Phot-R 40cm Mini Studio Light Stand Adjustable 2-Section Lightweight Aluminium Tripod Support with 1.3ft maximum height for Photo Studio Lighting Reflectors, Softboxes, Umbrellas, Backgrounds

How to describe the value of these units is a bit of a problem as to be honest I can't really fault them in any area. Full marks for the actual delivery - I ordered on the Monday and to be fair with being Christmas week I did not expect them very quick based on the fact the postage was included (December 2014) in the price - if you are reading this in 2023, things may have changed a tad - but they arrived on Wednesday, Christmas Eve no less so full marks to Cameraking the suppliers there!. They (I ordered a matching pair don't forget!) came in cardboard boxes securely taped together and the stands were in polythene bags within and were adequate enough to be delivered in the Royal Mail system as they were both okay on opening. Now to save the usual assorted box of intellectuals dropping a question or two, oh umm, I would state for those who drawl over measurements that the dimensions are as follows: closed they are 23 English inches and fully extended they measure 80 English inches - you may note I use the old world method as opposed to all this metric nonsense as at my age I am not about to change - socks and pants maybe but not how to measure things. The 23 inches is quite a nice size for portability and far better than the bulky but very good and well made Manfrotto stands I used to use yonks ago and before anybody asks I am not sure if shoulder holsters are available for the said 23 English inche jobs I am reviewing as I suspect there is bound to be a `Rambo' element that takes photos while sizing up their next mission to save the world or idly polishing their box of projectiles up in readiness for same. Now that nugget is out the way, the business side of things then. If you are sitting comfortably I will begin and tell you the units are reasonably well made with Ny-lok nuts where required on the assorted metal arms and suchlike which in theory will save a lot of searching around for if they were conventional nuts that usually unthread after a few operations of the folding and unfolding etc. One helpful little `bonus' is that there is a small black plastic `nut' on the pointy end - the top then - or the ¼ thread to hold attachments etc. that will save on spearing anybody if you waggle it about a bit without looking while setting it up - not a great step forward for person-kind but a nice touch all the same. The stand in operation works wonderfully well and I will point out how I am using them as I presume your ideas as to use will differ perhaps. Bear in mind they are built for a set purpose such as for use with light weight items and not half ton brute (large spot lights if you prefer) film industry lights and this was why I brought them in the first instance as being lightweight but very stable in use as I use them for attaching small battery powered LED `fill in' lights for *portraiture (*taking photographs of people, smiling or otherwise, for those with no dictionary to hand to work out the meaning of portraiture ..) and to be honest they work very well indeed and the cat didn't run off when she was posing either. They don't take up a lot of floor space with the legs spread out and to be honest I wonder how I managed before - okay, I got somebody to hold the lights or I taped them to any available means of support. I will point out I also invested in a couple of universal jointed flash units from another supplier to perch on top of the stands and these work okay as it means I have total control over the coverage where upon before I would say to my operative: "Oy - now can you move over a bit...to the left...okay, my right but your left...that's it...now hold it... tilt it slightly up...not too much..that's it.. now don't breathe..alright but only if it's essential...". But overall I am very pleased with these stands and with the cost of the stands and the cost of the above universal joints, I had change out of £26 - don't ask what that is in dollars or Krugerands but to me very, very reasonable. As you only get what you pay for and there is always those who expect a Rolls Royce for the price of a Mini and in this instance they will be disappointed (hooray, serves you right - read the specifications first!) no doubt or those who set out to destroy an item because, well they have to due to their mentality, but if any of my observations as outlined are of help, then I don't think you will be disappointed. Bottom line is consider the use you want them for - leave out impressing them at the `camera club' - as in the weight limitations more than anything and you won't go far wrong as I would recommend these to anybody who knows what they are doing. 10/10

I actually bought this stand for overhead smartphone photography. If anyone's looking to do the same thing, I've included details at the bottom of this review. Otherwise...Pros:- Very lightweight and great for indoor use- Metal 1/4 inch thread at the top allows you to attach various accessories- Super easy to move around and store- Cheap!Cons:- Cheap! Ha...- Clamps for height adjustment are plastic (though they do the job)- No carry case, so bear that in mind if you want to travel with it- Wouldn't trust it outside without weights on the baseOverall, it's a great, cheap, lightweight stand.Extra info, in case this helps anyone:I wanted to shoot overhead (top-down) videos with my iPhone, but camera tripods tend to be too short and also take up more floor space. Boom arms designed for cameras also tend to be too short for the job, and much more expensive.So..1. I attached this very stand to a long lighting boom arm (linked below).2. To said boom arm, I attached a clip-on smartphone mount, face down (linked below).3. Et voila. Cheap, easy smartphone photography solution.When I want to shoot upright (head-on), I simply flip the boom arm to vertical, or screw a different mount (linked below) straight onto the 1/4 inch thread at the top of this stand.For info, my smartphone is an iPhone 7 Plus (weight = 188g). The stand itself coped just fine with a light counterweight on the other end of the boom arm. Without a counterweight, it toppled; but such are the laws of gravity.Here are the products:Boom arm (I'd recommend the double clamp version instead): HWASTUDIO ® (BA02S) Single Clamp 75-135cm Lighting Holding Boom Arm tripod Sandbag Telescopic Boom Arm & Lock Nut Handlebar smartphone mount: Anti Shake Phone Holder Bigo Universal Smartphone Holder Bicycle Mobile Phone Holder Motorcycle Mount with 360 Degrees Rotating Cover with Click Function, Adjustable for Smartphones other GPS devices 1/4 inch thread smartphone mount: zacro 360 Degree Rotation Mount Holder with Adjustable Clamp - Used on Tripod / Selfie Stick for Photography - Black

Since writing the review below I've bought another four of these stands, of which any two Are regularly use with the Phot-R boom arm. On their own, without the arm they are brilliant for heavy duty work, I regularly use them with my 150cm Octabox. With the boom arm I find they are great for getting larger speedlights and modifiers, or a small studio strobe over the subject, for heavier boom work such as suspending a large softbox such as the 180x120 I use a complete super heavy all in one boom stand for 15kg weights. I wouldn’t hesitate recommending these for the purpose they are intended for. They are £23 heavy duty light stands, not £100 super heavy duty or £150+ C stands. I think a lot of the negative comments come from people with too much optimism about what they are intended for, be realistic and they are amazing stands.I do wish Amazon would let me do another fresh review for each purchase as it seems a little unfair there isn’t a review for each transaction. Anyhow, my original review is below:This review is for the 3m Heavy Duty Air Cushioned Lightstand. As usual with Phot-R a brilliant bit of kit. Already tried it with 150cm octagon softbox and of course I had to loosen the stand to test the air cushioning and it supported it no problem although because of the ceiling (at home not my studio) I couldn't raise t to the full 3m. But not sure I ever will, I tend to avoid putting any stand to its maximum height. The whole stand is really well made with nuts and bolts, so if one works lose you can tighten it, not like the cheap rivets you often see. I must admit I always include the name Phot-R whenever I do a search for studio kit, especially grip and stands, I know I'm getting good value for money (unlike other common names on Amazon).