Its like I tell my students - you can't afford to buy a cheap tripod. They're made of flimsy materials and will wear out or fall apart far too soon. A decent tripod with head will easily cost $100 USD or more. A quality tripod (Manfrotto) will last a lifetime, and should you do something really dumb, they sell replacement parts!

Just make sure your tripod is rated to support the weight of your gear and that its tall enough so you don't have to hunch over when you work with it fully extended.

Looks like we have a fair number of photo geeks around here - brilliant!