Great write up and test. Especially with photos, thank you.
we have the Manfrotto 1051BAC and agree that its' 7 foot height relegates it to wink wink stealth set ups or FOB for GA shows. We've only used it about 5 times since buying it almost 2 years ago.
OTH, the flat storage scenario is nice and of course, works out great for photographers/videographers as they have to carry multiple stands.