I'm looking for a long-lasting camera tripod. I've just thrown away a tripod that lasted maybe a decade of very infrequent use. I threw it away because the crank that winds the tripod head up and down seized in the "up" position, I couldn't move it at all. I tried oiling it and waited 24 hours, but it was still seized, and my attempts to make it move just broke the crank's plastic shaft.
So now I'm looking for a new tripod, which I'd like to last a lot longer, and hopefully be under $100 but can stretch to $150-ish. Given the failure of my old tripod, I'm very wary of tripods with plastic parts, and I see there are some tripods with twist-locks on the legs, although I'm uncertain if the working parts of those are metal or plastic.
I'd like to have a simple tripod - no ball head, I only use pan and tilt-up/tilt-down adjustments. If the tripod is 180cm tall or more, I probably won't need a crank up/down mechanism either. I only used the crank to get the extra height.
I'm intending to add an alloy quick-release adapter to the tripod, like this one, so the tripod doesn't need to have its own quick-release mechanism: https://www.amazon.com.au/Neewer-Professional-Camcorder-Comp…
My previous tripod had quick release, but the plate was so small that I couldn't sit the camera straight on a table, the weight of the lens made it topple over. I suspect the Neewer plate is long enough that it will balance.
If it helps, my camera weighs 1.3kg with 18-200 zoom lens fitted.
So tell me, what should I avoid or look for, if I want a tripod with a long life? Is my fear of plastic parts well-founded or incorrect?
I recommend them.