I do a lot of photo and video production and have found this a fantastic light stand, one that is well designed, durable, and functional. I appreciate the quality materials and ease of adjustment as well as the ability to place it on flat or inclined/stepped surfaces. It's not lightweight by any means, but I wouldn't trust it with my expensive equipment if it was less sturdily built. In fact, it's heavy enough that you can tell it's designed more for studio work than for portable use in the field. For example, you can't align all 3 legs for easy carrying without using the included Allen wrench and it doesn't come with a carrying case/bag. Nevertheless, I've dragged it out on location simply by separating the boom from the main stand several times without much difficulty.It probably goes without saying, but if you haven't owned a c-stand before you should know that it will require a few sandbags if you're using anything semi-heavy (more than 5 or 6 pounds) on the boom, such as a continuous output light and deflector or umbrella. Neweer's brand bags are as good as any, though I use weights from an old fitness vest instead of sand so that they don't make any mess. I've found it balances a bit better with a counterweight on the boom arm too, but that's somewhat optional based on your strength and use case.All-in-all this is a very good c-stand, well worth what I paid for it.