>>3187935Usually, a cheap one can't hold the weight of heavier gear. It will be all metal instead of plastic. Sometimes a particular model is cheap because there was a design flaw. Like the legs don't spread far enough out to be very sturdy. Or, the leg locking mechanisms don't gripe as tightly as needed. Or, they really cheaped out on some part which breaks easily because it is plastic or too thin. An expensive one often times even has a counterbalance slide and a canter lever to put weights on.
