Gahenwo 170 cm Selfie Stick Tripod Review: Better as a Tall Phone Tripod

This is the English edition of a review from my Japanese YouTube channel, iestaLife. I review gadgets from my home studio in Japan, so product links go to Amazon Japan.

Quick take

The Gahenwo selfie stick tripod extends to about 170 cm, which is rare for a phone tripod. As a tall, light tripod you leave on the ground — I bought it to film my golf swing at the driving range — it works well. As a selfie stick it is too bulky, and it doesn’t hold a phone perfectly upright in portrait, so I wouldn’t buy it as an all-in-one.

iPhone mounted in portrait on the Gahenwo selfie stick tripod — The phone clamp on the Gahenwo selfie stick tripod

What I tested

Gahenwo Selfie Stick Tripod, 170 cm, with the tripod legs built into the handle
The included Bluetooth remote (charged over USB-C)
An iPhone in landscape and portrait
For comparison: my carbon camera tripod with a ball head

What I found

It reaches roughly 170 cm. Fully extended, balance becomes a concern, but indoors it was surprisingly steady; at half height it is very stable. Full height outdoors looks risky; at around 1 m, the fairly wide legs gave me some reassurance against a light breeze.
The telescoping sections are a little stiff.
In selfie-stick mode the handle folds and the head rotates, but even at its shortest it is long. For a selfie stick, it is too big for what it does.
In portrait mode the phone never sat fully vertical — it leaned slightly. Fine handheld if you correct it, awkward when it is standing on its own.
The folding joint seems to be held by friction, with no screw to tighten it, and the manual doesn’t mention adjusting it. If it loosens over time, there may be no way to fix it.
There is no cold shoe; it is really for a phone only.
It weighed 301 g on my scale, against 1,013 g for my carbon camera tripod with head. The legs are reasonably wide for a phone tripod.

Phone in portrait on the tripod, leaning slightly — In portrait, the phone leans a little

	Gahenwo selfie stick tripod	Carbon camera tripod (mine)
Weight (measured)	301 g	1,013 g with ball head
Height	About 170 cm max	Similar
Bulk	Long for a phone accessory, but slim	Much bulkier
Mounts	Phone only, no cold shoe	Cameras too

The folding joint of the selfie stick tripod — No tightening screw on the folding joint

Who it’s for

People who want to film their golf swing, workouts or other form checks from head height with a phone, and who find camera tripods too heavy to carry. It slips into a golf shoe bag easily. It is not for people who want one compact stick for selfies and tripod use, or who mostly shoot vertical video.

Watch the video

The video is in Japanese. Useful moments: around 1:45 full extension, 4:25 the folding joint, 5:20 portrait mode, 7:55 the weight comparison.

Limitations

This is a first-look review of one unit; I hadn’t used it long enough to judge whether the joint loosens. The price I quoted — about ¥2,500 on sale, normally around ¥3,000 — was Amazon Japan’s at the time of recording.

Products

Gahenwo selfie stick tripod (170 cm): on Amazon Japan

The Amazon Japan link above is an affiliate link. As an Amazon Associate, I earn from qualifying purchases. Check the listing for the exact model, current price and shipping availability in your region.

More reviews in English