K&M 210/2 Chrome

This is the best and most stable stand I've ever used, and I've had many, but it's not perfect and K&M are complacent about their Q.C, hence 2 stars total rating.

PROS: The base is super stable, literally I can't zero wobble—wow. The one-piece boom arm design is much more robust and more convenient to adjust than comparable telescopic arm designs. The drag hinge keeps the boom arm in position without drooping over time, especially with heavy microphones (this was a major problem with my previous mic stands). The chrome-plated finish not only looks super sexy but is also more scratch and wear resistant than the more common painted finish. The metal tubes have thick walls and the whole product feels absolutely built like a tank.

SO-SO: The boom tube has a little sideways play inside the slider clamp because the diameter of the clamp is slightly bigger than the diameter of the boom. Ideally, the fit should be be more snug, but in practice this is not a problem because the arm only wobbles if you actively push and pull on it, which basically you don't do whilst singing into a studio microphone.

BIG CONS: I have so far bought and returned this product 4 times due to quality problems. The quality control at K&M's factory is a joke. Their products are riddled with manufacturing inconsistencies, some times critical to the operation of the product. In one of the mic stands I bought the threaded plug was sticking out so far that the aluminium nut would run out of thread to grip onto before it got to the end of its travel. I've received units with bent tubes and thread plugs that were not straght relative to the axis of the boom. Many K&M products are handled carelessly at the factory. Every time I buy a K&M product it arrives with dents, scratches and/or paint chips. K&M has the best designed products and the WORST packaging. Packaging is supposed to protect the product so it reaches customers in good condition. K&M packaging does the very opposite, it actually damages the product. There is no plastic bag to protect the microphone stand. Metal parts can hit each other. Every K&M product I bought was like this, and it is a miracle to receive a K&M product without scratches. When I contacted K&M by email, they appeared complacent and asked me to have Thomann replace the product. Of course, this is not Thomann's fault, but K&M's, and I have already proved after buying this product no less than FOUR TIMES that the quality control problems and the poor packaging are real. Duh. The last unit I bought arrived with the threaded attachment poking out of the Thomann box like a spear and the end of the K&M box ripped right off. Unacceptable.