Vanguard ABH ball head

<p>Can those who have Vanguard ABH ball heads share their experiences?</p>

<p>Their site provides little information. Where are they manufactured?<br>

http://www.vanguardworld.com/index.php/en-GB/products/photo-video/list-1-5-145.html</p>

<p>These reviews are positive though.<br>

http://davidclapp.co.uk/blog/reviews/41-vanguard-sbh-300-and-sbh-250-ballhead-review.html<br>

<br />http://www.dentonimages.com/page.php?id=Vanguard_ABH-230L_Semi-Elliptical_Ball_Head_Review</p>

<p>Top brand names manufacture in China or another place in the Orient, so perhaps this should not matter much.</p>

<p>The quality Vanguard that I have (2 ballheads) is better than the other heads I have, e.g. from Manfrotto - guess where this one is made ?</p>

<p>I have the heaviest of the balls, that is rated at 32 kg, or perhaps 70 pounds. I use it with Pentax 6x7. The large rail has 2 kind of screws to fit anything, and also has a retractable pin that plugs into a hole on the Pentax 6x7 bottom, providing 2 point mount that is much more stable and reliable. Something that is not easily found in other tripod heads costing much more.</p>

<p>What Vanguard models do you own? Thanks.</p>

<p>I have the ABH-120L. It was primarily purchased because I use Kirk L-Brackets and lens collars, and they are compatible. Granted the Kirk plates or any other Arca swiss plates will work on them, the quick release lever is a darn pain to use initially! It took me a while to find a good setting for the lever(as it can be adjusted for width since RRS or Kirk have different dimensions) to work. Lots of trial and error, and sometimes it was locked on way to tight that I thought I wouldn't get it off without breaking the thing! Once you find the setting that works with whatever plate you use, it is more convenient over a screw clamp.<br /> <br /> Another feature I like is that the ABH ballheads have the safety grooves that utilize the safety bolts on the underside of some Kirk plates as a safety catch, and the ABH's do have a small pin that sticks upward that happens to act as a safety as well(found that out cause my camera slipped once while doing the whole trial and error thing).<br /> <br /> I would probably recommend the K series so you don't have to worry about if you want to use Kirk or RRS plates and their widths. But if you do/intend to have plates from the same brand, you can go either/or.<br /> <br /> My ABH-120L is paired up with a Vanguard Alta+ 283CT, and I regularly use a Nikon D300 gripped with 80-200 AF-S on it. When using a lens collar on it though, I do have to use it with the clamp away from me since the vertical grip on my camera gets in the way.<br /> <br /> I considered other options from other brands, but what sold me was mainly the price and lifetime warranty. Although I'd hate for it to break and destroy all of my equipment...<br /> <br /> I hope this helped you out a bit as I know trying to find information on something that is not as expensive as something from Markins, RRS, or Kirk, isn't always easy to find on the internet. I'm no expert I will admit, just a college kid with a way too expensive hobby.<br /> <br /> Johnny D</p>