Ravelli ABSL Heavy Duty Photo Video Backdrop Stand Extra Large at 13' Tall and 15' Wide Also can be Dual Air Cushioned 13' Light Stands or use for Banner, Balloon Arch, Projector Screen, Room Divider

I have used several backdrop stands as a professional photographer over the past 25 years. Though the Ravelli ABSL cost more than the ABS stands, I believe the ABSL kit is worth the price. They are less expensive and more durable than more expensive stands I have used in the past. It's easy to set up by yourself but I did have an assistant helping me. Takes only a few minutes to set up and tear down. I use handpainted 12 x 20 muslin backdrops. I use only three cross beams together. It holds them quite well. I'm confidant that I could put all 5 cross pieces together and it would hold it's load well. The base legs spread out wide enough to make it stable. Even with groups of 10-15 people moving on my backdrop, the stands were stable. My only complaint is that some of the plastic foot inserts aren't snug but that doesn't affect their performance. The carrying case is very well and cleverly designed using ballistic nylon and constructed with strong seams and stitching. One end "cap" of the case unzips open and another zipper runs the full length of the carrying case. The case also has two straps with quick release buckle fastners to keep the case closed. If the zipper ever failed, I feel comfortable that the two straps will keep it closed securely. There is a handle strap on each side of the long zipper. The handles come together and on one handle, there is a ballistic nylon fabric with velcro sewn on it to secure the handles together. It opens up with a stand on each side and the 5 cross beams fitting in the middle with two sets of elastic loops to secure the cross beams in place. 3 beams in one set and the other holds two. I put both end beams and one cross beam together just to make assembly time a little faster. The cross beams interlock easily and bolt on the stands. Though I didn't order it, there were two black backdrop clamps that came with my order. A nice surprise and I augment them with two additional clamps. I tried to put a couple of smaller stands in the carrying case to see how well they fit but it made the case very snug. The case was definitely designed to carry what came with the kit and nothing much more than a few extra clamps. Packaging was excellent. My order came in a 42 inch long carboard box. Inside that box was another box with the backdrop stand inside the carrying case. Although all the pieces were in it's place in the case, each piece including the two clamps were each individually wrapped in plastic to protect the finish. I'm not sure how well the finish will hold up with poles touching each other so I do take the time to put each piece back in its' own plastic sleeve after each photo shoot. I do on-location portrait work for formals so I want it to last and look as good as possible. The backdrop stands are very solid, they are light enough to carry easily. Overall I have been very impressed with this. I have novatron studio lights and I'm thinking about purchasing the Ravelli Light stands to replace the flimsy aluminum ones that comes with the novatron kits. If I have to do multiple location shots, I will order another set without hesitation. A note about shipping. I ended up ordering the stands on Saturday afternoon Mountain Standard Time. I needed it for a shoot that following Friday. Next day shipping was about $28.00 more than the two day shipping option. Since I ordered it on Saturday, both options showed it would arrive that following Tuesday. It arrived on Tuesday as indicated.

-----UPDATED 11/19/15-----I was recently contacted by CheetahMounts asking if I wanted to try out the newer version of this system. Given that my version from 2011 has still lasted me to date, I'd like to put in some words about this new system versus the older one.First off, I have updated by review to a 5 star rating because this new system minimizes the sagging bar problem.I say minimizes because the sagging problem still exists, however it is not as severe as it previously was, especially when using 5 bars. It's understandable that a sagging problem will exist, but the fact that they managed to minimize it to the point that I can see an obvious difference without even hanging anything on the bars shows that there's definitely an improvement that was had, mainly in the material of the bar and the strength of the interlocking pieces.I used both of these (the old and the new) at a recent convention and found the new one more stable when trying to hang heavier cloths for backdrops. That's not to say the old one can still hold it's own, but I did find more relief in knowing that this new one has much lesser sagging which means faster setup times to get my customer's on the backdrop without having to adjust the fabric to remove wrinkles as much.I'm still overall very happy with the system, and even happier that Cheetah Mounts was willing to send me another unit to review. I do love this system and when a company stands behind their product and is willing to improve on it through great customer feedback and integration I know that I've chosen the right backdrop and brand for my needs.A big shoutout goes to Cheetah Mounts for their outstanding customer service. I feel like I've not only purchased a great backdrop, but also a great customer service crew to back it up and help me get the most out of my backdrop system.---------- ORIGINAL REVIEW FOLLOWS (4 STARS) ----------People weren't kidding when they said this thing was big.The backdrop stands have a very large footprint, roughly 40". The poles themselves seem thick, and they're smooth to operate. I only have to use 3 poles in order to fit a 10x20, albeit with a little scrunching on the ends, but with a 4 foot bar this thing is 12 feet wide. Add another bar and you can go 15.The instruction manual is helpful, and this kit comes with 2 heavy duty clamps (which I was not aware of) for keeping the fabric tight.The bag is glorious. It's a really heavy duty bag with all metal zippers, and it holds the 2 stands and 5 backdrop bars quite snug.The connecting of the backdrop elements are a bit loose for my liking, since you connect them and turn them 90 degrees to lock, but the bar itself is quite sturdy and will definitely last.The bag is just long enough to fit into the trunk of my car (Toyota Corolla), albeit a bit diagonally.The reason for the 1 star dock is that the bar actually sags a little bit when 4 bars are used. I haven't tried 5 yet, although I fear it will sag quite a bit, but a muslin that large doesn't exist yet, so for now I keep the system at 4 bars and consider the 5th bar an extra one in case someone needs to steal one for some reason.Overall, this is a very nice backdrop set and I will update the review as I use it to see how it holds up.

