Side by Side Comparison of: Hamilton Stands vs ChromaCast

My kids use these to practice their instruments at home. Two of them sit to practice and the other stands and the height is adjustable enough that they're all happy. Sometimes individual sheets of music fall off, but if you put a practice book on it, put the sheet in front of the book, and then use the little arms to hold it on, that usually works good. I recommend these for students who need a stand at home to practice with. It also folds up nice to be able to take elsewhere, if needed.

I purchased this music stand as I needed something that was light and inexpensive. I was thrilled with the quality as well as how compactly it folds up.The music stand can be raised and lowered to different heights. It is very easy to assemble and fold up again.The stand holds music nicely and the chrome finish looks nice as well.

I am glad I went with this purchase. It is a GREAT value for something under 8 bucks. It comes in a nice vintage looking white box and its very easy to assemble! It does come with a light coat of oil so don't be surprised. You might think it is flimsy but it does the job just right. If you are rough on your instruments and stands I probably wouldn't suggest this one but I just keep my guitar method book on here and it does the job. When I am sitting on the bed or in a chair it can be lowered to the perfect height. One thing though I would improve is where the book holder attaches to the boom (or straight tube). It is not weak at this joint but the machining could be a bit better. Where it attaches there is a lot of give on mine and the sheet holder seems to have a hard time staying leveled. However when you put a book on it, it does not wobble at all. Nothing a little bit of soldering can't fix. If you are a traveling musician this is a must have. Its dirt cheap and gets you by, easily collapsible into nothing and looks great. I love the "hamilton no. ....." engravement on the stand, it makes it look very vintage! For those who are saying this is a bad stand I don't think you understand you are buying a STAND for under 8 bucks. You can barely buy anything with 8 bucks nowadays but this is just a steal! don't think twice, get it.

Such a great little portable stand! Now I have something decent to use when practicing violin or learning something new on the guitar reading tab, and when I'm done, all I have to do is fold it up and put it away! It does what it needs to do and should last if taken care of, considering the great low price there are probably more sturdy stands out there but if you're like me (a college student with no kids) and all you want is a nice portable stand, this is it!

This music stand is THE BEST. It was easy to install and super sturdy. It withstands living in a room with an overactive 10 year old boy and his overactive dog. It doesn't take up too much space and is easy to transport when he decides he wants to give us concerts in the living room with his violin. It is easily adjustable, which is AWESOME because at just turning 10 a few weeks ago, my son is towering at 5 ft 5 inches.

When picking out a music stand I wanted one that would last. I bought this to replace an old one from MANY years ago that just wasn't sturdy enough to hold anything heavier than sheet music. This one comfortably holds music books! It is NOT the stand to purchase if you are looking for portability as it does not collapse as small as others. If you are looking for a stand that is sturdy, looks nice, and holds books, then this is the one for you.

This stand works great for me in my living room. It's all I was looking for in a stand. Sets up and folds up easily, but it does take some effort to zip up the carry case. I'm not gonna drop my rating for a cheap carry bag. The light that comes with the stand is a great bonus. I recommend this stand for anyone that just wants something they can use for practice at home that can be easily be put out of the way when finished.

This is a great portable Stand for both books and sheet music. I have a small group of beginning string players and I have a couple of these as not everyone had a stand. I have encouraged my string parents to purchase this one. Not only do they hold up well to the constant travel of weekly in and out of the car, but they don't take up a lot of room on the floor when sitting next to another musician. The springs for holding music down are perfect, they have just the right amount of tension and can be easily moved out of the way so as not to interfere with lesson books as well. I also liked the little detail at the top. I most likely will purchase more of these as I feel they are a good value.

I used music stands like this growing up, and without fail they were all finicky rubbish that loved to collapse and dump your music at a moments notice.Given the low price, I just assumed I'd be cursing my children to the same fate.HOWEVER- I was pleasantly surprised that not only does this stand up well, but it is also really sturdy and doesn't just flop around like the stands from my childhood. Hurray!Very happy :-D

LOVE these stands! They are lightweight but do the job. My ten year old daughters play the flute and needed something small and lightweight for both practicing at home and the occasional show. These more than fit the bill. I was very impressed what we received for the price (around $13). They were easy to assemble and come with a carrying case. I keep them assembled in the corner for when my daughters want to practice and they don't take up a lot of space. Also, they have clips to hold their music. All in all, a great purchase!

Great for home practices. My daughter took up an instrument at school and was not learning too quick, so we bought this so she could study at home. Works perfect and great with a small bench chair. Doesnt take much room at all and folds up into almost nothing when you are done. Sturdy enough for large books.

