Kupo 40" C-Stand Turtle Base Kit Professional Grip Stand with 2.5" Grip Head and 40" Grip Arm, Heavy-Duty Steel Construction for Photography and Video Lighting - Silver (KS704712)

I needed another light stand and decided to give the Kupo 40" Turtle Base Kit a go. It consists of three components--base, two-riser column and arm--rather than a single integrated unit. Component design allows compact storage and compatibility with other Kupo C-stand parts, e.g., riser columns, extensions, booms and grip heads. The column sections and legs move silky smooth and lock securely with large t-handles. And, yeah, the turtle base twist lock and big beefy T-handles make for fast setup and teardown. It’s an attractive piece of kit: fit and finish are excellent and materials—chromed steel tubes with aluminum locks—appear strong enough for war zone duty. Of course, all that metal helps stability but comes at a cost: weight. This beast is 24LBs according to my bathroom scale! So great for studio use but not something I’d want carry to a gig in the boondocks. However, it disassembles quickly and folds fairly flat for storage or transport and fits in my On Stage SSB6500 Speaker And Mic Stand Bag along with a Manfrotto 420CSUNS. The relatively small footprint means it fits in spaces big folding tripod-style light stands dare not tread. I rarely need to saddlebag the base with my small CFL heads and softbox, but I sometimes hang a counterweight on the arm for balance and ease of movement. I mainly use the Kupo to hold a CFL light head and softbox, but have pressed it into service to hold a DSLR for overhead video. Add a Manfrotto 143BK bracket and small ball head and it holds solid. Not as versatile as a jib crane but good for static shots. I own two of these stands and am extremely pleased with their quality, design and performance. And, while a little pricy, is money well spent due to the increased durability and stability.

I've always used traditional fold-up light stands, but was looking for something a bit more robust (I use the Paul C Buff heavy duty stands, and the Impact brand stands, and only one out of three of them has survived the 4 years since I purchased them). The production company I work with has a few Matthews C-Stands, and I've never had any issue with them, but before purchasing my own stands I wanted to see what else was out there. In my research, I heard a couple people mention Kupo... which I had never heard of at that time. I went back and forth for a couple weeks between Avenger, Kupo, and Matthews... and ultimately decided on Kupo (it seemed like even though now many people were talking about them, the few that did absolutely loved them) When the stand arrived I was extremely impressed. The build quality was every bit as good as the Matthews, and in some cases even a step above the Matthews. The large knobs to tighten things down are a pleasure to use. All the fit and finish is top notch. Its actually "beefier" than the Matthews (the diameter of the main tubes are larger). The turtle base is extremely simple to use... the locking mechanism is really clever and definitely a step up from what I was used (some of the ones I use at work have this weird friction/spring lock where you basically just have to man-handle them to get them to fold out... which often confuses assistants). The grip head tightens easier and more securely with less effort than any of the other c-stands I've used. Im 100% happy with the purchase. Going with Kupo was a bit of a gamble because they were unknown to me at a time, but I now think this is the nicest C-stand I've ever used. I plan on buying at least one more, as well as one of the Kupo boom arms and some of their other assorted grip accessories.

This is the first Kupo C stand I own and bought it after buying a baby boom from them, I have several C stands and some cost about three times what I paid for this one. Very well made, solid, and it sets up and breaks down just like in the demo video. I normally use this with the baby boom to hold a 7' umbrella or a 5' octobox and a studio strobe over my head, with a 20# sandbag on the long leg I don't even think about it after I set it up. Also used it to hold a 22" beauty dish on the 40" grip arm over both me and a model, put it where I wanted it and shot away. The fit and finish on these stands is good, The parts that should move do and without binding and the parts that should lock in place really stay put. Nice large T handles on the grip heads let you really torque the head in place or release it when it tightens itself down. I can find slightly cheaper C stands out there that are similar in quality but this looks to me like the stand I'll still be using in 10 years.

This is a great cost effective C Stand. Does its job! I just wouldn't put anything too heavy without a sandbag to help prevent tipping

Since buy the Kupo 40in Master C-Stand with Turtle Base Kit, I have bought other Kupo accessories. All the Kupo made items have been of high quality and ease of use. This stand is extremely sturdy and easy to assemble, deploy, and disassemble. I use it to hold my 600 Watt mono light and various soft box with ease. I not even sure one would need a sandbag with this stand, but to play it safe, I bought a Kupo sandbag. This stand will last a life time for my use. Although heavy, it disassemble fairly easy to transport on location. Great piece of equipment. The turtle base is easy and convenient to use. Highly recommend this and other Kupo accessories.

My husband bought me this for Christmas. I wanted it so I can take flatlay pictures of products. It’s very sturdy and heavy. It was hard for me to move it around but it got easier the more I lifted it. This can be used for many things like soft boxes, microphones etc.

I made the mistake of buying a competitor's c-stand before getting this one. The legs were impossible to spread open, and I had to use every bit of my strength to do so. This stand's turtle legs open and close effortlessly, and the build quality is super substantial and it's very sturdy. Watch the video on it. I highly recommend spending the extra money and just get this stand over any others...you won't be disappointed!

I got the 40" Turtle Base Kit. This thing is solid. It breaks down into smaller components, but it is no way portable. But it is a C-Stand. You're trading portability for stability and ruggedness. All the screws on the stands and the knuckles all screw in tightly and smoothly. I was able to attach an Einstein with the 47" octobox on its arm. You do need a sandbag on one of the legs though. I highly recommend this stand.