GKJr. Katana Pro Gimbal Tripod Head

The gimbal is worth every dollar spent, and I have owned it for years. It has experienced weather conditions - from blowing sand in Botswana, to freezing rain in Minnesota, to frigid cold and snow in Northern Ontario, Canada. It has traveled to Africa, Alaska, Florida, New Jersey, Maryland, South Carolina, and many other places from the East Coast to the West Coast of the US. So with this travel record, and facing extremes in weather, it still performs like new. It is built extremely well, and even is stylish in craftsmanship. I could not get the images I do without this fine gimbal. I now have accessories from PMG for it, like the GF2 Gimbal Head Flash Doubler. I especially love how their other products work so well together.

I have had the opportunity to use several gimbal heads including the Wimberley V1, V2, a cheap gimbal from Amazon and the Katana Jr. Of all of these, the Katana Jr is my favorite. The Wimberley products are outstanding, they are as smooth as silk and built like a tank. The Katana Jr are also as smooth as silk and built like a tank but 1 pound lighter. That weight savings is great in the field.
I have to admit to having some vanity and as such, I find the Katana Jr is a better looking product. I know as a photographer it should not matter what the gimbal looks like if it gets the job done but if the Wimberley and the ProMediaGear products both work the same and one looks better than the other...
The only negative I have encountered with the Katana Jr is the "grainy" feel of the tension knobs as apposed to a Wimberley. The Katana Jr is not as smooth when tightening down the tension. This, to me, is especially true of the lower tension knob. It just isn't as smooth as the Wimberley. This is not a fatal flaw and certainy not a negative that would preclude me from choosing the Katana Jr a second time if I had to.
The Katana Jr is an outstanding product for anyone with a long lens who has occasion to stand for long periods of time waiting for the perfect wildlife or sports shot.
Thanks ProMediaGear,
Matt
Update: Previously in my review I indicated that the adjustment knobs had a "grainy" feeling to them, especially the lower adjustment knob. As time has passed and I have had more opportunities to use the Katana Jr, the grainy feeling has smoothed out. The Katana Jr really has been a pleasure to use. I have had more than one person ask me about it while it sat on my tripod.

Sold my Wimberley for the Katana Jr. By far the best gimbal on the market..its light, looks awesome and has the smoothest bearings there is...absolutely zero regrets.
Pairs perfectly with my Promediagear TR423 tripod and the Promediagear 75mm bowl for leveling my gimbal.

Well built with the right features and for less money than you'd expect to pay for such a great gimbal. Very strong yet pretty light so it's easy to take into the field. Well thought out design that was obviously designed by pros for both pros and advanced enthusiasts.

How disappointing. my gimbal head just stopped working correctly. The tightener for horizontal panning just stripped out. When tightening it, it gets to a point and then goes loose. I can also not remove it.

Guess I need to check the warranty and see if the company stands behind it's 5-year warranty, or not.