Customer Reviews

Westcott 750 Photo Basics 7.0-Foot Light Stand

5 star:		(37)
4 star:		(26)
3 star:		(8)
2 star:		(7)
1 star:		(6)

 

 

This is a solid, medium weight stand. It does what it's supposed to do and is better for lights/flashes/etc that are on the medium weight side(or if you have softboxes). Frankly, I prefer my Manfrotto 001B, which is a super-light-weight 6 foot stand, and folds down much smaller. So in the end... as a studio stand, great. As a portable stand, not bad, but you can buy lighter. Build quality is fine and none of the hardware seems cheap. A previous review said this stand was "air cushioned" but it really isn't. It might have that effect in the right conditions but I own some true "air cushioned" stands and this one is not. For the price, you won't complain.

I love these Amazon reviews, and hate to write a negative one.

Bought this model about a year ago, due to low cost and other reviews.. shortly thereafter, the "spring" feature fell apart internally. Then (and now), the top of this spins with the lightest touch (or even if it is mildly unbalanced) - so, the light doesn't stay aimed where it is pointed. Duck tape works to hold the top from spinning - but, really now... it should be much more robust.

This was designed so poorly, it broke after only 4 or 5 shoots.

I took it apart to see if I could fix it, and found they used tape in areas to keep parts together.

Also, it is very easy to tip over.

I bought this as a second light stand to hoist my second 430ex flash unit. I already own a bogen 3373 retractable 5-piece light stand, which is pretty light, and fits very well into my backpack. Now this Westcott stand iself is pretty light and the construction seems pretty durable.
However, I was concerned to note that it does not collapse down to the size of the Bogen light stand,which seems a pain in the neck, considering how portable I wanted to be. I may have to end up buying another bag if I need to lug it outdoors.
I know they don't make claims on the product description, but somehow I was not able to get this information either from the reviews, or from the product specifications, online. Nonetheless, the product holds my savage umbrella pretty well, and is definitely a great deal at half the price of the Bogen light stand.

It's my first light stand. Although we use more expensive stands at work, this one meets my budget. Usual use is indoor/studio lighting but sometimes light outside shoot. Sturdy enough to hold my 43" umbrella and an SB-800. I haven't tried using bigger strobes though. For it's price, it is meeting my needs.

I got what I paid for, not a sturdy stand at all. I would not recommend this stand to any serious photographers.

Vthomas

I have had this product for less than two months and it's already broke. The inserts between the lock knobs, and the riser poles are made of soft plastic. After 6 shoots my stand will not hold a Pentax speedlight up.

Some reviewers seem to delight in writing negative reviews...but not me! I'd much rather tell everyone about some really cool product being offered at a great price. Unfortunately, that's not the case this time, so I'll be brief.
On unpacking this product, the first thing I discovered was that the 'shock mount' springs were missing; more than reason enough to return it...which I did...but hardly reason enough to write a review! Of much greater import here is just how poorly made this stand really is. I guess when Westcott labeled this a 'medium weight' stand, they meant it might support both a Sunpak shoe-mount flash AND a Lumiquest pocket bounce attachment. That is, as long as there isn't much of a breeze! You certainly won't be mounting Alien Bee studio strobes to this thing...well, at least not more than once!
So forget this toy! For another $20 you can get the venerable Photoflex LS-2214*, which is a vastly superior product. I've had a couple of them for over 20 years, which I used with heavy White Lightning studio monolights, both indoors and out. And after all this time, they're both still like new, so I'm buying a couple more. To me, "peace of mind" and confidence in a proven product are worth a few bucks more; don't you agree?

*Photoflex LS2214 Medium Weight 8ft Stand

I got a pair of these when I first started in photography 2 years ago. They have been ok for most of that two year span, but today on a job, after I set up my Canon 580EX II atop of one of them, one of the 4 people I was photographing politely pointed out that the light stand pole had receded into the stand slightly.

I felt like I had gone professionally impotent in front of the entire room.

Apparently, one of the adjustment knobs that locks the extended pole in place, had just stopped being effective. How hard is it to manufacture a reliable screw?

I recently replaced the cheap umbrella adaptors with adaptors from Manfrotto. I'm going to do the same with my two light stands.

Save yourself the embarrassment and buy a good quality stand from the outset.

I have four. One has a plastic piece that snapped and it doesn't stay up. Two won't erect all the way and the other one gets stuck and you have to force it up.

I noticed that these are labeled "Educational Photo & Video Lighting Kits" in the Westcott, so that would probably be Westcott's excuse for the crappy quality. But since I now have three broken stands and need to upgrade, I'm reluctant to buy from a company that is willing to sell such low quality equipment.

By the way, I use these stands about once a week indoors.