REVIEW: CHEETAHstand Cheetah8 Light Stand

[TMR Design]

I received my CHEETAHstand Cheetah8 light stand about a week ago and I'm very happy to report that it's an excellent product.

The stand is lightweight, compact and very portable, made of die cast aluminum. Collapsed size is 28.5" and when set up it has a working height of 29" to 96", making it useful for just about anything from a background light to main, fill, accent or hair light. The footprint diameter is 32.5" and quite stable when used as intended with a shoe mount flash or small strobe. The stand has a 5/8" stud with a 1/4"-20 thread on top. It is not intended for use with a boom or any modifier that is too far from the center of gravity.

I tested the stand with a Nikon SB-900 Speedlight and a 33" umbrella, 45" umbrella, 46" Softlighter, 16" x 22" softbox and a 24" x 32" softbox. Even with a grid in the 24" x 32" softbox there were no problems with stability and no need for weights or sandbags. My tests were done indoors so there were no issues with uneven terrain or wind.

For indoor location work this stand really makes life easy and allows you to move your setup quickly for on-the-fly portraits. You can place the stand in a corner or off to the side and when you need it you can just grab it, lift it up and move through a crowded room or across a dance floor, placing it down on the floor and continue shooting instantly, all without having to put your camera down.

Most stands that are this compact extend to 6 or 7 feet. The Cheetah8 extends to a full 8 feet and still maintains stability, although I wouldn't fly a 24" x 32" softbox off the top at that height. I would, however, place a Speedlight on the stand and raise it up to 8 feet for a room or ceiling bounce.

Considering the cost of other light stands that are well constructed and extend to 8 feet I consider the price of $89.95 to be very reasonable. Online checkout was a breeze, shipping was fast and customer support is excellent.

Also, if you order a Cheetah8 before July 31 you can get free shipping by entering coupon code cheetah at checkout.

I really like this light stand and highly recommend it for wedding and event shooters. Event photographers are always looking for ways to make life simpler and for those that work without an assistant this is a blessing.

EDIT: My purchase and this review was a direct result of THIS THREAD I initially posted.

It should also be mentioned that this is a modern redesign of the original Red Wing QuickStand and then the short-lived Kwik Stand.

[MR do little]

Look and sounds like a great product Robert!

Thanx for sharing.

Kindest

[Marloon]

89.99 is not cheap!

[J Kacey]

Glad it worked out for you Robert.
Thanks for the Review

[bobbyz]

Originally Posted by Marloon

89.99 is not cheap!

Well everything is relative. If it saves you some time in setup and makes your job easy, I think it is $100 well spent.

BTW - Robert, thanks for the review.

[Rudi]

Absolutely - I wouldn't call $90 expensive! With the amount of money that we spend on photographic accessories, something that makes your life easier on location, lasts pretty much forever, and costs only $90... is a freaking bargain!

[bobbyz]

Originally Posted by Rudi

Absolutely - I wouldn't call $90 expensive! With the amount of money that we spend on photographic accessories, something that makes your life easier on location, lasts pretty much forever, and costs only $90... is a freaking bargain!

Agree. If it was listed on strobist website it would be flying off the shelf at even much higher price. What they pay for that dinky nano stand?

[tetrode]

Thanks for the review, Robert, but you're slipping. The stand hasn't been added to your gear list yet

Dave F.

[TMR Design]

Originally Posted by MR do little

Look and sounds like a great product Robert!

Thanx for sharing.

Kindest

My pleasure Paul. I know I'm going to get a lot of use out of the Cheetah stand since I'm now doing many more events and some of them are in tight spaces where it's not practical to have a permanent setup and this lets me capture candid portraits and then get the heck out of the way quickly.

[TMR Design]

Originally Posted by Marloon

89.99 is not cheap!

I suppose by some people's standards $90 is not cheap but if you look at comparable stands you'll see it is actually more affordable than other stands with the same or similar features.

I see you have a 70-200mm f/2.8 L IS... that's not a chap lens by any means, but you deemed it important or necessary to your work. Relative 'worth' is a very subjective thing and if we take a look at all the doodads, gizmo's, camera bags, etc. that we spend insane amounts of money on, then $90 for a light stand that improves creativity and workflow is a minor expense, in my opinion.

[TMR Design]

Originally Posted by bobbyz

Well everything is relative. If it saves you some time in setup and makes your job easy, I think it is $100 well spent.

BTW - Robert, thanks for the review.

Originally Posted by Rudi

Absolutely - I wouldn't call $90 expensive! With the amount of money that we spend on photographic accessories, something that makes your life easier on location, lasts pretty much forever, and costs only $90... is a freaking bargain!

Originally Posted by bobbyz

Agree. If it was listed on strobist website it would be flying off the shelf at even much higher price. What they pay for that dinky nano stand?

Yup!!

[TMR Design]

Originally Posted by tetrode

Thanks for the review, Robert, but you're slipping. The stand hasn't been added to your gear list yet

Dave F.

You're right Dave.

On occasion I do slip a bit. I've been so busy shooting, editing, designing albums and learning new techniques that I haven't quite been myself lately.

The stand is now in my gear list.

[TMR Design]

Originally Posted by J Kacey

Glad it worked out for you Robert.
Thanks for the Review

Thanks Jerry. Edward Tang is a great guy and the product is well designed.

[TMR Design]

I forgot to mention....

If you order a Cheetah8 before July 31 you can get free shipping by entering coupon code cheetah at checkout.

I'll edit the original review post to include this information as well.

[Brett]

Thanks for the review Robert. I remember seeing the video where the photog moves in and out of the pews (which I believe was the KwikStand) and searching for it, but it wasn't available anywhere I could find.

Glad someone's making these now. Any other comments on the construction? Is it built as nicely as some of the stands in its price range? How smooth is the opening/closing action? Do the feet have rubber tips, and if so, do they bind up on hardwood or linoleum/tile when opening? How are the clamps (plastic or aluminum)? I assume it's not air-cushioned?

TIA.