Buying A Deckstand But Which One

[DJMickeyk 0]

Hi All,

 

i've decided to buy a deckstand as I'm sick of asking for a table when I arrive at venues, it looks more professional also to have one. I would love an ultimax one, as the accessories available seem to be really good, but the price is very offputting. I bought an LED star cloth on e-bay so all i need now is the frame. I've narrowed it down to two below

 

http://www.whybuynew.co.uk/Kam-4ft-Disco-S...-&-Bag.html

 

http://www.htfr.com/more-info/MR128934

 

Anybody any thoughts? I know you get what you pay for in general, but is it really worth paying nearly double the amount for an ultimax stand, also the KAM stand comes with a free bag which is why i'm leaning towards that at the moment. I have owned quite a bit of Kam stuff over the years and always felt I got value for money, cheap and cheerful, but decent quality. Any thoughts or suggestions will be greatly appreciated. I should add that I don't mind spending more if the cheaper one will be falling apart in six months time.

Edited May 10, 2010 by DJMickeyk

[fester 0]

I was in the same boat as you, wanted a deck stand but couldn't see why the ultimax was so much more expensive.

Apart from a few people saying it's of a slightly higher build quality I never really got a good answer to be honest.

 

I ended buying the rhino 4" stand with dual overhead

 

I got it on offer at blue aran and their page didn't say it came with a bag so I ordered a kam bag too however when it turned up it came packaged in a nice prolight padded bag so I ended up with 2 bags. At least i've got a spare I suppose

 

The (prolight) bag it came in is much better than the kam bag though, it's padded and has "layers" that have velcro straps to fasten all the bars in tightly whereas the kam bag is just that - a bag.

 

I've been more than happy with the stand, can't fault it to be honest.

It's got a few scrapes on it now but thats gonna happen to which ever you buy and it's nothing a quick coat of black paint can't fix.

Edited May 10, 2010 by fester

[MintyDave 0]

I have the giraffe 4' goalpost stand which i believe are now kam stands. The ultimax is a lot sturdier in comparison to the others and if you run an active sound system i would be very careful what lights you hang, they move too much for my liking.

[DJMickeyk 0]

I have the giraffe 4' goalpost stand which i believe are now kam stands. The ultimax is a lot sturdier in comparison to the others and if you run an active sound system i would be very careful what lights you hang, they move too much for my liking.

Thanks

 

My plan is to only hang a few LCD par panels off the t-bar, which weigh almost nothing. I will bring a separate more sturdy stand for my other lights, as I have heard the goalposts can be unstable.

[fester 0]

I never thought about what Minty said.

I run a passive system so I have 2 amps sat on the lower shelf. With the weight of those plus my playout on the top shelf I find it totally stable with 4 heavy halogen + 1 led effect on the overhead. However I totally agree without the weight of the amps it would probably be unstable.

That said, if you are only hanging a few led panels I think it would be fine.

[MintyDave 0]

as standard I use 2 datamoons and 2 scanners on the bar with a 2kw poweramp nailing it all down but without the amp i certainly wouldnt trust the stand without a few modifications.

 

The footpint is too small and i cant understand why they dont make the bottom feet just that bit wider

 

all you need is a uneven dancefloor in a marquee and you are in trouble.

 

 

[DJMickeyk 0]

I actually use two PA's one active and one passive, depending on the gig I'm doing, however like I said there won't be anything more than led panels on the t-bar. I may even just use the base, and hang all my lights off my very sturdy giraffe light stand, so I would hope I have no problems on that front.

[DJMickeyk 0]

Hi All, went with the kam deckstand below and it arrived Friday:

 

http://www.whybuynew.co.uk/Kam-4ft-Disco-S...-&-Bag.html

 

Must say i feel a little cheated, the ad on the webpage gave me the impression that the bag holds the entire unit during transport, this is the main reason I went with this deckstand, however the bag only holds the overhead t-bar and bolts etc as far as I can see, the rest of the frame would be loose during transport, maybe the rest of ye can spot something in the product description that i missed, but surely this is false advertising, it looks like I now have to go off and buy a seperate bag to hold the main frame. Everything except the upright supports seem to fit in the bag, I tried for a while to fit it in but it is far too big to go in the bag. What would you guys do in this instance? Sending it back is probably not an option as shipping from Ireland would cost a fortune.