J'avais fait l'acquisition d'un trépied Ravelli l'année dernière et j'en étais très agréablement surprise. Ce produit est parfait pour les grandes hauteurs et les fonds larges! Les diamètres des trépieds et des barres sont vraiment impressionnants, j'installe mes toiles lourdes sans crainte de plier la barre.Par contre, il faut être aux aguets pour avoir ce genre de produit, car Ravelli ne se trouve pas facilement. Déçue par tous les autres trépieds Newer (même ceux soit disant solides) je n'achète que cette marque !Pour un prix pareil, foncez!

Ravelli ABSL Photo Video Backdrop Stand Kit 13' Tall x 15' Wide with Dual Air Cushion Stands and Bag...Fantastic for the price, whilst a little more expensive than some, it is well worth spending the extra. The quality and usability is so much better than my cheap Chinese set. The tripod legs are 80cm long and 25cm diameter. They each extend 63cm from the centre column, so this give a nice large stable base. The four vertical sections are 40, 35, 30 & 25cm diameter. So again nice and sturdy. The very top part is reversible, with a 3/8" or 1/4" threaded stud and is fitted with a 3/8" butterfly nut for attachment of the crossbar There is also an eyelet in the top ferrule . All of the fittings are metal, including the tripod leg spreader and height adjuster ferrules. The only plastic parts are the handles of the height adjusters, the clamp collets and the bungs in the end of the tubes.The crossbar sections are nice and sturdy with large alloy ferrules to join each section. There are a few minus points here, the sections are not all interchangeable, you must find the two end sections (both different) and then as many intermediate sections as you like. It would have been simple to make all of intermediate sections also an end section, just by drilling the vertical pole hole in each. The sections do not lock together. The ferule of one section goes into the open end of the next section and a 90 degree twist will engage a flat on the ferule with a swage in the wall of the next section, however there is nothing to hold it there, a further twist and it comes undone again. Whilst this does not cause any major issues, it may do if constantly using a rolled backdrop and moving the stands, as the sections could twist to the open and come apart. With everything else being so good, it is a shame to skimp on the design of this.The carry bag is of good quality. The horizontal poles fit in elasticated hoops in the base of the bag and there is a pocket on each side to house the stands (This may not be immediately obvious as the stands are not in these pockets upon delivery) The bag is padded and has a chunky metal zip. The bag is only big enough for the two stands and poles.Also included are two backdrop clamps, all metal with rubber grips. These are very good, I immediately ordered a 12 pack that are available for under £1 each. Also included was a complementary LED keyring torch and lens cleaning cloth.These stands will also work as lighting stands, I am going to order another set just for this purpose. (Ravelli do offer a separate lighting stand, but I prefer the additional sturdiness of these backdrop stands)I can highly recommend this product based on price and performance, I'm just a customer who purchased via Amazon.

Es muy robusto y muy completo. Los tripodes son muy grandes, y las barras se acoplan unas a otras muy facilmente.Trae 2 pinzas para sujetar la tela una mini linterna de led y un trapo para lentes. El bulto final pesa y es grande, pero si se puede transportar facilmente en un coche. Llego perfecto en la fecha esperada.

Photographe pro, je cherchais un support de fond plus grand et plus solide que l'on trouve habituellement. Celui-ci répond parfaitement à mes attentes, il transpire la solidité, il est bien stable et me permet vraiment de photographier des scènes beaucoup plus grandes. Plutôt compact et pas trop lourd pour sa taille, sacoche basique mais solide. Si vous avez besoin d'un truc durable et solide pour plus de 3m de largeur et 2m de hauteur c'est ce qu'il vous faut !

WOW. My original stands lacked height, were flimsy and sagged in the middle, holding a 12 x 10 foot heavy green screen. these stands are thick and sturdy, with good leg spread for stability, and most importantly, no sag from the cross bar joints. The tripods I received are not air cushioned as advertised, so double use as heavy speaker stands would mean being wary of the weight when lowering stands, but as a green screen set up I am happy non the less. plus two clamps, a tiny keyring torch and lens cloth were also found in the sturdy bag. with large zips. The overall weight tells you the item as a whole is quality. quick delivery too. highly recommended product.