I finally got a minute to take a look at it. I could not remove the top, not sure of the assembly process there yet. But a look at the bottom showed 3 very small allen head screws. I removed these and was very surprised to find a Torrington style flat roller bearing, pricey little thing too. The bearing and spacer race just sit there so it was easy to see that all I needed to do was add a little lube to the bearing and re-assemble. That was when I found out the 3 little screws are tension adjusters. If you tighten them up the bearing will drag heavily. After some experimenting I found that taking them to just snug, and backing off 1/2 turn, left that bearing turning smooth as silk. (All I used for lube here was sewing machine oil, a thick grease might make the head have a "fluid-dampened" feel. I may experiment with that later when the weather outside is warmer.) I re-installed the head and is just spins now, no resistance and no hesitations anywhere. The swing pivot was very smooth and free when I received it so I am not doing anything to that one for now, maybe if it ever needs it. I am pretty sure the swing pivot has a Torrington bearing in it as well. I have no idea how they can sell these heads for only $40, but I am not going to look a gift horse in the mouth. (You can probably tell by the first pic that I have been using this head a lot, I have had it on 3 sets of legs testing it. So far I like it best on the Bogen 3246 (Manfrotto 028) legs, they pair up quite well!

Right. I have both and there are applications for which the FX is best and some for which my DX would be the first choice. Tools is tools. A ball peen hammer cannot do everything a claw hammer can do.

Here's a review.

http://www.lenstip.com/115.4-article-Polarizing_filters_test_Results_and_summary.html