hi drewdam, don't worry about the brand thing especially for accessories. We are only stucked with brands because of the camera system. Tripods, monopods and other accessories u can always get what u find most appealing - both in terms of price and performance.
Like I mention earlier I used a neotec, set me back at a gitzo tripod price. But I have been handicapped by the speed in setting up and burdened by the conventional gitzo which I have dozens of them. Though they are wonderful to have and strong for MOST applications, our needs do varies and change hence u should always get a model that u feel most worthwhile to invest.
There are other china brands for u to consider also. Try those models that u like, then consider the price, material, quality in that order.
