Since the dawn of time, the stick has been
essential to human survival. Without it, our ancestors may not have been able
to create fire, figure out writing or trudge their way toward new frontiers.
History books may soon be updated with the
most recent (and possibly the greatest) chapter in the stick’s continuing
relationship with humankind. That humble tool now enables us to lift our phones
and cameras aloft, to take better photos of our surroundings...and ourselves.
Behold, the Selfie Monopod Bluetooth.
I know what you are thinking. “If this
narcissistic trend was meant to be, we’d have been born with really, really
long arms!” I felt the same way when I first started noticing selfie sticks
cropping up.
But using a selfie stick is a little like
eating an oyster for the first time: Don’t knock it until you try it. There are
some real advantages to having one. No, looking respectable isn’t one of them.
But it does capture more stable video, and you can shoot wider angles of
yourself and your whole family—without having to hand your phone over to a
total stranger.
I figured if I’m going to join this
absurd-looking trend, I should have the best one. Now, you’re probably
thinking, “How complicated can a stick be?” Not all are created equal, not
remotely. So to pick a winner, I’ve been accumulating countless selfies, and
the disdainful gazes of countless strangers, as I put 14 sticks through their
paces.
Cheap Stick
Fundamentally, selfie sticks are just poles
with attachments at the end for your smartphone or small camera. They’re no
more than hand-held tripods.
I highly recommend GoPro’s own $70 3-Way.
It folds up into a fairly compact package that can easily be tossed in a
backpack, it has two joints you can bend to nail a tricky shot, and the bottom
pops off, so it can become a tripod.
I also liked PolarPro’s $100 PowerPole. It
is the Tesla of selfie sticks, with a built-in battery that recharges phones
and GoPros.
Still, my old standby the Quik Pod costs
less, is lighter and can be retracted into a much smaller pole. And a GoPro
mount is included in the box.
I’m going to give it to you straight, dear
reader. No matter which one of these you go with, you’ll still look a bit
ridiculous walking around with your phone attached to a stick. But the better
the photos of you and your family get, perhaps the more comfortable you’ll be
with the social cost.
Mark my words, I’ll be taking the Quik Pod
on my next vacation. And every time I use it, I’ll be reminded of this epoch in
human history where we, like our cave-dwelling ancestors, took up sticks to
overcome our greatest Selfie Monopod Bluetooth
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