Really Right Stuff BC-18 Micro Ball Clamp

After reading the other reviews of this ball head, I thought it would be the perfect solution for solid performance while traveling or hiking. Unfortunately, the product failed to live up to the performance that other reviewers have claimed to observe. In my first test, I couldn't frame a picture reliably because of the large amount of sag (using gear well below the 10lb claimed capacity). In an attempt to correct this, I tried to adjust the tension, but could not remove the tension screw. Using the supplied hex key, I managed to strip the tension screw without getting it to loosen at all. I figured that I had received a defective unit and had they replace it. Upon receiving the replacement, I tested the unit and it exhibited much less sag out of the box. Nevertheless, the sag was still worse than I am used to with a good ball head, so I increased the tension (no problem removing the tension screw this time) to its maximum setting by moving the lock lever, per the instructions provided with the ball head. However, the action of moving the lock lever back to its closed position caused it to break off. I do not know why my experience with this ball head has been so much worse than the other reviewers. Perhaps during the pandemic RRS has not been able to obtain quality hardware. Perhaps I have developed superhuman strength that allows me to break metal with my bare hands. Nevertheless, I cannot recommend this product. If you want a ball head that performs as poorly as this one, there are much cheaper options.