But at last, you`ll find the height is the point. ET Mantis was high, especially on Epic and Scarlet, the height of base will become more higher.
With my rigs and new base, you will get very low height, and it could setup in short time. setup video: http://www.vimeo.com/4397192

If I need to switch between tirpod & hand-held often, I always leave handles on the rods.