Ultimate GS-200

I needed a stand for my gigs. I wanted a compact, lightweight stand that would hold my acoustic guitar. I am not a fan of the locking mechanisms as they more often than not get in the way, are poorly designed, often fail and are, in my opinion, pointless. I had just purchased a set of Ultimate TS100B Speaker stands which were awesome, so I decided I would try this stand out.

The Positives:
Arrived on time and well packaged. Out of the box it looks nice. The velvet around the legs is a nice upgrade from the usual foam found on similar, other brand stands. It stands very firmly and stable on the tripod. It is compact and lightweight. It has a locking mechanism on the bottom. Half a twist unlocks the legs to fold in or out. Twist back and they lock in place. The upright does not extend, a feature I like and helps keep the weight of the stand down. This also means the neck just rests against the collar rather than being suspended from the head stock.

The Negatives:
I was not sure at first about the unusual "V" shaped, rubber collar to support the neck. But having looked at it, I notice that it only touches the edge of the fret board/binding and does not make contact with the back of the neck. Am not a fan. It grips ok, however, I would much rather see the older "C" shape and instead of rubber would prefer the velvet used on the legs. The 2 small fold down supports for the heel of the guitar are very flimsy and loose and sit at an angle that makes the velvet cover pointless. The guitar only sits on the tips which are plastic. There is a closing strap made of thin strip of rubber that locks the guitar in place. I cannot see this lasting and predict it would be the first thing to break on the stand.

Had I seen this stand in a shop, I would not have purchased. I know Thomann would happily take it back under the 30 day returns policy. However, it is not worth the hassle for either them or me. I will keep it and use in the home. I do not think it would survive the rough & tumble of gigging. For just a few euros more you can buy a much sturdier stand from another well known brand. I have had one of those for 12 years and it still works albeit with a few minor repairs along the way. A couple of minor changes in design and this could be a great stand.
Update 31/01/2020: I decided to return this stand. The reasons are, including above, when you try to lift the guitar out of the stand it catches in the rubber meaning you take the stand with you. You need to remove the guitar 2 handed. The velvet sleeves on the legs move too freely. This, at times, means the legs of the stand are not covered properly so your guitar can end up hitting metal if you do not notice. Needs a "major" redesign.