3 legged thing Travel- Friendly Professional Monopod Ideal for Sports (Alan)

The Alan monopod is one of the best looking monopods I've seen. It is very well constructed and yet is lightweight. The twist-knobs are easy to use and the monopod can handle nearly any weight that a photographer can throw it's way (up to approx. 130 lbs). The grip is very comfortable, which is really important to me since I use the monopod at all-day sports events. It folds down to 17", so it was easy to stash it in the front pocket of my rolling backpack camera bag. Unfortunately I lost the little rubber foot that goes in the bottom on the first day I used it, but I was able to replace it easily by purchasing a set of 3 spares through Adorama. That should last me for a while! I had to replace my old Sirui carbon fiber monopod that I had been using for about 4 years, and I'm really glad I found this one. I highly recommend this item.

I was looking for a monopod to take my Nikon D5 and 600mm prime lens and this monopod easily handles it without any issues. It doesn’t wobble and is quite sturdy I am 5’11” and this monopod is taller than me Lastly unfolding and folding is so quick as well

I don’t even know where to start. The two stars are for how much I wanted to like it and when it did work. This was my third and final purchase and the return of monopod. The first one was a kit with the base. The base kept coming off, total waste of money and totally not worth it . I tried tightening over and over but the base is not made for real world run and gun situation. Also doesn’t look good when you a pro working with clients and the base falls off . also after a week 1/2 one of the arms seemed to get jammed and hard to retract up and down.So I asked Amazon to replace the same product and as usual they sent a replacement The second one arrived on the day of the shoot so I put the monopod right into action since I was familiar with the system this time. Base fell off, the rubber shoe of the base came off and once again one of the arms seemed tight retract up and down. I sent back to Amazon but this time asked for a refund . Finally the third time I just ordered the monopod separately no base .thinking maybe it’s just the base and bad copies . This one was lost or stolen package. So the delivery was delayed a few days . I finally received the monopod.. im home testing so it’s not out on the field.I open I check everything out and seems to be fine .. but when I go to close the monopod to its minimum size it’s seems jammed once again . So I decide to unscrew the unlock handle to inspect what’s the reason once the handle was unscrewed I see that someone must have shimmed some plastic to hold in place .. is it just bad luck or is 3 legged thing poorly made . I really did want it because of the perfect height and how sturdy it did feel when the base wasn’t falling off or it wasn’t hard to retract the monopod . My search continues for the right monopod unfortunately it won’t be this one

The Alan is well constructed and apparently different from its competitors by design. You might like these differences but you may not. The twist locks are the largest of any that I have seen on any monopod. They are larger in person than they are in the photos if that makes sense. The top grip is a relatively hard practice with grooves and channels. It sounds good in practice but I prefer a spongier grip than it provides It's especially off putting in cold weather football. It supposedly will channel rain off the handle though I have never had an issue with rain in that area. The biggest knock on it is that the sections do not move smoothly and instead are incredibly tight. You can put some graphite based lubricant on them but you can count on it transferring to your hands or gloves. It remains stiff even after repeated uses so apparently doesn't "break in". On the plus side it is relatively lightweight and incredibly sturdy. I mounted a 1DX and a 400 2.8 and have no concerns about the weight on it. It's solid when extended and feels as sturdy as my Gitzo at two or three times the money. I bought the Alan as a backup and to replace an Oben that I purchased as a backup. I liked the Oben better but mine fell apart quickly and the importer doesn't return emails let alone offer support. The Alan is a good monopod for the price. I prefer to use my Gitzo but it's nice having this in the truck if the Gitzo fails.

I used this on my Nikon D4 and 400mm f/2,8. It did not feel wobbly despite the weight it was supporting.

I have started using this while photographing wedding etc. It is easy to use and locks in place when needed very easily. Collapses small enough to store and carry