X-Shot Pro 2014 Review by The Good Ride

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Mono pods, in my opinion, are the best way to film yourself and others.  Don’t mount a camera on your helmet for all shots.  It’s just boring and doesn’t show you riding.  Carry a mono pod.  It’s not very hard to use and you get used to it really quick. It’s the best way to film yourself and your friends.

Ethics Statement: We don’t get paid by the manufacturer to write these reviews.  No one is perfect and we do make money from the “Where To Buy” links below, but this is our best attempt at an honest and objective review from an average riders’ perspective.

The X-Shot Pro is a huge improvement from the original X-Shot Mono-pod extender. It held up to a lot more abuse than the older models.  I use to constantly break the older models a lot and the X-Shot Pro held up to a season of riding.  I tested the X-Shot Pro with the Drift HD Ghost and Drift Ghost-S which are some of my favorite cameras for snowboarding.

Negatives: There are 2 issues with this monopod here.  If they fixed them it would be hard to recommend another mono-pod unless it was free.

1. The extender tube pieces or whatever you call em have a little too much flex and don’t lock into place like many of their competitors.. Although they are thicker they aren’t super tight so it flexes a little too much for my taste.  It doesn’t seem to cause too many issues when filming but it would be nice to see each section lock into place with a twist like some other mono pod competitors do or use some other tech to help it lock into place.

2. The neck piece has a little horizontal wobble that makes it a little more chattery when riding.

Neither of these is deal breakers but I found that other mono

Positives:

1. The best thing about the X-Shot Pro is the size when it’s compact at 7.5″ which is great for fitting in most jacket pockets.  Almost every other mono-pod that I used doesn’t fit in my jacket or pant pockets without it sticking out.

2. Also, it extends to about 31″ which is great for the size. It extends past other monopods that have a longer shaft and with most cameras you get most of you in the shot.  Also, it’s good for getting a closer shot of your friend. So despite the kind of loose extension pieces the X-Shot Pro is a huge improvement over the older model and will work well for those that like to film themselves and others on the mountain.

3.  Also, that rubber grip works really well with just about any glove and there is a long easy to get over the glove leash in case you stuck trying to go big on film.

4. The mounting system was greatly improved (despite the flaws mentioned above) and now it’s much more sturdy.  Before it was plastic and fell apart mid-season but now it’s metal.  It’s much better for taking off and on cameras all season

Video review coming soon…..

So, all in all, it’s not perfect and I was hoping to have a more stable filming platform.  However, nothing fits better in your pocket or extends as far for the size as the X-Shot Pro.  So it’s a tough call as to whether it will work for you or not.  If they can fix the 2 issues I mentioned I don’t think any other mono-pod could compete.