I do kind of wish I had realized the difference between this and the 244 (I'm going to get that one too). The torsion arm to lock this is a little hard to throw in and out of the locked position. That said, now that I know how it works, it's not an issue and it's nice knowing when it's locked, it's REALLY locked. This item has the typical Bogen/Manfrotto excellent build quality. Don't waste your money on the cheap knock-offs. Save your pennies and get the real thing. These things are built like tanks and will last you much, much longer than a few of your camera bodies. They are indispensable for putting a camera, flash, light, grip, or just about anything else, exactly where you want it, but can't reach with a straight pole or boom arm.Very sturdy. The locking mechanism is ingeniously designed. I use it as an additional stabilizer on my tripod.while i dont use this with my photo gear often. its nice in the work shop for doing all kinds of work. very good set of helping hands. be careful they lock up tight. i accently hit myself while unlocking them once. i pay more attention now. so far still working and still locking in tight.While I really love most Manfrotto products, this 143N Magic Arm just fell short and I had to send it back. It didn't seem to lock up properly and was quite rigid in it's design. I have a lot of Manfrotto stuff and enjoy the quality. And that at affordable cost levels. The concept of this item is really great, but somehow just fell short of my expectation. Made a short video - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iBQFDmmp9MMWasn't sure if this would be as good as the variable friction version but it's as solid as needed.Heavy maybe but awesome and adjustable clampThe joint on this magic arm failed shortly after I began using it. (Probably after less than a dozen applications with light weights). It no longer holds its position so its use to me now is limited. I'm not sure what the cause of its failure is.Not quite 2 years of ownership, with infrequent use as a studio camera mount for webcams (very, very light load), and I have to give up on this thing.The arm is great when it works. After about a year, the joint would click when I threw the lever, and fail to engage. The problem is several ball bearings that get out-of-place. It is fixable, but very finicky. And, from my experience, a never-ending fight. I just don't know when I'll have to open it up and fix it again. Since I can't rely on it, I've stopped using it that much. Very sad ending for a very useful piece of kit.Really, really good item. There are cheap versions but they wont be as good as this. To hold your camera steady at any angle the arm has to be very strong and well made, so cheap versions just wont work properly. Plus the one click handle to lock and release all the joints is essential for quick repositioning and this one works perfectly and quickly.There are some things when the cheap versions just dont cut it and this is one of them.You need the Manfrotto Super Clamp to mount it securely and the Manfrotto Camera Bracket to attach your SLR.I use it clamped onto the upright central stem of a cheap tripod so it holds the camera horizontally above whatever I am photographing. The tripod needs some weights ziptied on to stop it falling over.I am a proper cheapskate and dont regret buying this!After a day it starteed making a loud "crack!" sound when the release lever was used. It was also failing to fully lock the arm. The documentation describes an adjustment, using the provided hex keys, to counter the looseness. The adjustment fixed the issue, but only for a short time. I'm returning the magic arm as defective. I have a lot of Manfrotto equipment, which is generally very good, so this defect was quite a surprise.I bought the Magic Arm after reading many reviews. It also seemed more useful than a tripod because you can clamp this on a chair or table to use. It's heavy and sturdy enough to trust my camera on it for days.Super useful for attaching cameras of lights in either odd places, or to stands with existing lights on the top.PRODUCT WORKS GREAT BUT AM SENDING BACK FOR REPAIR FOR SECOND TIME IN A YEAR UNDER WARRANTY BECAUSE THE SECURING LEVER HAS STOPPED WORKING. SAME PROBLEM HAS RECURRED. HAVE HAD TO PURCHASE ADDITIONAL ARM TO COVER LOSS OF UNIT.