[Mendoza 0]

Hi All, went with the kam deckstand below and it arrived Friday:

 

http://www.whybuynew.co.uk/Kam-4ft-Disco-S...-&-Bag.html

 

Must say i feel a little cheated, the ad on the webpage gave me the impression that the bag holds the entire unit during transport, this is the main reason I went with this deckstand, however the bag only holds the overhead t-bar and bolts etc as far as I can see, the rest of the frame would be loose during transport, maybe the rest of ye can spot something in the product description that i missed, but surely this is false advertising, it looks like I now have to go off and buy a seperate bag to hold the main frame. Everything except the upright supports seem to fit in the bag, I tried for a while to fit it in but it is far too big to go in the bag. What would you guys do in this instance? Sending it back is probably not an option as shipping from Ireland would cost a fortune.

Hi Micky,

Have you asked your supplier if they can send you a bigger bag and tell them that you were under the impression that the bag pictured in their advert would carry all the pieces and that you're very dissapointed that the supplied bag doesn't hold every piece.

 

Also, why didn't you order from a disco shop in your country? Surly you'll have a local disco supplier. I know Mad Effects is based in Ireland (madeffects.com) but I don't know if you can visit them in person or if they are close to you.

 

Mendoza.

[stoke53 0]

Ive used both the giraffe and the ultimax and the ultimax wins hands down for versatility and build quality, go for the best you wont regret it but go for the cheaper option and you will have wished youde have gone for the best.

 

Alan

[fester 0]

The (prolight) bag it came in is much better than the kam bag though, it's padded and has "layers" that have velcro straps to fasten all the bars in tightly whereas the kam bag is just that - a bag.

 

:wall:

[DJMickeyk 0]

I've already e-mailed the supplier and complained, waiting for a reply, fester I did check out the prolight bag you mentioned but it's out of stock and is no longer supplied with that product. We do have DJ suppliers in Ireland, but I am in the southwest, a long way from Dublin, and it is no cheaper to buy in Ireland, in fact it can be more expensive as we have high VAT rates here and stockist would only be importing from UK and adding for their margin anyway, anything I have compared here vs UK in the last few years has been dearer to buy here unfortunately. Will see what response I get from the supplier. I know you normally get what you pay for, but I'll only be using the main frame, won't be using the t-bar so thought I'd be ok with cheap and cheerful, aside from the bag issue I'm happy enough with the stand.

[fester 0]

I was only joking with you mate, I didn't realise when I bought my (rhino) deckstand that it would come the prolight bag. I got it on offer from blue aran and the advert didn't mention it came with the bag hence why I needlessly bought a kam bag too.

 

I also didn't notice you are from Ireland, i've heard quite a few stories about the lack of decent suppliers and high pricing :-(

[AlexEntertainment 0]

Quote: Having several pockets to keep all your gear from knocking together is a nice addition to the bag as it allows you to put those lighting bars or speaker poles in neatly and with ease.

 

Unfortunately it does state on the site it will carry the lighting bars or speakers poles.... no where does it mention the main frame work.

Also the picture shows the bag clearly next to the framework.

 

The only thing that does make me think " hmmmm " is the part where they say "The larger pocket allows for inserting larger stands such as deck stands, speaker stands and lighting stands." and also "Deckstand Can Be Flat Packed To Fit In Your Vehicle".

 

You might have grounds for complaint due to those two quotes.... I would take a screenshot of the page JUST incase the company change the wording since recieving your email.

[vokf 0]

I have a bag for my 4' giraffe stand, this does hold ALL of the stand, with pockets for the poles and a separate area of the ends.

It is a bit tight, but used to help keep everything together.

 

My new stand folds flat, and I'm mainly using t-bars.

 

I got my Giraffe bag from djsuperstore in southend, can't recall the price.

 

[DJMickeyk 0]

Thanks guys,

 

Let the Buyer Beware

 

Never a truer word spoken, i really should have e-mailed to check the bag held everything, although I still think the webpage is a bit misleading, alex has pointed out where the fine print is a little contradictory. It's not a big deal to buy a bag next time I'm ordering something if they refuse to send me a free one, it would have been nice if it had fitted properly however.