Matthews steel Kit Stands: help please
- Thread starter forbyfiev
- Start date
David G. Smith
Steak Knife Member
I have several MSE Maxi Steel stands and I really like them. That top riser is kind of skinny but it is steel and very sturdy. I think that stand is rated up to about 23 lbs or so and I think that they would have no problem handling that kind of load even fully extended. They are over 9 feet high and that is a pretty good height.
Moseph
Veteran
Even a beefy baby isn't going to be a whole lot more sturdy than a C stand, and I certainly doubt that the steel kit stands would. As you said, they have a very skinny top riser, which means the other risers are going to be fairly skinny too.
As a side note, "combo" can mean any number of things. I'm guessing you're talking about a 3 riser steel reflector stand but maybe not. Steel or aluminum? Wheels? Pop-up or large gobo head? # of risers? Low or "normal" reflector style stand? This is one of the few items where most people don't like an abbreviation on a larger job where any of those could be present.
As a side note, "combo" can mean any number of things. I'm guessing you're talking about a 3 riser steel reflector stand but maybe not. Steel or aluminum? Wheels? Pop-up or large gobo head? # of risers? Low or "normal" reflector style stand? This is one of the few items where most people don't like an abbreviation on a larger job where any of those could be present.
combo as in the steel 2 riser(3 section) with junior and baby top.
for this use, C stands are heavy enough, but the legs are too small spread to be stable enough.
I was hoping that the steel kit stand was roughly the same "beefiness" as the C, but with a wider leg spread.
for this use, C stands are heavy enough, but the legs are too small spread to be stable enough.
I was hoping that the steel kit stand was roughly the same "beefiness" as the C, but with a wider leg spread.
David G. Smith
Steak Knife Member
The leg spread on the Maxi Steel stands is not wider than most C-stands. Because they are just straight tubes they are also not as easy to fully brace as a C-stand where you can fully drap a shot bag over the angled legs.
B&H lists the Maxi kit stand as 37" footprint, and C stands at 26.5". Though I haven't compared mine, and I understand the Kupo C's are wider.
point taken about sandbagging. On bigger stands we put them on the leg braces, but that's probably no farther out from the column than on a C stand.
point taken about sandbagging. On bigger stands we put them on the leg braces, but that's probably no farther out from the column than on a C stand.
hscully
Veteran
I have a couple of those stands. They're a great bargain. The footprint is not as wide as a beefy and they're not really very light but for their size they are pretty darn sturdy. They are better than the kit stands that come with Divas. I have used them with Divas with a smaller kit, definitely fine for a 650 fresnel. If you bag them you're fine.
David G. Smith
Steak Knife Member
Hmmm, I guess one of the things that goes when you get old is the ability to judge dimensions!...
I think that the leg design of a C-stand does kind of trump for pure stability.
I really like the Maxi Steels. I don't think that they can be beat for the price.
I got Matthews to do some measurements (it's aggravating how they've never had detailed info in their catalogs)
Maxi Steel Kit Stand tube diameters: 1.25"/1.05"/0.83"/0.62"
C Stand tube diameters: 1.75"/1.5"/1"
Clearly the Maxi is nothing like typical MSE stands. It won't serve the purpose I have right now, but I think they'd be great to use with a Lowel or Redhead kit.
Maxi Steel Kit Stand tube diameters: 1.25"/1.05"/0.83"/0.62"
C Stand tube diameters: 1.75"/1.5"/1"
Clearly the Maxi is nothing like typical MSE stands. It won't serve the purpose I have right now, but I think they'd be great to use with a Lowel or Redhead kit.
For anyone who may be interested, I ordered a couple of these just to check them out.
I just realized my C stands are different diameters anyway (arri, mse, gary coleman's etc)
Here's a snapshot next to a basic Matthew's C stand. The kit stand definitely has a wider footprint. The 2nd riser (3rd section) is the same diameter as the top riser of the C stand. The top riser of the Kit stand is the same as the baby stud.
That said my Arri C stands are heavier than the Matthews
One thing they dropped the ball on is they seem to need a collar or spacer inside the risers to remove wobble at some extensions.
They won't work right now for my original intention, but I'm going to try using them instead of C stands for some shoots because they're more compact and faster to setup and strike. They're a bargain also at only $86
I just realized my C stands are different diameters anyway (arri, mse, gary coleman's etc)
Here's a snapshot next to a basic Matthew's C stand. The kit stand definitely has a wider footprint. The 2nd riser (3rd section) is the same diameter as the top riser of the C stand. The top riser of the Kit stand is the same as the baby stud.
That said my Arri C stands are heavier than the Matthews
One thing they dropped the ball on is they seem to need a collar or spacer inside the risers to remove wobble at some extensions.
They won't work right now for my original intention, but I'm going to try using them instead of C stands for some shoots because they're more compact and faster to setup and strike. They're a bargain also at only $86
Last edited: