A few years back we bought a Manfrotto 701HD tripod head. It has been a decent purchase, well, once I realized how the handle was supposed to be positioned. After that I found no issues, the glide of the fluid head is nice. I know it does have some shortcomings, like it is meant for smaller cameras. I don’t really mind that. I like small cameras, I’ve gravitated to DSLRs as of late. The design seems common enough that the parts should be readily available, even in Columbus. In fact a friend had borrowed my tripod and lost the quick release plate. She was able to find a replacement at local camera shop Midwest Photo Exchange at a reasonable price. The first major downfall appeared when I lost the knob that allowed you to adjust the arm position. Of course it was stuck down for transport. I called Midwest, they said they would try to figure out the part number – nothing. I went to Manfrotto’s website and that particular parts list would not load. I could find the arm, the quick release and a few other random parts. Nothing seemed like it would be the right part. I called their repair number, they don’t handle parts – they are just an outsourced company. They recommend the parts department. I called – no answer. Again – no answer. Three time and I just gave up. Time was getting short – I needed a functioning tripod, fast. Enter Lowe’s bins o randomness. I still had the stud that held the arm in place, I just needed a way to adjust it. I found a screw that matched the inner threads of the stud. I added a wing nut and some washers. The result may not be pretty but it works again. This time there are no plastic parts to break off and loose.
