Samson MK10 Lightweight Boom Stand

Honestly, you are getting exactly what you pay for. This is a great little mic stand that folds up small, yet extends pretty big when you want it to. It's also pretty tough quality and has some weight to it. I feel like I bought something quality and something when I wanted so much so that I bought two. I love them for recording drum overheads and also for recording my instrument tracks for my acoustic guitar.

The build quality of this stand feels decent, but I had an issue with mine out of the box. The top portion that slides out and extends to allow vertical placement of the mic never really stuck. If the top bit is pulled up and out to position the mic, it will slide all the way back down to the base pole. This makes its max usable high in most scenarios a little more than one meter from the floor. Still usable for miking amps and some instruments, but I will be seeking a more reliable solution for recording vocals. *************************************************************************************************** EDIT (9.7.17): Chalk it up to user error. I originally had an issue setting the height of the base portion of this stand, rendering it less practical for recording vocals or miking sources of audio that were more than a few feet from the ground. Upon a closer examination amid one of my recent sessions, I noticed that this stand is designed with a twisting fastener for the base of the stand (the bit that looks almost like a handle). The "issue" I had before was merely my leaving the twisting lock on the vertical part unfastened. Needless to say, I was very pleasantly surprised and humbled to have my disappointment instantly converted to relief. One of the simplest ways this stand could be a bit better is by negating one of the most formidable differences that separates this from more professional stands: the mass (or weight). The light weight of this stand makes it great for portability, changing its position, et cetera; on the other hand, if this stand had more mass, it'd support heavier mics much more reliably, and wobble from tugs on XLR cables would be effectively combatted with the counter-balance function a heavier stand provides. To summarize the preceding bit, if you just need a basic stand for small gigs and simple (or flexible) recording setups, this can easily be worth more than $20 worth to your workflow. If you work with studio musicians, professional audio projects, or professional gear(!!!), a higher-end stand is most definitely in order: not only to prevent your Neumann mics from crashing to the ground, but also to facilitate "perfect takes" without issues like the mic wobbling (changing position). That being said, this is an extremely affordable backup stand, the integrity of which even professionals will be able to appreciate. Can't hurt to have one of these in case your main stands are compromised, or if an artist unexpectedly needs another stand to mic an acoustic solo performance. Changed rating from three stars to five. May as well grab one if you're still here.

I'm used to using a variety of stands in various conditions professionally, so when I got this one for some home use I was pretty impressed. My first impression was how well it was built considering how portable and light weight it was. I think that's the key thing. It is a light-weight portable stand. Not something that will see years of abuse of wannabe high school rockers who don't know how to use a stand properly (If you want to change something there's always a knob for it. Come on people! Stop stripping my stands!). However if its treated right and used the way its supposed to it will work well even on stage and touring. Some of the more in depth stuff (starting from the bottom of the stand): - The tripod base is pretty secure, however at full height and boom extension it could conceivably tip over with enough weight if its off axis of the feet. Not bad by any stretch. - The feet have rubberized tips that are solid and snug but could come off. - The joints connecting the feet to the center column are plastic, however they are pretty rugged. I don't see them snapping off or bending at all. - The part of the tripod that slides up the center column has a nifty little quick release latch as opposed to a knob. This is a good thing considering I have seen countless stands ruined by overtightening of the knob there. However it does have some give when force is applied. The worst that will happen is the center column will move two inches and hit the floor so it is a minor thing. - The center column is pretty short compared to most stands (only about 2 feet). I guess this is for portability. It telescopes to about double its height fully extended which is respectable for vocals and guitars, but not really usable for things like drum overheads. Still pretty stable even fully extended. - The center telescoping handle is pretty uninteresting except for the fact that it really takes two hands to lock it in nicely. It seems like a minor thing but when you are setting up a band being able to lock the center column with one hand would be nice, since you rarely have both hands free. - The cable clip is a nice touch. I never use them personally since they're so easy to lose and if someone suddenly decides they want to go hand-held they knock the stand over. It only connects to the bottom half of the center column, not the boom or top. But its there. - Up at the boom pivot it has a interesting design. Its all plastic again, except for the bolt running through, but it seem pretty rugged. Nice large pivot bearing, but I can see it wearing out. The knob is large, but it doesn't have a lot of give. No sliding lever either. Just a knob. - The knob to control the boom length is one of the weak points. If you unscrew it all the way it will be almost impossible to get back in right and essentially makes the stand worthless. This is a good rule for all the knobs: Don't unscrew them all the way. - The boom arm is pretty standard. Its about 2' long. The back is weighted a little bit with a large plastic piece that helps prevent people from over extending. However if you have a heavy enough mic you still can and knock it over. Standard 5/8" screw on the end, no adapter. No telescoping here either. - This stand does come with a mic clip. A pretty strong little plastic thing. Fits the standard handheld mics well and when stored it will snap on to the center column. Awesome little design.

