It's not a super-quick change to create a monopod then restore it to a tripod, but it's nice to have the option.My first gripe with the Aero 2 has to do with the quick-disconnect plate, on which you mount the camera. The screw to attach the camera has only a slot in it, and there is no way to twist it with your fingers. You have to dig out a coin to tighten and untighten this screw. I find this strange on a tripod in this price class, as I have a much easier-to-use camera mount screw on a $50 tripod.My second gripe is the location of the knob that's used to lock the quick-disconnect plate on top of the pan/tilt head. If you look at my pictures, one of them shows that once the camera is mounted atop the head, you can't rotate this knob past a certain point. With my Benro Aero 2, that's the point at which the plate just starts to be locked -- another 1/8 of a twist would make me feel more confident that my camera won't slip. Edit: In a comment left by Brent Spiner (Data on Star Trek??), he said that there was a way to adjust the position of this lock knob. I tried it, and it works... thank you Brent! So the function of this knob is no longer a problem as I described, and I raised my rating of this tripod by one star (from three to four). However, my other complaints remain.There's a similar situation on the other side of the camera, where the lock knob for the pan arm can't be turned with the camera mounted on the pan/tilt head. If you need to change the angle of the pan arm, you have to move the camera. Also, the knob for the pan arm is right where the battery door is for my camera, so again, I have to move the camera if I need to swap batteries. Of course, moving the camera means twisting the lock knob for the quick-disconnect plate, and that can be rotated only 1/2 turn with the camera mounted.None of these issues represents the end of the world as we know it -- they are minor annoyances. It's almost like the person designing the tripod head never actually took a camera and tripod out on the street and did some shooting.I like the sturdy feel of the Benro Aero 2 tripod, but am irked by some of its marginal ergonomics. Yes, it's not a $1,000 tripod, but it is three (or more) times the cost of the cheap stuff, and the cheap stuff gets some of these usability things right. (My $50 tripod lets me adjust the pan arm without moving the camera, and I can easily screw the camera to its quick-disconnect plate with my fingers, for examples.) From a usability standpoint, I took a step backwards with the Benro Aero 2.May 23, 2019 edit: I'm going back to three stars for this tripod. I've used it now extensively and find that the tilt function is stiff and hard to work smoothly. The pan function is smooth, but the pan lock is difficult to set without causing the camera to pan as you tighten the lock. Annoying. Sometimes, you just need to lock the pan while shooting, and that is nearly impossible with the Benro Aero 2 without the camera moving -- sometimes a considerable distance. I like the legs and love the leveling function... nice! But the pan/tilt head is a mix of good ideas and good ideas not well implemented.Dec. 7, 2020 edit: The durability of the Benro Aero 2 is excellent. I use this tripod almost every day and it still looks/works like new. I'm going to bump the rating back up to four stars. All my comments about the Aero 2's negatives still remain, but I have to give the tripod credit for being durable. I also like the compactness of this tripod, and the sturdy carrying case.So the Benro Aero 2 tripod is a good tripod, but not the perfect tripod. It really is lightweight enough to take on a day hike -- something I've done a couple times now. However, keep your usability preferences in mind when you look at this and other tripods.