Coz they are both owned by the same company called Vitec plc.
No brainer that Gitzo will always be the higher end big brother of Manfrotto to cater to 2 different market, although they will be like SG Govt telling Indonesia that "no no, they are both different telecommunication companies and they are run commercially by their own".
So basically:
1) Can afford, buy Gitzo
2) Cannot afford but wants Gitzo lookalike, buy some made-in-china value stuff (Sirui, Benro?)
3) Cannot afford and do not want made-in-china stuff, get Manfrotto or Silk or other brands suitable.
No brainer that Gitzo will always be the higher end big brother of Manfrotto to cater to 2 different market, although they will be like SG Govt telling Indonesia that "no no, they are both different telecommunication companies and they are run commercially by their own".
So basically:
1) Can afford, buy Gitzo
2) Cannot afford but wants Gitzo lookalike, buy some made-in-china value stuff (Sirui, Benro?)
3) Cannot afford and do not want made-in-china stuff, get Manfrotto or Silk or other brands suitable.