purchased last year. use them about once per week. once I got it thru the heads of our "roadies" that we were not Led Zeppelin... meaning we can't afford to but new stands for each gig...they are being handled as they should... bottom line... take care of them and they will last!!

SIX! count 'em, 6 good quality boom stands for under a c note. Yeah! You can buy better ones, FOR A LOT MORE MONEY! Sure I've broken mic clips, but to be honest, more of them walk away or get left behind than break. 1 locking stud hole stripped and I drilled it out and retapped. Not a problem. gum held the nut in 'til I got home. I have spares!!!

Gettin' started? on a budget? Great deal. They are "stands" for crying out loud. They fold up nice. They stay put, buy 'em 8-)

The day that they arrived I was testing some microphones and needed two stands right away. I assembled the first one and put the mic on it. I started assembling the second one and the bracket that mounts the boom to the base broke right off. This was bizarre as it broke quicker than a kid’s present on Christmas Day. The bracket is made of a cheap cast metal and probably had a lot of impurities. Actually, I am glad it broke so quickly, because I would have hated to have it come crashing down with a good mic on it. I was going to just leave all the other stands boxed up until I needed them, but then I took each one out, assembled them, and thoroughly checked them out before I might have to be depending on them. All the rest seemed to be okay and should be sufficient for my use. I can see where the threading on the bracket would strip out if a person wasn’t careful setting them up due to the inferior metal used. I plan on leaving them assembled in the bag until I need them. This should prevent them from stripping out. The bag is very nice and sturdy and will hold all the stands assembled and folded and actually has room for some cords and other stuff. There are grab handles and a shoulder strap that can be unclipped. The price was right for what I got, but definitely not worth the MSRP. I would highly recommend setting them all up and checking them out just like I did. That way, there are no future surprises. I am ordering a boom of a different brand to replace the broken one since the base is still good. I have also purchased some 2.5 pound ankle weights to weigh down the legs as the bases are quite light and they may be susceptible to tipping as the boom is extended. I don’t think that I would trust an expensive mic on one of these.

My only complaint with these is that the clip for the mic wire is very flimsy!! Broke 2 the first day!! Stands themselves are good. I am in a duet, but we set up 3 per gig (one for each singer and one attached to a Digitech Vocalist 2). Price was outstanding and it is nice that they all fit into one bag.

I've owned a set of 6 of these for more than three years now, along with the carrying bag that comes with them. I've used them on the road and in the studio, and haven't had a lick of trouble with them or the carrying bag. I'm so satisfied with them that I bought another half dozen of them recently.

Some reviewers have complained that they break easily. The only explanation I can come up with is that these people are careless with their equipment. Lord knows I don't take the best possible care of my gear, and after 3 years of use mine still look like they just came out of the box. I simply can't see how anyone could tear these booms up without abusing them.

I'll certainly concede that they're not the sturdiest mic booms on the market, but it seems to me that with a little common-sense care they hold up quite well. If you don't do completely stupid things like gorilla-gripping the screws, cross-threading the mic clips or attempting to force the boom without loosening the gooseneck first, there's absolutely no reason that you couldn't enjoy years of trouble-free service from these booms.

Bottom line: You get what you pay for -- if you want a boom that you can abuse, or if they'll regularly be handled by roadies or musicians who may treat them carelessly, then these booms probably aren't for you. However, if you take even marginally decent care of your gear, then you'll find that these booms are worth far more than what you'll pay for them.