Possibly naive and silly tripod questions

[compuwar]

Here's a non-rhetorical question? How durable is the carbon fiber in tripod legs. In my experience with carbon fiber in other applications--bike frames, ski poles, etc--it's a break-not-bend material, and it's much more prone to snap and shred after it gets a couple of nicks in it.
Materials technology is constantly changing, so I'm wondering if this is still true.

Like all laminates, it really depends on the end shape and the lamination- my first CF tripod was a Mamiya several years ago (5-6) and it's still going strong with its second owner without any signs of wear on the legs- though one leg did come out of its socket and needed some epoxy to fix it (I just taped it for a while, the second owner epoxied it right up.) My Gitzo 1548 is about 3 now, and likewise it's looking good. Both sets of legs have seen constant field use in various weather conditions since new and weren't babied after about a month- so I have no negative issues with CF

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[Abstract]

I want to know where you get sheets of CF cheap enough to kick.

Cheap? Like photography, it's not a cheap hobby. Not cheap for the owners, anyway.

The next time you're in an Aston Martin or the Mercedes SLR, just start kicking the dashboard.

 

[Doylem]

I can recommend my tripod (a Slik something or other...) for one simple reason. It's always strapped to my camera bag...

Wherever my bag goes, the tripod goes too. And that's the kind of tripod that will make all the difference...