I have a ~$100 Chinese knockoff, full size gimbal head on one of my tripods. It's a near identical copy of the WH-200, though not as refined and smooth functioning. I have another tripod/gimbal setup that I use more often, so didn't want to spend a lot on this one that's only used occasionally when I need to set up two gimbals with big lenses at the same time. I have no idea the brand (maybe Meike or Beike) but it's fine and would easily handle a 4.5 lb. lens like the Tamron 150-600mm. I've had up to 8 lb. 500mm f/4 lens on it without any problems.

There are a slew of different Chinese knockoffs in the ~$100 price range. Just on Amazon I see: ProMaster, Neewer, Magnus, Annsm and Movo. I've never heard of "Paul's" brand, but suspect it's one of these generic Chinese cheapos. In fact, I bet these are all made in the same place and simply labelled with different brand names. I would expect them to use the cheapest materials, have no customer support what-so-ever and warranty that covers "30 feet or 30 seconds, whichever comes first".

There are also "step up" gimbals at reasonable prices from better known manufacturers, in the $200-$300 price range, such as Oben, Induro, Benro. While these appear to be better made or at least go through stronger quality control, although still being made somewhere in China, I bet the main difference is a better warranty and at least some effort to have a customer service dept.

Then there are the top of the line brands such as Wimberley, RRS, ProMediaGear, etc... Unique designs that sell in the $500 and up range (Wimberley was the 1st to design and popularize gimbals for big lenses 20+ years ago and is now not really unique, but that's only because it's by far the most widely copied). These use top quality materials, have strong quality control, offer a solid warranty and are backed by real customer service.

My "most used" gimbal that I've had for close to 20 years is not a full size like the above. It's the Wimberley Sidekick SK-100, has seen a lot of use over the years and still works like new and it too has easily handled lenses up to that 8 lb. 500mm and even larger. The reason I use the Sidekick most is because it doesn't convert my tripod to "long lens only" by replacing the existing ballhead. Instead, it's a gimbal adapter that works in conjunction with the ballhead (I use a heavy duty Kirk BH1 with it). This way I can switch the tripod back and forth for use with long lenses or standard setup, quickly and without any tools. The Sidekick + ballhead is about the same weight as most full size metal gimbals too (granted, there are lighter carbon fiber full size gimbals, but they're expensive and I'd worry about the build quality since they must be glued together).

The Sidekick is pretty simple. It provides the tilt axis, while the ballhead it's used upon provides the panning axis. With mid-weight lenses in the 4.5 lb to 6 lb. ranges, the ballhead to use with it should be at least medium duty (25 to 33 lb. rated), but heavy duty (around 50 lb. rated) is even better and would be my choice for 7 lb. and heavier lenses (I've seen folks use Sidekick's successfully with as much as 600mm f/4 and 800mm f/5.6). The ballhead also must have an Arca-compatible quick release platform and have a separate panning axis control. You can see how the Sidekick works here: https://www.tripodhead.com/products/sidekick-main.cfm. Wimberley Sidekick sells for $250, though it's been around long enough that they show up used a lot and sell for a bit less. Bonus! Another "benefit" of the Sidekick... since my cameras have an Arca-plate on the base too, I don't need to put heavy, bulky, expensive L-brackets on them. I can achieve the same setup using the Sidekick to mount the camera in vertical orientation, when it's fitted with shorter lenses that don't have a tripod mounting collar. (Vertical mount, full size gimbals can do this too. But still need to be removed and replaced with a different head to allow the camera and shorter lens to be directly mounted in horiz. orientation.)

There also is an Induro "GHBO" close copy of the Sidekick that looks good and costs about $200.

And there's a similar, but considerably smaller/lighter Jobu "BWG Mini" gimbal adapter that's recommended for lenses like 70-200mm f/2.8 (~2.5-3 lb.) or 300mm f/4 (~3 lb.) and sells for $109. It's a very compact design, but may need a spacer to work with some lenses (Jobu sells spacers separately).

More gimbal comparisons and info about the different types can be seen here: http://www.carolinawildphoto.com/gimbal_list.htmhttp://www.carolinawildphoto.com/gimbal_list.htm[/url]

The above list is good and helpful, but by no means comprehensive. There are many more "brands" of gimbals out there, though many of the cheaper ones are probably made the same place and simply labelled differently. Prices and brand names are constantly changing, but there are few places that give you as good, illustrated comparison of the different types of gimbal heads for photographers.

Finally, some gimbals come with a "generic" Arca-style lens plate. Those are mostly junk that will allow your camera and lens to slip unless you modify them (such as drilling and tapping to add one or two set screws). A longer plate with an anti-twist feature works much better and is safer to use. Some web sites such as Kirk Photo have recommendations what plate to use with different lenses. In some cases, a replacement "foot" is needed. In a few a replacement tripod mounting collar for the lens is the best solution. Some modern lenses are actually coming with tripod mounting feet that have built in Arca-compatible dovetail. This includes the Tamron G2 series lenses with tripod collars. It may be possible to use those without having to buy a separate lens plate. Hopefully the foot with the dovetail is long enough to allow the adjustments necessary to get the best out of a gimbal (lens and camera combo need to be adjusted forward or back as close as possible to equilibrium, so that a light touch can smoothly move the rig on the gimbal). If needed, there are a lot of different manufacturers of lens plates, too. Depending upon size and features, expect to pay $25 to $45 for a good one ($75 or more for a replacement foot.... or at least $150 for a replacement tripod ring). I've got lenses fitted with plates and feet from Kirk, Wimberley, Desmond, Hejnar and others. They all work fine. Again, the most important things are the length of the plate and that it must have some sort of anti-twist feature. (Note: my Canon 100-400 II required a replacement foot that cost around $70, because the OEM foot is shaped in a way that standard plates don't fit well to provide anti-twist. Kirk Photo, Really Right Stuff and Hejnar Photo each made feet for this particular lens at the time, There re more manufacturers now.)