# Once and for all, a poll on tripod FLIP or TWIST locks!



## MusoD (Jan 5, 2018)

Hi Folks, this seems like a question that comes up regularly in any discussion about tripods, so once and for all, let's see if there is a preference amongst the forum members one way or another. Tripod flip locks or twist locks?


----------



## YuengLinger (Jan 5, 2018)

Who cares what others prefer?


----------



## MusoD (Jan 5, 2018)

Is the purpose of a forum not to share thoughts and discuss things? It's a common question, and most people have a preference, it's a fun poll to see if there is a bias one way or the other, that's all. Everyone has a preference or thoughts on the kit that they choose.


----------



## Click (Jan 5, 2018)

I prefer Twist Locks.


----------



## BeenThere (Jan 5, 2018)

I started with flip locks on a Benbo and had to frequently adjust them so they would stay tight. One day a leg section slipped and my rig bit the dust. That convinced me to switch to the twist locks on Gitzo, and in 15 years of use, never had a leg slip. Other may have different results.


----------



## unfocused (Jan 5, 2018)

I'm in the minority, but I find flip locks much easier to handle, especially in the cold.


----------



## MusoD (Jan 5, 2018)

I actually suspect that most people start with flip locks on their first tripods.


----------



## Mt Spokane Photography (Jan 5, 2018)

I have tripods with both types of locks. I have no preference, they both work. I'd never buy a tripod based on the style of locks for the legs.


----------



## slclick (Jan 5, 2018)

Twists, well...good twists. Feisol makes great twists. Redged not so great.


----------



## Don Haines (Jan 6, 2018)

Got both. Like both.


----------



## AaronT (Jan 6, 2018)

Got both. Like both. my main tripod has flip.


----------



## neuroanatomist (Jan 6, 2018)

Started with flips on a Manfrotto 190CXPRO4 tripod and 694CX monopod. Switched to twists when I moved to RRS. I far prefer twists – faster to open, can be loosened only slightly to gently lower a load (very useful with a big white on a monopod), easier to disassemble and clean after using in sand/salt/mud/etc. 




unfocused said:


> I'm in the minority, but I find flip locks much easier to handle, especially in the cold.



I find twist locks much easier to handle in the cold, too. However, extreme cold does have a benefit when using flip locks...well, not the cold _per se_, but the fact that cold usually means wearing gloves, and gloves mean less damage to your finger when you pinch it in a flip lock.


----------



## Zeidora (Jan 6, 2018)

Seems to me that lower end tripods tend to use more flip (Velbon), while high end (Gitzo, RRS) use twist. May be there's a message here.
And there are also screw locks on woodies like Ries. They have a following in LF community, though I never went for it.


----------



## Don Haines (Jan 6, 2018)

unfocused said:


> I'm in the minority, but I find flip locks much easier to handle, especially in the cold.



Interestingly enough, we found that the flip locks broke and the tripod fell over when it got cold..... but then again, the chamber was at -180C.....


----------



## RunAndGun (Jan 6, 2018)

Flip. I'm in the TV/Production world, not stills. I shoot on Sachtler Speedlock and Speedlock HD CF legs. Twist-locks are the work of the devil. There's not a set of twist-lock sticks in the world that can be adjusted faster than my Speedlocks. Gitzo-type legs may be more versatile, height-wise, since they get down to hi-hat level, but where it counts for me, being able to adjust the height QUICKLY, they suck. And every pair of Gitzo's I've ever seen that really get used in the field have F'd up leg locks, so it usually takes at least two to three times longer than it would have anyway with them to adjust them.


----------



## Frodo (Jan 6, 2018)

I like the positive action twist locks on my Sirui, but:
- its easier to see if flip locks are actually locked than with the twist locks 
- the flip locks on my Black Diamond walking poles are easy to adjust


----------



## Sporgon (Jan 6, 2018)

On the upper legs the Manfotto 058 has neither flip or twist but a kind of latch which can allow all three legs to move at once if you wish, or you can just adjust them independently. Very fast for setting up and adjusting height. However it does have twist on the bottom legs which I don't care for.


----------



## old-pr-pix (Jan 6, 2018)

Have both, happy to use both... only slight preference toward the old Bogen (pre-Manfrotto) flip-locks.


----------



## StoicalEtcher (Jan 6, 2018)

Have both types (Manfrotto and Gitzo legs) and on balance I prefer the twists as I find them faster to set-up, and I too have also lost the odd drop of blood on cold flips pitching the flesh on closure :

I do think the newer type flips (such as Manfrotto's "Quick Power Lock') are much better than the older types though, so not something that would be a major differentiator for me.


----------



## Ozarker (Jan 31, 2018)

There should be a "No Preference" box to check.


----------



## stevelee (Jan 31, 2018)

I bought a tripod at K-Mart 50+ years ago. It had twisting leg locks. A year or so ago on a visit to Best Buy, I spent $27 on a new tripod, and gave to old tripod to a friend. The new one has flip locks, and I find them handier. It may not be good for 50 years, though. If I'm still taking pictures in my 90s, maybe I can afford a new tripod, especially if I get a t-s lens by then.


----------



## dickgrafixstop (Feb 9, 2019)

It might be the manufacturer, but I have a Manfrotto with flip locks and 7 of the 12 are broken making the tripod next to useless. I complained to Manfrotto but to replace the legs is more expensive than to buy a new - but this time a different brand for sure - tripod. The unit was never abused, just shoddy crappy product.