I dearly needed a mic stand to be able to record in my small apartment in my even smaller closet. This is exactly what I needed. It was a great deal in general, but I do trust Samson to make me great products, honestly. I've been using one of their Go-mics for years and the only thing that's even starting to let me down is the over-used USB port. This stand is well-weighted, well-balanced, and most importantly for me, it folds up pretty small. If you have the same uses as I do in the same circumstances that I do, go for it. I'm sure it would work well for busking since it's so compact too. I would say you probably have more "standard" looking stands if you're looking to use on-stage though. The only trouble I might see someone having with this is if they were a giant, but I'm also sitting most of the time I'm using this.

Well build, feels durable

lightweight and sturdy

I'm somewhat of a novice when it comes to studio equipment or musical equipment in general. I've used this for quite some time and I believe Amazon recommended this when I picked up my Audio Technica AT2020 and Pop Filter/Shock mount. There is a lot to learn if you go in blind~. Pros: It's height level choices are amazing. I use it for a computer microphone, so I only need it mid-level, and it can be adjusted upwards, even level, or downwards without any issues. It strongly holds the microphone in place. I don't have any fear of it losing grip or coming loose on me and risking the expensive pieces on it. Cons: It just doesn't want to keep a strong hold on the height position. The clamp at the bottom is as clicked into place as it'll ever be, but it really wants to keep that metal bar on the ground. Am I doing it wrong or is it supposed to hold better? The rubber feet have came off 2-3 times over the past 3 months of moving to hard-wood floor. I understand they aren't going to be held on strongly, but the microphone doesn't do too much dragging. Not a huge concern, probably not worth mentioning really xD. This thing is prone to tip over if it isn't positioned correctly. Make sure that if your microphone and accessories aren't too heavy. I'm stuck having the tripod legs positioned with one of them aiming towards where the microphone is going to prevent it from tipping over. I guess I wish the bars had more weight to them to prevent this, this might be the only thing that makes me switch products.

I can't fathom the negative reviews. This is about the cheapest boom mic stand on Amazon - it's dirt cheap! If you're a "professional" why in the world would you even CONSIDER getting the cheapest of the cheap for your work? Let alone buy it, gig with it, break it, and then complain that it's junk? Read the negative reviews for On Stage stands. They're worse than this Samson stand! Sounds like the "professionals" don't have an ounce of common sense. If you're serious about gigging, THEN GET A GIGGING STAND. They're going to cost 5-7 times as much for a reason! So for the rest of us with "light duty" applications (I'm putting the finishing touches on a mini recording studio in my bedroom)... this stand is amazing for the price! Perfect for podcasting, or micing amps (assuming you're not setting up and tearing down all the time). I'm shocked at what $17 can get ya! All things considered I'd say this is VERY solidly built for a budget stand. If you have a very heavy mic and you fully extend the boom then maybe there's a risk of tipping. I've never had a tipping issue, though I use a Shure 588 (similar form factor to SM58) and they're not that heavy (1.1 lb). I've been using this stand for four months now and I love it. I like it so much I'm now buying a second so I can have a vocal and acoustic guitar mics set up at the same time for teaching music lessons online. If my second stand is any different than the first, I'll update this review. As far as I can tell right now, it would be hard to find a better value for light/limited duty mic stands.