Smatree Telescoping Selfie Stick/Monopod/Pole Compatible for GoPro Hero 13/12/11/10/Max/9/8/7/6/Session/GoPRO (2018)/Ricoh Theta S/V/Samsung Gear360/YI 4K/DJI OSMO Action Camera

The packaging of my SmaPole was much like Amazon's hastle-free packaging. I didn't have to cut the pole out of it's packaging, which is a plus. Inside the box was all the pieces with small parts in their own zip-top bags. There is also a small instruction booklet and an invitation to leave a review as well as instructions on how to contact KumuWorld (the vendor) should you not be completely satisified.The pole itself with the gopro attachment weighs in at about a pound, maybe less. Quality of manufacture is really good, no casting flash or imperfections in the plastic parts and a good finish on the aluminum pole sections.The cord for the end is thick and strong, the end cap is secure and the cinch works, but the button on the cinch doesn't seem to change the tension of the cinch on the cord, like it may be undersized. I pulled and tugged on all the cord parts and tried to pull the cord anchor out of the pole (brute force) and it held up to my attempts to destroy it. (I'm not going to trust my $500 GoPro Hero 4 Black to this thing without some real stress testing!) The cellphone attachment seems to be sturdy enough and the springs will grip your cellphone with an increasing amount of force the wider your phone is. The GoPro attachment head is plastic and probably should not be over tightened to prevent breaking off one of the ears (as some other people have done.)The attachment head is plastic. The angles that the head be set at are indexed, this means that you do not have to over-tighten the head angle adjustment screw to ensure that the angle doesn't change. The indexed head also means that if you are using the cellphone attachment you have a limited number of angles that the phone can be in in relation to the pole. Of course if you are using the GoPro attachment it has an un-indexed, free range of movement.The GoPro remote attachment is REALLY snug fitting on the pole, it was so snug that I stopped trying to remove it for fear of bending/breaking something. Since I want to use it I just left it in place. I have an older (Hero 2) wireless remote and the remote attachment really grips the remote well. The one thing I did notice is that you must remove the ring in the charger port to get the remote to seat completely in the attachment, this also means that you can't charge the remote while in the attachment. I will probably cut away the attachment around the charge port to allow charging, it diesn't look like it will impact the holding power of the attachment on the remote.Using the attachment head is easy, The attachment screw is 1/4-20 so just about any camera accessory can be attached to the end of the pole. The attachment screw has a large knob for easy tightning and is captured in the housing so you can't loose it. Some thought went into this design, there is even a small parabolic mirror in the head for looking at yourself to give you some idea if your selfie is framed correctly but you will need the eyes of an eagle to tell :-)The foam grip at the end of the pole is comfortable enough but it's nothing special. And of course I have never had any luch with any type of foam grip on ANY product and they usually tear up and or fall off. I have found that when any foam grip has outlived it's usefullness I run to my local bike shop and get some hich quality handlebar tape to replace it.The cellphone attachment is easy enough to use. Just push your cellphone against the top spring arm until is slips into the attachment. I tested a motorols Droid RAZR M with no case which is a small cellphone, a Samsung Galaxy S5 with a Otterbox Defender case and a Samsung Galaxy Note 2 in an Otterbox Commuter case. They were all held tight but I wouldn't get too physical while they were in the attachment (I'm a bit paranoid and wouldn't want to have to replace my phone.) For taking a video over the heads of a crowd or getting great selfies it will work fine.Overall I am super impressed with the SmaTree SmaPole. This a well thought out product and a solid design. At $20 it is a screaming deal!PROS:- Price- Quality- Versatility- StrengthCONS: (and this is very minor but worth mentioning)- Indexed angle head may limit the use non-GoPro mounted items.

Very nice mono pod, works great with the GoPro but, the top clip that holds the GoPro in place does not work correctly. You have to play around with the screw to get it to tighten. At first, I could not get it to tighten but after playing around with it, I finally got it to work. But, you have to do that every single time. Still, I did not want to send the whole thing back to get it replaced for on piece that I can figure out how to tighten it.

The crazy thing is, I looked into a ton of these selfie poles because I wanted something that will last me. Time will tell if I made the right choice, but out of the box, it was strong, durable, and stable.There are other selfie poles that are cheap, and as many reviewers have said, you get what you paid for. Apparently, cheaper poles have a bending problem. Not a lot of reviews will address this and the ones that do address it will sometimes say "no bending", but then others will post review pictures (not to address the bending... but to show the selfie quality) and I can see a bend in them.So I kept researching and I noticed a lot of really good reviews on these types of selfie sticks. This design has clamps that, after you've extended your pole, you can lock it into place. This seemed, to me, a lot more sturdier than the cheaper telescoping poles and it was much more affordable. This pole also has a little mirror at the top to help guide your pictures - I used it very often and it was a time saver. It really helped give you an idea of where you were angling the pole - especially when you've extended it really far away.The only con I would say is that the camera holder itself would probably stretch itself to the max to hold my huge phone (Iphone 6 plus with Otterbox Commuter Case). To be honest, none of the other selfie sticks would accomdate my phone after a lot of research - some said it would push the holder to the max and would even break the holder. I didn't want to chance that so I could a separate phone holder. Otherwise, if your phone is smaller, the camera holder seems to be pretty sturdy (I didn't try it)Pros:- Longer than a lot of the other selfie sticks- Sturdier construction due to the clamp design (think tripods) ...my guess is that this helps prevent the pole from bending- Lanyard that can screw off so you can screw something else to the bottom (maybe a tripod?)- Mirror at the end of the pole that allows you to guide your shots (I used it a lot and it worked!)- Light- Comfortable Grip- Affordable compared to other sticks with a similar design- I had a question and they were very quick and prompt with their responsesCons:- The camera holder doesn't seem like it would support an Iphone 6 plus with Otterbox Commuter case so I got a separater holder which I think is worth the investment for such an expensive phone. Otherwise, the holder itself seems sturdy and should work with phones that are smaller. (I couldn't find a selfie stick with my preferences that could hold the Iphone 6 plus anyways)

When searching for a telescopic handheld selfie pole - I did extensive research and decide to SHOOT on this Smatree one.Everything about this pole is INCREDIBLE - except the the part of the head that locks the mount from rotating. It is a small wheel/dial you need to rotate to lock - and it feels like it will wear out over time. I like the flip locking mechanisms along the pole to lock it from unextended to extended - they are VERY solid and put this pole above others without this feature.The handle as well - being foam - is another feature for anyone who wants to use this pole in the SUN/SUMMERTIME or doing any time of exhaustive action sequence. Any handle that is rubber or plastic will slip in your hand when you sweat!The pole feels VERY SOLID when fully extended and locked. I hope as mention the only drawback feature being the weaker locking mechanism on the head does not wear out over time. If it does, I will be purchasing another pole.For $20 this pole is INSANE and EASILY beats a huge part of the ocean of competition.If you want something for ACTION AND RUNNING around, then buy this with the RETICAM Smartphone Mount and you will have zero worries.Thanks Smatree - your name is really weird and fun to say, and your product is awesome for the price. Will recommend :)