I know, it's the strangest design I've used so far. The guy in the shop couldn't find the spirit level and it's not shown on the outside of the box either. The level is let's say on the 'top' of the tripod body and you just tilt the head forward with the long pan and tilt handle (one of the main reasons I bought it as all the other models had such short p and t handles) am I imagining it or are they getting shorter by the year??? The other models of tripod I used in the past have had the level built into the actual head, so does it make a difference? Anyway, it's gone now (after a bit of haggling - glad I kept the receipt) and I'm now using a Manfrotto (and a tube of super glue is on standby).