In Praise of Another Cheap-ish Light Stand

The Ikan 2-state Roller Stand, available from B&H and Amazon for about $170.

Actually, I bought two of the refurbished from Amazon at $90 each, but those aren't available anymore.

These are actually significantly superior to the usual c-stand because they're just as sturdy, but the legs have a forty-inch footprint. If you balance a boom properly with a counterweight (balance, I said), up to the hefty 28-pound capacity, sandbagging is not necessary.

They're also better than the similar looking Avenger/Manfrotto look-alikes, because those only have a 30-inch footprint like c-stands.

The legs fold up and lock in both up- and down-positions. It's as heavy as a c-stand, but folds to a better configuration for transport.

My c-stand gets no use--these stands, I use at every opportunity. They're worth hauling around.

https://www.adorama.co​m/iarollrstn10.html

Thanks for the tip! Reviews on B&H, including yours, are convincing. The Matthews Runway stand may be incrementally better-built and offers a full baby pin but I couldn't justify the price, and the footprint is optimized for tight spaces not stability. I could never warm to C-stands and this ikan roller presses the point. Plus, C-stands are not for lights, as we all know.

RicoTudor wrote in post #18662213
Plus, C-stands are not for lights, as we all know.

You're right, but people will argue the devil out of you on that.

The reason for the small footprint is to get flags and gobos closer to the shot.

RDKirk wrote in post #18662275
The reason for the small footprint is to get flags and gobos closer to the shot.

You know, I always liked you.

Thanks for sharing. I've also heard good things about a similarly priced stand from Flashpoint:

https://www.adorama.co​m/fplsrb12.html

From this blog:

http://www.markkitaoka​.com …r-steel-wheeled-stand-12/

Thanks for the review. I have a few Ikan products and they are clever and well made. Your comments sound like a more efficient rolling stand. I just wish the photos in the link would show the legs folded and their mechanism.

I have the avenger rollers like these and I wouldn't suggest anything heavier on them. To me wheeled stands from Mathews are better.

RicoTudor wrote in post #18662213
Plus, C-stands are not for lights, as we all know.

DISLIKE!!!

bobbyz wrote in post #18662504
I have the avenger rollers like these and I wouldn't suggest anything heavier on them. To me wheeled stands from Mathews are better.

I'd point out, again, that the Ikan has a 40-inch footprint while the Avenger has only a 30-inch footprint. The Ikan is superior to a c-stand or anything else at a comparable price.

The Matthews roller stands are significantly larger, heavier, rise higher...and are much more expensive. So they're actually a different genus of tool.

RDKirk wrote in post #18662178
The Ikan 2-state Roller Stand, available from B&H and Amazon for about $170.

Roller stands are my favorite by far for locations where I know surface will be flat and supportive of wheels. I use this one https://www.bhphotovid​eo.com …g_wheeled_base_​stand.html

It is "only" 8.5 feet and "only" 30" legs but that means 5 lbs less and I can get into tighter corners, it is very rare I need more than 8.5' height.

RDKirk wrote in post #18662275
You're right, but people will argue the devil out of you on that.

The reason for the small footprint is to get flags and gobos closer to the shot.

Yea a whole industry with grip professional would, with good reason of course.