Camera Labs

Hey guys,I've been searching for a monopod the past few days but honestly I really dont know what to look for in such an item.I intend to use it mainly for sports,maybe for bird photography and just general use.The lens will be mounted on my 40D with the battery grip on,the lens itself its around 3 lbs.cant recall how much the camera+grip weighs.I tried a cheap one a few days ago and that thing was wobbling all the way to the ground,so Im looking for something solid.Would be nice to have a ball head, but Im totally lost with this accesories.Which monopod with ball head would you recommend for around $60.00 if there's any?

So far Im considering this two: Induro AM14 Alloy 8M Monopod and Manfrotto 681B Professional Aluminum 3 Section Monopod

http://cgi.ebay.com/Induro-AM25-Alloy-8m-5-Section-Monopod-Support-22-lbs-/330565164353?pt=US_Tripods&hash=item4cf7381d41


http://cgi.ebay.com/Manfrotto-681B-Professional-Aluminum-3-Section-Monopod-/180669441649?pt=US_Tripods&hash=item2a10bce671


Although I would need to buy ball head later.My question is,would I be able to use these monopods without the ball head?They both come with 1/4" screws which seems to be the standard size, but I just want to be sure.

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Canon 40D w/vertical grip
Sigma 24-70mm EX DG f2.8
Canon EF 300mm f2.8 L USM
Canon 400mm f5.6 L USM
San Disk Ultra II 4gb
Manfrotto 681B
Canon 200 EG backpack.