After using a tree branch as a selfie stick for the GoPro recently, I realized the necessity of a monopod that’s beyond basic vanity.
So I looked around for a real selfie stick and found that this Monopod Z07-1 was the cheapest – at
there was no reason to not click the buy button.
But after receiving it and trying it out, I wish I hadn’t…
- It looks sturdy and well built, but it’s flimsy and the steel is weak. It tends to bend and sway.
- The segments also aren’t fit securely, making them rotate if the phone or camera attached is slightly heavy. And by heavy,
- I mean barely 130g – it couldn’t even hold up my Nexus 5, let alone the GoPro with it’s housing.
- The steel/iron/whatever metal also definitely looks like it will rust, so underwater or rainy day use is out of the question.
- This might, however, be a positive. If the segments rust, the friction will prevent them from rotating and it might actually work fine after that!
Although, this thing isn’t entirely devoid of merits…
- It has a standard tripod screw, so it’ll fit any camera or other device directly.
- The handle even has a standard socket at the base, so you can chain multiple sticks together to get really far shots,
- but it’s flimsiness will cause the stick to sway like a fishing rod with a big fish attached at the end.
- Full, nearly 360-degree rotation – the combination of the two joints can get you pretty much any angle you want and it can be securely tightened in that place.
- The rotating problem I mentioned earlier was with the metal segments, unfortunately.
- The package also came with an extendable bracket/holder that can grab your phone. It looks like an extra throw-in, because it doesn’t come or fit in the Monopod box.
- However, this bracket doesn’t work too well with the GoPro HERO, so go and get this
- It’s cheaper than a Double Chicken Burger with bacon, a fried egg and extra cheese at Between Breads. But… less tasty.
So, the verdict is that I could have bought sticks of wood worth that would have been more reliable.
Or perhaps this, but it doesn’t come with the phone bracket adapter thing, so you’ll have to buy that separately.
Someone I know is using this one and he says it’s good.
But, in under 2,000, you’ll have a decent, reliable selfie stick with a mobile holder and a GoPro mount, which isn’t bad.