tripod woes.

[supertackyman]

I need some advice. the more the better.
last year i was given a 'Quantaray QSX Ultra Pro' tripod made by Sunpak.
yesterday it broke. the leg slid all the way out, as did a bunch of little plastic pieces.
I was told by the gift giver that it was like a 40 dollar pod.
turns out it was like a 100 dollar pod and got some very poor reviews. most likely it would only be avail thru amazon etc with a caveat.

I had found it to be a very solid feeling and sturdy tripod. very heavily made. with nice round legs.
now all the ones i find seem to have spindely flat legs and a skinny neck along with a wimpy looking head.

unless of course i want to spent over one hundred dollars. even then the legs seem thin to me

so if im gonna spend around 100 dollars (id rather not) I need recomendations with personal exp. weight is not too much of an issue for me. I actually want a heavy tripod. my old one was 6.6 lbs and could support 11 pounds. it also should have a geared neck and about 72" full height
I just dont like the wimpy feel of the ones that ive seen so far.
please offer suggestions in the 0-100 dollar price range as that is about my limit.
thank you.

[tamlin]

I think you might have trouble finding the sort of tripod you're looking for if you want to buy a new one. Most modern tripods are designed to be lightweight and portable. Also, the best makes (Manfrotto, Uniloc etc.) start at way over $100 and go up from there. Maybe you should check out eBay - you might be able to pick up a big heavy model in your price range if someone's upgrading.