Manbily Monopod - first impressions

[Stu]

This was an Amazon special, purchased with comparatively little research. It looked to be what I was after to give me a steadier view with my Vixen Geoma spotting scope. Thinking about it, height was a significant criteria for choosing this model, at 1650mm it seemed one of the taller ones available at a reasonable price (£36.24)

It arrived next day as you would expect, dramatically over boxed and packed out with paper. First impressions were good as I wasn't expecting a case of any sort; the black case provided is of nice quality and will provide enough protection for my needs.

The tripod seems well made, steel construction and with rubber grips on the locking mechanisms which lock and unlock very easily. It came with the little tripod support fitted already, and an option of a single rubber foot which I probably won't use. The support is much better quality than I expected at this price. The legs click into place firmly and you have the option of locking it to hold the monopod upright or giving some ability to pivot around a ball joint.

I tried it out briefly this evening using a ball head mount I have currently and the whole thing works very well. With a little practise I was able to get steady views of M45, M42 and Mintaka which split easily. The Mizar split was easier too and generally I was seeing fainter stars because of the steadier mounting. Clouds stopped play after not very long, but I'm pleased with my purchase.

I'm expecting a trigger grip ball head in the next few days, plus a higher power eyepiece for the scope so will update this thread when I've had a chance to try these out.

I'll use the scope on the monopod for both day and night time use, and potentially also to stop slipping over

In the meantime, here are some (lots of!) pictures...