So, as I commented on recently [1], I purchased a new music stand as my previous one was broken. Having tried it out today, I thought it would be worthwhile to give my first impression of the product as I do from time to time [2]. When I first purchased this product, it can in several parts. The case was on its own, and the stand itself was in two parts, the tripod in a box and then the upper part of the stand where you put the music. I was concerned when I opened the box that it would require a bit of complicated effort to put the stand together, but within a few minutes I had it working, and when I tried it out I was able to get the stand set up from the case within a couple of minutes during practice this afternoon. So, as far as ease of setup and takedown is concerned, it is certainly not a difficult stand to set up, which bodes well for me being able to use it.
That is not to say that the stand is perfect, though, as there are at least a few issues that I have had with it so far, most of them minor. It is good that this particular stand comes with a case, because it would be very awkward to carry around, especially as a violist with a lot of other things to carry. Even so, this is a music stand that takes up a fair amount of space, even in its case. To put it into perspective, the case is only slightly smaller than my garment bag, which holds suits, and is about as heavy. Additionally, the stand itself, even when fully disassembled, is slightly too large to fit inside of the case, so part of the tripod sticks out. This is potentially worrisome on at least a couple of grounds, because it is possible for the stand to fall off, or to deal with the effects of too much Portland rain, or to be prone to bump into things while the stand is being driven in transit or carried on my shoulder.
Nevertheless, so far at least, the stand looks good, it is solid enough to have no problems holding music, it is flexible in terms of height, and it is relatively easy to tote around in its case, the previous concerns mentioned notwithstanding. As far as stands go, it is not expensive and it is a heavy-duty one that looks capable of handling my demands as far as putting music, including multi-page music, without being too delicate. In many ways, this is a product that has some strengths, some liabilities, and seeks to manage its tradeoffs at least mostly successfully, if not entirely so. The real test of a product like this is how it stands the test of time, and that is something that only the future can tell. In the meantime, it certainly is worthy of a test, and there is a friendly gentlemen selling these by the box in Northwest Portland, for those who are local and interested.
[1] https://edgeinducedcohesion.wordpress.com/2015/10/17/stand-in-the-place-where-you-live/
[2] See, for example:
https://edgeinducedcohesion.wordpress.com/2015/08/08/product-review-noble-stitch-socks/
Edge Induced Cohesion 