----------



## Don Haines (Feb 9, 2019)

Got one that is twist lock, it is great!
Got one that is flip lock, it off s great!
Got one where you tighten knobs, it is great!

Never had a problem with any of them


----------



## LDS (Feb 9, 2019)

dickgrafixstop said:


> It might be the manufacturer, but I have a Manfrotto with flip locks and 7 of the 12 are broken making the tripod next to useless. I complained to Manfrotto but to replace the legs is more expensive than to buy a new - but this time a different brand for sure - tripod. The unit was never abused, just shoddy crappy product.



Which model? Manfrotto sells spare parts (on its site you can find the exploded view with part numbers) - no need to replace the whole legs, only the broken locks. Anyway a tripod become useless and would need to be replaced well before more than 50% of locks are broken. My 055Pro and 680B have about twenty years and no lock ever broke.


----------



## pcaouolte (Feb 10, 2019)

Been using flip locks on various makes of tripod for over 40 years, never had one break or slip. I look for tripods and monopods with flip locks, I don't like the twist locks but I have only tried them in shops. I guess you start with something and if you are happy you stick with what you know.


----------



## Don Haines (Feb 10, 2019)

pcaouolte said:


> Been using flip locks on various makes of tripod for over 40 years, never had one break or slip. I look for tripods and monopods with flip locks, I don't like the twist locks but I have only tried them in shops. I guess you start with something and if you are happy you stick with what you know.


We have been mostly using Manfroto tripods “forever” in the labs, mostly for holding antennas. Have yet to see a broken lock on any of them, with the exception of when we put one in an environmental chamber and the plastic broke, but that was cooled by liquid nitrogen and VERY cold. They have survived decades of lab use, being bumped over, up on the roof at -30C, and hot summer days.

My only complaint about twist locks is that if there is lots of frost on the legs, they get stuck, but they are easy to work with gloves on.

Flip locks are great, except when you have gloves on. Make sure that you have them adjusted right and they are solid.

The knob typelocks are somewhere in the middle as far as use with gloves goes, they work well, but you can loose the knob if you leave it loose when you pack it up.


----------



## BeenThere (Feb 10, 2019)

I have had both, and occasionally had the flip locks loosen with use. This can cause a leg to slip unexpectedly. The twist locks have never slipped or jammed. Probably depends on specific brand.


----------



## Don Haines (Feb 10, 2019)

BeenThere said:


> I have had both, and occasionally had the flip locks loosen with use. This can cause a leg to slip unexpectedly. The twist locks have never slipped or jammed. Probably depends on specific brand.


There is usually a nut on the back of the flip locks that you can adjust. Manfroto gives you a little plastic wrench that clips onto the tripod leg so you can adjust it.


----------



## BeenThere (Feb 10, 2019)

Don Haines said:


> There is usually a nut on the back of the flip locks that you can adjust. Manfroto gives you a little plastic wrench that clips onto the tripod leg so you can adjust it.


Yes, but this time it loosened while I was traveling without a wrench. A camera and lens bit the dirt before I knew it was loose. That event caused me to get the twist lock for future trips.


----------



## Don Haines (Feb 10, 2019)

Btw, if you are looking for spare parts for a Manfrotto, try https://www.manfrottospares.com/?gclid=EAIaIQobChMIxYb9zfax4AIVhcDACh36HwIwEAAYASAAEgKri_D_BwE


----------



## beforeEos Camaras (Feb 10, 2019)

I have both but like flip locks. the twist locks is on my travel benro legs. and the flips are on my studio manfroto 
055b pro legs and the 682b monopod. but I do find both work just as well as the outer. also before I take my heavy legs out I check the locks for loosening and adjust them before I set up at the shoot.


----------



## Ashton Lamont (Feb 10, 2019)

One of my tripods is an old Gitzo G2220 with twist locks. It has always been unreliable and I had to replace various internal shims etc otherwise the legs simply would not lock. I used to keep a length of gaffer tape around one leg just in case I had to improvise in an emergency. But I kept it because at the time the design of the centre column was unusual and very useful in some unconventional scenarios such as very low and on uneven ground. I still use it but now I've put hose clamps with wing nuts on each leg to stop the sections sliding in and out if the shims fail again - they are no longer obtainable.

The hose clamps:
https://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/B00AF0KP46/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_asin_title_o01__o00_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1

I also have two Manfrotto 055's one metal and one carbon both with flip locks. They are fine except not so good in "unconventional" scenarios. I like the light weight of the carbon one but I choose the metal one if I need to attach a superclamp to a leg as the carbon ones don't feel strong enough to handle a tightened up clamp.

Pete


----------



## Viggo (Feb 11, 2019)

Of course twists! They’re not only faster, but much more control.

Grab the leg, twist quarter turn and back, done.

I’ve had flip locks that when used with heavy load they tend to just ooze down every so slowly, with twists I can secure than how hard I like. Nothing to break off, less hassle on the hands and loosen/tighten from any position.


----------



## Ozarker (Feb 11, 2019)

stevelee said:


> I bought a tripod at K-Mart 50+ years ago. It had twisting leg locks. A year or so ago on a visit to Best Buy, I spent $27 on a new tripod, and gave to old tripod to a friend. The new one has flip locks, and I find them handier. It may not be good for 50 years, though. If I'm still taking pictures in my 90s, maybe I can afford a new tripod, especially if I get a t-s lens by then.


Steve, how could you get rid of a family member like that?


----------



## Don Haines (Feb 11, 2019)

BTW, when viewed in dark mode, the vote button has yellow writing in a yellow box....


----------

