Thomann Orchestra Stand Deluxe

I have used a couple of the standard version orchestra stands and while they were perfect for general use, I found that they struggled a bit with heavy loads and the plastic coupling between the upright and the flat music desk section tended of wear out (break) over time if you were trying to keep heavier loads in the correct angle to view comfortably. In fairness this was probably the result of me putting loads on the stand (big, heavy folders; heavy lamp assembly) that were beyond what was really intended.

However, the de-luxe stand has a metal clamp assembly between the tripod and the music desk part. This improves the ruggedness of the stand and I suspect it will increase the life of the stand even with non-abusive use. There is a slight drawback that the music desk part is slightly more bulky because the clamp is welded to the back and can't be folded down as much as the bog standard version, but as that folding down was part of what was causing the plastic clamps to wear out over time, I am prepared to live with the minor inconvenience. The price premium is only about ?5 for the deluxe version and I would recommend paying for the de-luxe.

If you're not going to adjust the stand much and only use lightweight music - the basic stand will suffice. If you're going to put heavier loads on the stand and adjust it / move it from place to place a lot - I'd recommend paying the premium for this stand.

I am working as a sound, light and sometimes video technical in the post Soviet as it called "the house of culture" - I need to be "the universal soldier". Also I am playing in the two members cover band, so the need for the stand was born. I was starting to look for the stand - I want to get one which are stable, light and reliable, and cheap of course. I choose this one and get almost everything. This has solid metal construction and therefor also more weight as I wanted, but as my colleague in the cover band has plastic and lighter ones, I was a witness that he needed to order spare parts. I use this one as a stand for musical sheets and also for iPad to operate digital mixer - it is stable enough that I can trust my tablet to him. There are several times, that I need the small and transparent stand for video projector - therefor this item serves also because of its stability. Of course, there are rivets instead of the screws used in the basic of the stand, but if you want "the real work horse" this stand will be the ones to trust.

Having wrestled in frustrations with both flimsy traditional metal music stands and superior-looking wooden ones in the past, I can say with some confidence that Thomann's Orchestra Stand Deluxe is the best I have tried, and the price is very reasonable. The music support is particularly large, strong and accommodating, with a good deep ledge, and the stand itself is made of heavy duty metal and very sturdy. It is also particularly easy to assemble and extends/contracts to a wide range of heights which should be suitable for all players. The only reason I have given "handling" 4 stars instead of 5 is that the plastic wheels for turning the screws are probably the weakest points. Only time will tell, but overall this is an excellent stand at a good price and I strongly recommend it. It is far superior to stands which are only a little bit cheaper. (P.S. The one improvement I could suggest would be some lightweight rotating metal clips on the top to hold the pages of music books open.)