Does what it says on the tin, no more danger of camera/scope hitting the tripod. It is quite large and heavy but very stable. You need to make sure that the thumb screw holding the extension to the tripod and the thumb screw that holds the top adaptor plate to the HEQ5 are very tight otherwise the tube/mount is able to rotate. Pleased with my purchase so far.

At the low latitude where I usually mount my telescope I cannot fully extend the counterweight shaft of my equatorial mount as the tripod leg will stay on its way. I was planning to buy or build a pier, but this extension tube gave me a cheaper and more versatile option. It is heavy, tough. The only problem is that I have to unscrew 3 bolts and dismount it to attach the head (an then remount the same part) unless I decide to leave it permanently attached to the head, but then the size and weight of the assemblage become another problem. But that is another cheap price for the benefits that it brings.