I've used shock-cord easels, too. Most of the easels have 3-section legs; this tripod had 4-section legs to make is smaller when closed, but that makes it take more time to close down and makes it flimsier.
I wouldn't trust one of these Tamracs with anything heavier than a point and shoot. Theoretically, it might hold an SLR, but shock-cord legs are very wobbly, and get more wobbly as you add more weight, thus defeating the whole purpose of having a tripod in the first place.