Affordable carbon fiber travel tripods (Suiri 5C and K&F BA225)

[Mr.Meerkat]

Let me begin with how some Amazon reviews do seem to contradict what I'm saying so it could be that I got a bad sample of the K&F tripod however, unfortunately, my review/opinion will not change and will be based on the sample I received.

 

Summary:

I've been looking at some affordable super-lightweight carbon fiber tripods, which I've narrowed down to the Suiri 5C and K&F concept BA225. Purchased both off amazon, had a play around with both tripods and given there's a distinctive lack of information regarding affordable travel tripods, I decided to make a relatively brief write-up of these two tripods. The result is one is being returned tomorrow whilst the other genuinely feels much higher quality than the price implies. 

 

Brief description of each tripod:

First the K&F BA225. 

It's a very feature rich tripod. You can unscrew one of the legs and convert it into a monopod. It has a 2-section centre column, which both are adjustable. 5-section legs and the included head isn't the smoothest but it's adequate, the carrying bag included is really nice. It is 1000grammes (tripod+ball head), based on my scale anyway. It's slightly smaller than a 2L bottle but a bit bigger than a 1.5L bottle. 

 

Secondly, we have the Suiri 5C. 

It's a pretty "basic" carbon fiber tripod. 2-section centre column with the outer tube fixed and the inner tube adjustable. 5-section legs and the included head is buttery smooth but it only has one knob for tightening both pan and ball, which makes it rather unusable. The carry bag included is clearly for a larger tripod and is frankly a bit nasty (cheapo drawstring bag). It is 850grammes (tripod+ball head), based on my scale. More or less same size as the K&F concept. 

 

Initial impressions:

Suiri 5c, the build is utterly amazing. Yes, the included head isn't great (only because it's not very usable, nothing wrong with quality) and the carrying "case" is really not good but, it's pretty clear all the money was spent on the actual tripod. Buttery smooth joints with zero flex. The twist locks are metal and are utterly amazing in how they feel, nicely rubberised, not scratchy, super smooth, solid as a rock once tightened. Oh, also when you do a half-turn on the twist locks, the legs will drop out with gravity. It's not the most stable tripod but given it's literally only 850grammes, that's expected given how light it is. 

 

K&F BA225, it's such a feature-full tripod. You can convert it into a monopod, you can flip it upside down, it is wayyyyy more adjustable than the Suiri, is still pretty light and the included carrying case is amazing in quality (plus is specifically made for this tripod) but, there's one major issue, the build quality is not good. The joints are not smooth, they have a tendency to stick and let's not even begin on the twist locks. They're extremely scratchy, don't seem to be particularly solid (you can push it in a little even with it super tight) and the leg sections all seem to flex at the twist locks. I'm not confident it would last all that long. Oh, also, you cannot get the legs to drop with gravity no matter what you do. 

 

Comparison:

Features: Well this is a easy point for the K&F. Wayyy more adjustable and can be converted into a monopod. 

Stability: This is a pretty important factor for a tripod and yes, the K&F is more stable. However, given both have hooks, it can be partially negated by simply hooking a bag or anchoring something to the hook on the bottom. Nonetheless, point to the K&F. 

Weight and size: Given these are travel tripods, weight and size is very important. I am going to call it a draw as although the Suiri is a bit lighter, the K&F does have noticeably more features so it balances each other out. They're pretty much the same size. 

Build quality: As you can see from the initial impressions, it's pretty clear which one gets the points. However, as the difference is so drastic, I'm going to award the Suiri 2 points as it deserves it. 

Price: Well, the "MSRP" for each tripod is £80 for the Suiri and £110 for the K&F however, I only paid £65 for the Suiri and £100 for the K&F but nonetheless, even factoring a smallrig head (£20) to the cost of the Suiri, it's still cheaper, point to the Suiri. 

Overall: K&F has two points, Suiri edges out with three points

 

Verdict:

Well this was easy. I was expecting myself to agonise over which tripod I would like to keep but when the difference in quality is more than night and day, I don't need to. The Suiri is lighter, much-much-much better built and even with a smallrig head, it is still cheaper so at least to me, it's a no-brainer. I will be keeping the Suiri and returning the K&F. 

 

Spoiler

Disclaimer: Sorry about the lack of pictures but I'm sure this is still more helpful than nothing as there's not really much discussion regarding affordable, compact and light travel tripods.