Davis & Sanford FM18 Fluid Head 18 LB Cap

Wow - there isn't much I need to say here. I've purchased Davis & Sanford Tripods/Tripod heads through the years and have found them to be strong, durable and well designed (they put the knobs in the right places so they don't interfere with what you're doing). This fluid head is no exception - it's solid and well built, and gives smooth tilts and pans. And the price is always right - this brand has a solid reputation as a maker of quality budget "starter" equipment and this fluid head is no exception. The only quibble I've ever had is that their stuff is a little heavy to carry around - but remember - lightweight stuff often doesn't last very long -

The Pan lock is made from cast aluminum and snapped the first time I tightened it!

If you're considering a fluid head and see some of the flimsy stuff that's on the market you will appreciate this product. Both the pan and tilt of this head are superb. This fluid head is solidly constructed. There are only 2 small issues I have with this head. Firstly the thumb screw for tightening the camera plate is a bit hard to get at. A minute or two of fidgeting straightened that out. While this is a video head I would have appreciated the degrees marked on the base so when I am doing still shot pans I can be more precise. I wouldn't use it often but something would be better than nothing.Overall however I would buy this fluid head again and love the product. CHANGED MY MIND SEE BELOWAmended Feb 2015:the fluid drag adjuster on the tilt broke off. The pan drag lacks any real adjustment and the head keeps unscrewing which in turn has striped the bottom 3/8 female connection.

It is a was great piece of hardware. Yes WAS. I returned mine because the tilting is too tight. Even if the tilting lock is way open i can't tilt it smoothly without jolting my tripod thus resulting a jerk in the footage. I dnt know if its just my unit like that or all of them have this issue.

Seems to be a good tripod for the money. There was an issue with the bolt in the center scraping against the round part of the head. The bolt carved out a small space for itself (very small) and now there is no friction. As long as it pans smooth, I am happy. It seems to be doing that now. 1 star off for the scraping.

This head is VERY sturdy. The fluid movement is amazing. The handles are probably 10-12 inches. Exactly what I was looking for. Too heavy for an air ride mountable monopod.

The knobs were on so tight this thing must have been sitting in the warehouse forever. It was as if they were soldered or painted shut. I returned this and received a replacement which was just as bad. Davis & Sanford has such a good name but this tripod head is quite possibly the worst I've ever attempted to use. I say attempted because I couldn't loosen the knobs to even adjust the handle. Waste of money.

Love it. Heavy duty. Don't have to worry about my camera falling off. has smooth motion when panning and tilting

This thing is really big ! Fluidity is good but with light camera you need a really big tripod otherwise ur tripod will move.