Help me choose some portable light stands

Right now I have a couple big, heavy manfrotto steel cine stands. They're great when I'm running the heavy duty speedotron system with a big octa on the avenger 650 boom. However, not so much fun when I am going lightweight with the quadra. I've got a couple broken Impact stands sitting in the back of the closet and I'm not interested in going that route again. What I want is a 8' stand that is lightweight and durable with no plastic components. They don't need to fold down uber small; I'm not looking to pack them in a suitcase, I just want to be able to carry more than one at a time from my truck to the shoot. I'd like to keep the price under $120 each but I'd go a little more if that's what it takes to get the quality I'm looking for. Recommendations??

Bob

C stands if you want practically indestructible
I have become a fan of Linco light stands. The 8' I have has a large footprint, not aluminum, holds some weight (stated @20lbs), have a great price (@ $23), and weigh 4.4 lbs each.

Linko, PBL and Ravelli are all pretty good and the PBL claim to be all metal but they are just a step above the Impact type stands that many kits come with. I think Manfrotto has something that while not entirely metal might still fit the bill. Considering for just slightly more then your budget you can get three of them it's worth a look.

http://www.bhphotovide​o.com …C_3_Alu_Ranker_​Light.html

isoMorphic wrote in post #15025330
Linko, PBL and Ravelli are all pretty good and the PBL claim to be all metal but they are just a step above the Impact type stands that many kits come with. I think Manfrotto has something that while not entirely metal might still fit the bill. Considering for just slightly more then your budget you can get three of them it's worth a look.

http://www.bhphotovide​o.com …C_3_Alu_Ranker_​Light.html

I looked at these Manfrotto stands at Competitive Camera last week. All the hardware is plastic.

Bob

Bob,
I have had good luck with Calumet stands.
They have a wide range of sizes and as I recall, (not convenient to go out to look right now) all the fittings are metal.

I have compact, 8 ft, 10 ft and 13 ft. All are very durable.

http://www.calumetphot​o.com …t-stands/_/brands/calume​t

Took me a while to decide but I have ordered two Avenger A635B's. $257 for the pair shipped from B&H to Texas via UPS ground. They have fantastic reviews on B&H and claim to be all metal construction.

Bob

Just wanted to take a minute to comment on the Avenger A635B light stands as I received them the other day. They are far more robust than the Impact stands. They are indeed all metal construction. The locks snug up quickly so you don't have to develop a feel for when they are tight or worry about over-tightening. They do not have air-dampening which is fine for me because I won't be putting really heavy loads on them. These are the 13' stands which I opted for because of the larger footprint for stability outdoors. Because they are 13' stands, they are not quite as portable as an 8' when collapsed. They are 42" long when closed up. They weigh in at 5.5lbs which is really nice compared to my 18.3lb Manfrotto's. I can easily carry two collapsed stands in one hand. Though I have not given them a workout yet, I believe the quality is high and these are stands that will put up with years of on-location abuse.

Here's the B&H link.
http://www.bhphotovide​o.com …A635B_Maxi_Kit_​Stand.html

Bob