K&M 210/30 BK

I will compare this stand to the Beyerdynamic GST500, which is a very high quality stand made by K&M.

1 - The metal base is very similar with the only difference being it is a little lower mass, but it is still high enough and heavy enough to be considered a quality mic stand. There is also slight variation with the mould of the plastic parts that hold the legs, but they are of equal density and thus quality.

2 - The rubber feet are a size smaller than the higher priced K&M stands but still of the same quality.

3 - The twist grip sleeve is a light plastic. It seems lower quality than the regular K&M grip. I believe this could be an old design of the sleeve which they have updated. The grip is the same across the entire range of K&M stands except this older version (see the cheap 25905 and 21070, and the more expensive 21090. All the same sleeve.

Now the things that are the same.

Literally everything else is the same.

The tubing is an exact match. I took them both apart and checked every detail and they came from the same machine.

The locking mechanisms on the boom are the same exact ones.

The small plastic grips that go inside the center pole to tighten the extension pole are the exact same ones.

So the only difference between this stand and the more expensive stands are the plastic twist grip, the mass of the base, and the rubber feet.

The updated K&M twist grip is available on this site so can be easily updated and still be cheaper than the other stands.

So don't worry, this stand is definitely worth buying.

Solid, well built stand, on the mid-cheap side but still better than the average cheapo boom stand. Nice weight, there is only one feature that I personally don't like: the screw-on boom part of the stand, which connects the upper part to the straight one; sometimes, when I want to tighten the the stand to a certain height (clockwise motion), holding the top part with your other hand may cause the upper part to come loose (being applied a counter clockwise motion), which is pretty annoying, to the point that I'm thinking about gluing this upper screw once for all (the one connecting the straight part to the boom contraption). Some stands do not have this strange screw connection (I guess is there for disassembly purposes), and I think it is for the best...
Other little minor issue, the boom arm is a bit wobbly, once the knob is tightened, there is still a little game on the arm. It's not a big concern, but if you are looking for professional studio equipment and/or going to record with a very sensitive mic, I would look (obviously) for a more solid stand. Overall, nice stand for rehearsal room/ amateur, intermediate recording applications.

I use this stand quite a lot in my studio and it is pretty stable and has no problem holding 57s, MD421s, pencil condensers or lightweight large diaphragm condensers (eg 414) out on a reach. But what really bugs me is that a K+M stand droops if I set it to hold a u87 or similar on a half-extended reach. With the little plastic nut you just can't get enough torc. If you really go for it and groan a lot, you can get it to hold - but sometimes it still sags. For heavier mics get the one with the metal pin though the nut - I have one of those and I trust it!