which of these handles is "best" - to go with which "best" shoulder pad??

[Joseph Seuferling]

Who makes this one? Is that all "ALLSTAR?"

Yes, its Allstar Cinema Curt. I also think it looks really solid!

[Les C.]

Here's an interesting video with Allstar & Epic https://vimeo.com/36949507 I've heard nothing but good things about them.

[Jason Diamond]

FWIW all of Ryan's products are solid. Manhandling his shoulder rig in many configs at NAB, I found his to be a solid solution, especially if you use other parts for the rig you can have alternate setups that don't even use the full rig.