3 months ago I got this tripod. At first I was not impressed with the legs and left a 2 star review, truth be told I only used it for my flash since i didn't trust it for a heavy camera. The company saw it and unbeknownst to me sent the updated version. I have to say it's refreshing to see a company take customer feedback and use it to improve a product. I've used it a few times so far, and while I cannot attest to the longevity of the product, it seems much better. The legs are better quality, It flexes slightly at full length - not enough to worry me. I measured the new and old legs and the new ones are .060 larger in diamater. The center column is the same but the ball head is huge .300 larger (1.865 inches total) and much smoother. I did add a drop of oil to it and that made it very smooth. The up and down from the ball head to the base moves well but I did dust it with a small bit of graphite. The locking mechanism works very well also and I do not see any thing that would break unless it's user error (dropping it, running it over with a car, ect.) For the price you can't beat it, I would have no issue using this inside or outside. I am very happy with it now.