Light stands

longshanks

longshanks

Well-known member
So I just bought a whole bunch of used Lowel lights:

2 Totas, 2 Omni 1k, 2 VIP Pro lights and I'm wondering what would be some good stands to pair with them. Obviously, Lowel is at the lower end as far as lights go, so I'm not looking to invest a whole lot of money into this kit I'm building. Anyone have recommendations as to what I should get for the best quality/build? I would like to buy each stand anywhere from $50-$100

I've looked into Manfrotto, Lowel, Matthews, and others but I'm uncertain if I should get lighter duty stands and then sandbag 'em or stick with heavy duty and only
sandbag my heavier lights.

Suggestions?
 
I went with some 10' light stands on ebay... super cheap but standard quality! Around $35 each i think...
 
I've used these stands with Omnis (which are 500w - if it's 1k, it's a DP), Totas, and the occasional 1K fresnel over the past year. They're not the most sturdy things in the world, and they're not terribly tall, but they do a fine job with lightweight lights, pack up small, and they're pretty cheap for what you get.

http://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/product/262758-REG/Impact_LS_6B_Light_Stand_Black_.html

If you've got some money to blow though, Lowel KS stands are fantastic. I've used them from a rental house or two, and I like them quite a bit.
 
PerroneFord said:
I have Lowel KS stands and I wouldn't exactly call them "fantastic". All the lowel stands are pretty light duty to me. But that's just my view.
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Well, just for me, I like the smaller, lighter stands. Maybe the Matthews are beefier (I actually have no doubt about that, I only trust Matthews for my grip heads, arms, and C-Stands), but the KS's are something I've used quite a bit, and just work fine for holding lights and a few modifiers. Carrying a DSR-500, a tripod, a light kit, and a C-Stand through a building by yourself is hard enough without 4 heavier stands in one of the bags. :tongue:

To each his own, I suppose.
 
You're gonna have to make trade-off. The Matthews heavy duty stands are great but they're heavy and takes up a lot more space for transport. If you're looking to travel light with a small crew it's just not going to be ideal to use them. I prefer more light weight stands where I can stuff a few of them into a single bag and carry them that way.
 
Well, to be honest, I have some of each. And I expressly got a rolling case so my small lights, modifiers, stands, etc., could all be wheeled around instead of having to be carried everywhere.

I'll put my tota on one of the light stands, and maybe something like an omni... indoors. But on a real set, with 1ks, 2k, or lager lights, Chimeras, Rifas, Colortrans, etc... I'll take the Matthews every time.

So do you want stands that work every time and will last a lifetime? Or do you want to save some weight. Both can be viable depending on needs.
 
Well this isn't exactly a throw-away kit, but I do want to upgrade to Arri lights in the future. So I'm still stuck on what to get. I'm leaning towards getting 4 Impact stands for the VIP and Tota lights and either two Matthews or Lowel stands for my DP and Omni(maybe even Manfrotto?). I should note that I want to be able to have the flexibility to get some height (12' maybe?) for different applications, so with that said does everyone still stand by there recommendations?
 
The Impact stands are not really that bad if, and this is a big if, you take care of them. They will do a decent job of supporting the relatively small lights but they want take a ton of abuse.
 
longshanks said:
Well this isn't exactly a throw-away kit, but I do want to upgrade to Arri lights in the future. So I'm still stuck on what to get. I'm leaning towards getting 4 Impact stands for the VIP and Tota lights and either two Matthews or Lowel stands for my DP and Omni(maybe even Manfrotto?). I should note that I want to be able to have the flexibility to get some height (12' maybe?) for different applications, so with that said does everyone still stand by there recommendations?
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I have two Manfrotto stands. They are light. But they are better built than the Lowels. I have never seen or used an Impact stand. I tend to buy grip from people who DO pro grip (or light). And that means Matthews, Avenger, Mole, Arri. My Lowel stands came with my Lowel lights and I would never have bought them separately. My Manfrottos came with some other grip I bought in a kit, and I *might* have bought them if I was looking for very lightweight stands.

But in all honestly, if it was my money on the line, I'd call Matthews before anyone else, and maybe Mole. The rest I'd leave alone most likely. Especially now that you've added that you want to fly these lights over 10ft in air. By the time I am flying lights 12ft+ I am on heavy-duty stands. And my 2k is on a junior stand. But I often have to put that one at 20-22ft.

A 250 frenel falling over from 12ft can break the bones of a person. A 1k could kill someone if it hit them right. And no one is going to want to hear that you saved 3 pounds in carrying weight. The reality on set is that people bump into light stands, kick bases, and do all manner of things. Protect those people.
 
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