I know nuts about the Markins ball head too....
The one I am using is from Photo Clam. The Photo Clam ball head is of high quality, and is meant to be comparable to a Markin (basically a knockoff of Markin heads, which were at one time a knockoff of Arca Swiss at a lower price). The ball control knob is microadjustable to provide the right pressure for minimal release, yet maximum control.This function is called Friction Preset. It allows you to set a minimum tension on the ball so that whatever you have mounted, at the determined minimum friction setting you can move the camera with one hand, and when you release the head will hold it in place - you don't have to un-tighten then re-tighten; basically you can move smoothly without releasing the grip from the big knob. Like Markin, it is also manufactured in Korea. See the following URL for details : http://www.tripodballhead.com/ .
A Markins M10 ballhead would cost around SGD$500+ worldwide and an I bought an equivalent, the PC-40NS, about SGD $330 at store in Hong Kong last September (2009):
http://reallybigcameras.com/PhotoClam/PC-40N_NS.htm
I am quite happy with it.
Does any local shops carry this Photo Clam brand?