Westcott 750 Photo Basics 7.0-Foot Light Stand
by F.J. Westcott Co.
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List Price: Our Price: $29.90 You Save: $0.90 (3%) Availability: Usually ships in 1-2 business days Category: Digital Camera See more product details |
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Digital Cameras Photo Reviews of Westcott 750 Photo Basics 7.0-Foot Light Stand
Customer Review: Just not up to the job!
Summary: 1 Stars
Some reviewers seem to delight in writing negative reviews...but not me! I'd much rather tell everyone about some really cool product being offered at a great price. Unfortunately, that's not the case this time, so I'll be brief.
On unpacking this product, the first thing I discovered was that the 'shock mount' springs were missing; more than reason enough to return it...which I did...but hardly reason enough to write a review! Of much greater import here is just how poorly made this stand really is. I guess when Westcott labeled this a 'medium weight' stand, they meant it might support both a Sunpak shoe-mount flash AND a Lumiquest pocket bounce attachment. That is, as long as there isn't much of a breeze! You certainly won't be mounting Alien Bee studio strobes to this thing...well, at least not more than once!
So forget this toy! For another $20 you can get the venerable Photoflex LS-2214*, which is a vastly superior product. I've had a couple of them for over 20 years, which I used with heavy White Lightning studio monolights, both indoors and out. And after all this time, they're both still like new, so I'm buying a couple more. To me, "peace of mind" and confidence in a proven product are worth a few bucks more; don't you agree?
*Photoflex LS2214 Medium Weight 8ft Stand
Customer Review: Inexpensive light stand
Summary: 3 Stars
The mantra 'you get what you pay for' comes to mind with the Westcott photo basics light stand. It does the job, but leaves some to be desired, at least for me. My main complaint about this stand is the NOISY spring mechanism joining the segments of the pole. I get that cringe look (like scraping fingernails against chalk board) when raising/lowering it to adjust flash settings or put it at the right height. Maybe mine is an anomaly, but I'm almost at the point where I am embarrassed to use it in a quiet studio setting. For just messing around with umbrellas and off-camera flash, perfect inexpensive stand. Knowing what I know now, I would have opted for the $50 basic Manfrotto stand.
Products mentioned in this review:
Westcott 750 Photo Basics 7.0-Foot Light Stand
Manfrotto 3330 6ft Basic Lightstand
Customer Review: Good. Cheap. Portable. And cheap.
Summary: 5 Stars
That's about it - I wish they were cushioned, but for the price that's what you get. These are pretty light, which I like from a portability standpoint, but from the durability side we'll just have to see. Still, they're very inexpensive. And they're a little plasticky. But what the heck: I don't use them to drive nails, do I? And besides, they're really inexpensive...
I suspect two of these are the price of two comparably-sized Manfrotto stands (they are, after all, relatively inexpensive), and two of these would probably last just as long as one of those...maybe.
I recommend them.
UPDATE 6-14-2008 - I packed these up into a location back and went out of the country to shoot a wedding. As of now, my opinion hasn't changed: these held up fine. I expected all the plastics to be in little bits in the bag, but all is well.
Update 1-2-2008 - Still going strong.
Customer Review: Sturdy, but....
Summary: 4 Stars
I bought this as a second light stand to hoist my second 430ex flash unit. I already own a bogen 3373 retractable 5-piece light stand, which is pretty light, and fits very well into my backpack. Now this Westcott stand iself is pretty light and the construction seems pretty durable.
However, I was concerned to note that it does not collapse down to the size of the Bogen light stand,which seems a pain in the neck, considering how portable I wanted to be. I may have to end up buying another bag if I need to lug it outdoors.
I know they don't make claims on the product description, but somehow I was not able to get this information either from the reviews, or from the product specifications, online. Nonetheless, the product holds my savage umbrella pretty well, and is definitely a great deal at half the price of the Bogen light stand.
Customer Review: Failing umbrella mount
Summary: 2 Stars
I have owned this product since 2009 for use with my canon speedlights and I have begun to notice a number of the threaded screws that keep certain parts of the stand tight, simply do not work anymore. This is especially evident in the umbrella mount, I'm guessing the thread is "shot" internally (its plastic). Additionally, when folding or unfolding the stand, the springs now seem to stick and are tough to open.
When everything worked properly (brand new), the stand was exceptional. However, it did not take many uses to discover faults in the construction.
This stand is very lightweight and I only use it indoors standing very close to my speedlight should it happen to fall over. Luckily I have never had this stand tip over on me.
Overall, I'm disappointed, but the stand is very affordable.