Velbon PH157Q head on a Slim 88 Black Diamond tripod? (1 Viewer)

I have a Slik 88 Black Diamond tripod which is years old and hardly been used. It has a 3 way pan and tilt head which is not very good. When you tighten things up the scope seems to move off position. Would changing the head to possibly a Velbon PH157Q head make any difference and would it fit directly on to the Slik tripod? I'm asking the question now because I have just acquired an Opticron GS 665 GA scope with 27× HR eyepiece and am trying to match it to a useful tripod as cheaply as possible. Once I have the tripod sorted it'll be just a matter of getting a stay-on case. If I can do all this without falling foul of my wife it will be some achievement!3

The Velbon PH157Q is a decent piece of kit and should fit directly on your Slik, assuming that tripod has the usual 1/4 inch fitting.
The head is maybe oversized for my tiny Nikon ED50 scope, but your Opticron should be an excellent match.

Got the Velbon and it seems to be a lot better than the existing Slik head, much smoother and easier to control. I like the quick release plate and find it really easy to use. The head appears to be well made and very good value. (Also got the stay-on case and my wife is still talking to me!) 3

Has anyone had any experience with the Manfrotto BeFree tripod with a scope? Looks to be a great lightweight portable tripod on paper. Wondered if it would be good with an Opticron GS665?