Happy customers imageWhat’s the value of loyal happy customers these days?  I am forever coming across a new promotion from a company I already do business with only to be told, “that’s only available to our new customers”.  Sound familiar?  So when a company gets it right I think it is worth spreading the word.  Jobu, makers of what I consider to be the best gimbal heads in the industry, have given their customers something to rejoice about.

Through the  Jobu Best Tripod Head Upgrade Program you’re able to upgrade your old tripod head to Jobu’s best tripod head as new designs come out at a fraction of the cost of buying new.   This brings a huge smile to my face and it should to yours as well because in the photography industry significant improvements on existing products happen just about every month.  And every time the latest and greatest piece of photography gear hits the streets we lament that we just spent hundreds, perhaps thousands of dollars only a year earlier. There’s a little piece in every one of us that says, “If only I had waited.”  The Jobu Best Tripod Head Upgrade program makes that conversation a thing of the past. When the next best tripod head product that meets your needs comes out you simply send your old tripod head back to Jobu and they ship you the new one for just the upgrade cost.  It really is that simple, no hidden gotcha and you end up with the best tripod head all over again.

I’d always used a ball head as a lens support for my smaller lenses which worked fine but when I finally found a donor willing to buy one of my kidneys I went out and purchased the Nikon 600mm.   I loved the lens but struggled with the ball head to track birds and animals if they were moving.  One day while out shooting Great Gray Owls I noticed that my shooting companions all had Jobu tripod heads.  After watching them pan these birds effortlessly and a few conversations later which summed up that they were absolutely thrilled with the Jobu tripod head I knew I just had to have one.  I placed my order the very next day for Jobu’s best gimbal head for large lens support which at the time was the Jobu BWG-Pro.  I am still amazed to this day how the 15lbs of camera and lens get so perfectly balanced that you can literally move it up, down and sideways with one finger. If you’ve never tried a gimbal head style lens support I recommend you find a friend who has one and give it a try.  However be forewarned that you had better have the cash budgeted before the experiment begins because once you try one you’ll absolutely have to own it.

As for quality the Jobu tripod heads are rock solid.  The only issue I ever had was the two hex nuts that hold the swing arm to the frame would loosen over a period of time however that was easily solved by a drop of Permatex 27100 Red Threadlocker.  A COOL Wildlife quick tip for any of you who have photography gear that has nuts, screws, etc. that loosen up on you is take the nut out, apply one drop of red threadlocker, not the blue as it is permanent, and tighten the screw back into place and it will never loosen again.

Sorry I digress, in keeping with the theme, wouldn’t you know it Jobu has released an upgrade to my BWG Pro called the Jobu Pro2 Gimbal head.  It is lighter, 400x stiffer to bending and twisting and incorporates a quick Jobu BWG Pro2 Gimbal Head Picturerelease clamp.  Am I feeling badly, heck no, as a Jobu customer I can celebrate their advances in technology, and there are many, knowing a product upgrade is just a mouse click away through the Jobu Best Tripod Head Upgrade Program.

As an added bonus when you place your order for any Jobu product if you enter the code “coolwildlife” you’ll get a 15% discount off your order. (Not applicable to upgrades)

Verdict: Jobu hits a home run when it comes to customer satisfaction through the Jobu Best Tripod Head Upgrade Program and that earns it a COOL Wildlife photography two paws up.