I'm not Jerold so I can't speak for him but I do own 2 Ries tripods.

The Feisol is a very well made, strong, very lightweight carbon fiber tripod. The Ries is a very well made, strong, not lightweight wooden tripod.

The advantage of the Feisol is it being very light weight.

The advantage of the Ries is it being on the heavy side and the leg locks.

When you are clumsy and bump into a heavy tripod they don't budge quite as easily. Yeah, outdoors you can hang rocks or water jugs from your tripod but it doesn't really work that well taking portraits indoors or interior architectural shots.

The Ries leg locks are fantastic. You can lock any of the three legs in any position so you can level the tripod on almost any terrain.

Both tripods are a great choice. Just pick the one that works for you.