So, ill start out by saying this....i have never given a review for an item that has received less than 3 or 4 stars. I have always. Had. Great luck purchasing on Amazon, and always do my research on every item, as well as reading all reviews, prior to purchasing. That said, I was so displeased by this item, i felt compelled to immediately log on and share my experience, as after 2 weeks, the items finally arrived today!
Heres the situation....I am a professional filmmaker and commercial director. I own a production house and a media marketing agency on the east coast. My company produces over 100 television commercials per year, half of which, I personally direct. In addition, I work on various film and television projects both professionally and in my spare time. Normally for items like this, I will purchase professional grade equipment that I am confident will perform at 100%. Recently, however, I have been hired to direct a low budget film in which I needed to purchase a lot of additional equipment. One of those purchases was this item, along with an extendable arm for holding reflectors, and a large reflector that was bundled together here on Amazon. I know in this business, you get what you pay for, but i needed the extra items and was on a limited budget for my client. This seemed like a solid choice for the money, and the reviews were great....so I ordered....over 2 weeks ago.
The item was supposedly in stock, and I paid for the upgraded shipping to receive it faster. I had expected to receive the item with in 3 or 4 days, as that was the option I selected at purchase. The reality, though, was almost 2 weeks of my item saying "Shipping Soon" as the seller didn't send the item out for almost 2 weeks. Finally once shipped, it only took a few days to arrive, which was some relief, but the problems really come when I opened the items.
I was pleased to find the stands individually packed in decent looking carry bags, which will certainly come in hand. When i pulled the first stand out of the bag, I heard the irritating sound of metal falling to the floor. I looked down to notice that one of the screws that holds the legs to the folding supports, was laying on the ground. Upon inspection, I discovered the problem...instead of the attachment being made via a screw, washer, and a nut, the manufacturer had attachedthe pieces with a screw and 2 washers....not nut. So, when I opened the item, the screw just fell to the floor and the leg pieces dangled un attached. Fortunately, I had a nut on hand that fit, and I repaired the item with little aggrevation.
When I opened the second stand, I tried opening out the legs, with no luck. I checked to ensure that the release was lossened, and there was nothing else causing the issue. I continued to try for about a minute or two before the legs finally, slowly, opened. The legs were so stiff, that it took all of my strength to pry them open. For these stands to function properly, they will require a bit of work. Im not too happy about this, as I already waited to long for the items to even ship out to me, Im afraid to do what I would prefer to do, and send them back! At this point, Im probably better off just keeing them and trying to fix the. To make them work.
Like I said...i know that we get what we pay for and for $25, its a great deal...If they worked as they should. If this is all that you can afford, than I hope the items you receive dont arrive the way that mine did. If you can afford better equipment, I would suggest forgetting about these stands, and buying something that you know will perform as it should. Now, I gave the items 2 stars still in effort to be fair. Im sure my experience might be a fluke, but its the risk we all run when buying cheap gear. Additionally, the bags were a nice addition, and even after I repair these stands, Im sure they will at least function well for a little while, until something else goes wrong. Give em shot if thats all you can swing, but, dont trust cheap gear like this to hold your lights or other valuable items, if you have the budget for food sturdy stands.
My 2 cents..
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