AOKA Tripod Ball Head 360 Degree Fluid Rotation Panoramic alluminium Alloy Heavy Duty ballhead KK44 Tripod Head with Quick Release Plate

I have a Manfrotto 190CXPro4 tripod and the base of this ball head perfectly fits on top of the tripod mount. My last ball head left exposed aluminum / didn't look like it fit as the base was too small. This looks like it was just made to fit perfectly. Much better value than other ball heads, and I actually like the feel of this one better than Manfrottos'It has a very good fine tune adjustment for tension on the ball. Extremely smooth action. Plate is extremely solid.

I wanted to change my ball head, as the last one I bought (a very expensive one) was falling appart piece by piece. I am very surprised by the sturdiness of this head. I hope it may last. In any case, I will update if neccesary. I use a Manfrotto tripod with this ball head. Perfect for my birding photography with a 100-400 lens!UPDATE!Having use this head for quite some time now, I am going to buy one more, just in case this one breaks and I am in the middle of a trip. The quality has been so good that I can't believe it's still such a good price. My Canon 5dsr plus my Tamron 150-600 are well supported by the system of a Manfrotto tripod and this ballhead! All the other ones I have been using in the end broke apart. This one is still working very efficiently. Thank you AOKA!

This is a review of the AOKA Professional 360-Degree Rotating Panoramic Ball Head with 1/4-inch Quick Release Plate, Self-Weight 1.08 lbs/0.49 kg, Maximum Load 66 lbs/30 kg, Suitable for Tripods, Monopod, SLR Cameras (KK44)Pros:Sturdy like a tankInexpensiveHuge ball and postOverkill load capacityNo interference between head/camera/tripod when tilted for vertical orientationSmooth, yet solid movementFeels like it will last a lifetime under hard useCons:Virtually useless bubble levelsSilly markings around barrel for a "Chinese" appearanceUseless locking knob markingsSomewhat heavyI bought this head to replace a Markins Q-Ball M10-L that was lost with a set of Fiesol carbon fiber legs. (I could have cried.) I then purchased a Davis & Sanford video head and tripod to use on a movie I'm working on, but longed for the speed of a dedicated ball head for my still photography. The old Fiesol/Markins setup was great, but also costly. The Markins head was over $350 and the Fiesol legs were $255. I paired this AOKA head with a Puluz 75mm bowl adapter (to fit the D&S legs I have) for a grand total of just under $100 and I couldn't be more satisfied.Did I say "satisfied?" I meant to say ecstatic. This head is amazing and not just for the price I paid ($80). It's a worthy competitor to the Markins at any price. When I bought the Markins head, the typical argument against other ball heads was the relative size of the ball's post. The Markins had a very large post that was sturdy and inspired confidence in the head's ability to hold even the heaviest camera/lens combination. I believe the post on this AOKA head may be larger. It's rated to handle a 66 lbs load. While I can't say for sure if it will hold that amount, I have NO DOUBT that it will not break under anything I can put on it. The heaviest setup I have is a Sony A99 Mark 2 with battery grip and 70-200/2.8 lens, weighing about 8 pounds in total. Not only does this head hold this load, but it does so with only a quick twist of the locking knob—no need to crank it down to prevent drifting.Speaking of the locking knob, I'm very impressed with the movement (and lack thereof) of the ball under load. A quarter-turn unlocks the ball and the camera is free to move with absolute ease, with no sticking or tightness, making it easy to accurately align your shot. Anyone who has used a sticky head knows how crucial it can be to have a freely moving connection that allows precision and freedom. When you've found your composition, the lock can be tightened so quickly that your camera doesn't swing around, ruining the framing and forcing you to start again. It's not difficult to find a sweet spot that give just enough friction without being sticky.The locking material provides a slightly gritty feel that isn't objectionable. The Markins head was so smooth that it was difficult to tell whether I had enough friction to release the setup and know it wouldn't drift under the weight of the rig—I frequently would have to give it an extra bit of twist to make sure I was truly locked in.The rotating "panorama" base is also extremely nice, although this is a function I rarely use. The locking knob here is also VERY effective at allowing easy movement when unlocked and solidly stopping all movement with an easy twist of the knob.Unlike some other "low profile" ball heads on which some reviewers have criticized the head's inability to fully tilt from horizontal to vertical without some part of the camera hitting the base of the head or the tripod legs, the relative height of this head allows complete movement in all axes.The Arca-Swiss compatible quick release includes two leveling bubbles, but these are just gimmicks that are basically unusable. I suppose someone could use one or the other for something, but I doubt I will ever need either one. My camera has a built-in level in the viewfinder, so I use this when setting up for architecture photos. What device makers seem to not realize is that the base itself needs to be level for an accurate panorama, not the quick release mount.My only objections to the head are the markings on and around the barrel. The listing says it has a "Chinese" look and this isn't wrong (that's supposed to be a marketing plus?). There is a band of white painted markings that are whole unnecessary and I would prefer a simple black device with only required labels, but at least it doesn't affect the operation. Likewise, the number markings on the locking knob are superfluous and don't seem to match up to any particular level of locking strength, so I ignore them and go by feel. (In this respect, I think all ball heads are the same, with markings that mean little other than to justify a marketing gimmick.) The head is also slightly heavy for its size, but the Markins it replaced was also heavy, so I expect both were designed to be strong under a heavy load.

I have mounted this ball head on my Manfrotto tripod which came with their head. The particular Manfrotto head that came with the tripod was occasionally disappointing. I started looking for a good quality ball head. Manfrotto had several but not in my budget. During my search I found the AOKA head. This was exactly what I was looking for. Did some research on AOKA and other reasonably priced heads and chose AOKA. This is a well built and designed head and hasn't disappointed me.

Bought this product to use with a tripod i already owned and it is solid and smooth and light compared to the 2ton Giottos that it replaced. Great product for the money, would definitely buy it again in a heartbeat.Update: so 14 months later and this Tripod head has seized up totally! It sits in an air conditioned room when not in use! Very unhappy about this turn of events. Worked great intuit stopped working all together. Definitely would now recommend this product!!