Our family has several of this type low-cost, lightweight music stand. But the ChromaCast version is my favorite of all. It seems to be a little sturdier, and a little easier to set up. The folding action is very smooth, and the spring arms are much sturdier and more useful than on our stands from other manufacturers.Purchasers need to understand what these are, and what their intended use is. They are not for holding big, heavy books. They are for holding sheet music or lightweight music books.UPDATE (09/10/2015): After almost a year of use, this stand is still just like new. And it has been folded and unfolded many times now. This was a tremendous value considering the quality for the price.

Understand what you're getting. This isi a lightweight and somewhat flimsy music stand. But it's also dirt cheap. I needed some music stands that were dirt cheap, and these do what I wanted them to do at a cheap price.

Kinda flimsy but a good product for the price. I made a music stand for a keyboard and it seems fine. I would recommend as a travel stand but not a full time stand.

It works very well and folds up nicely. The feet have small rubber covers to protect my wooden floors but they fall off very often when the stand is picked up. They should have been glued in place.

If you are looking for a lightweight, no frills music stand than look no further. I have a couple of these and they hold up very well. You can adjust the height as well as the angle. It is made entirely of metal. No plastic here. The chrome is a nice touch so it doesn't look cheap at all. It is very compact so you can fit it just about anywhere. This is a great little music stand.

I just received this stand in the mail & promptly set it up. It goes together easily & smoothly. It's not as compact as I was hoping but, it's not going to be traveling. For the price $8 it should serve it's intended purpose just fine! I'm hoping the negative reviews were wrong!

It does the job, although it isn't nearly as nice as a Hamilton folding stand I got as a present 15 years ago. This one has only two vertical sections and no adjustability of the bottom mechanism. As a consequence its minimum height is a little higher than I would like, as I sometimes like my music stand to be lower so that others can see my masterful guitar picking. All kidding aside, I use the older stand for gigging and I find the stand is less of a distraction to the audience if it is quite low. This one couldn't be used that low. The stand would have to be up in front of the guitar, which is probably fine for most students, but not ideal for me.

Good for the price. It's a little flimsy but does the job. I would have liked to have some better written instructions for assembly. I felt that the instructions for this product was very vague and not that helpful. I recommend this product for students or someone who is just learning and doesn't want to spend a lot of money. If you need a music stand quickly, this is very good. It's lightweight and easy to pack or store away. This is good for loose paper, if you like to print out your music, just tack it on the stand with a fridge magnet and it won't fly away. If you have a heavy music book or a paper music book, you'll need to tilt the stand according to the heaviness of your book. I would tilt the stand more for light music books as they tend to slide right off otherwise. Sounds like common sense but anyway, this is what it is for the price. It does the job well.

My son needed a music stand and we wanted one that he could take to "concerts" with him.This one is cheap is and fits our needs perfect however I'm not sure how long it will last. He is in 5th grade and started to play the trumpet but we weren't sure if he would stick with it so we didn't want to invest too much in a stand.The directions that came with it were all wrong. They were for the guitar stand but it wasn't that hard to figure out how to set it up. The light is nice and the sand fold easily in the bag. The bag is nice and compact and it's light enough to carry around with the trumpet.

Nice for the price. The material that it is made with seems a bit cheap but that is probably why the price is what it is. I love that it comes with a carrying case. It is a nice stand for a student who will be gentle with it. Not recommended for younger students if they have to set it up frequently. It is easy to set up and I like the paper holders. If it were made of sturdier material I would love it even more. Again, I got this for a student who did not have a stand at home and it serves its purpose. It remains intact and works nicely for our lessons.

Ordered this stand for my novice aspirations in music. Does what it says it does. It's been a bit since I used a music stand, like I think junior high band if im honest. So I cannot confidently stand up for any music stand out there. I mean to me it's just a bunch of sticks fastened together.Maybe there are better out there, who knows. But for the price I like this one. It's a bit flimsy and more so on the cheap side, but it does what it sets out to do and I like that it has a carrying case. The whole thing sort of feels like a cheap camera tripod with a sheet music holder placed atop instead of a camera. The little springy flexible metal bottom pieces which clip down the actual music could be built a bit better but again for the price and a casual learning or leisurely active musician I can't see that being a deal breaking issue. I would imagine if you are performing or at any level beyond tinkering at home this might not be the best choice, but at that point you probably have more access and knowledge to bigger and better things.I like this stand and hope you do too.

Works well a lightweight stand for my son to use for home practice. locks in place correctly and will stay at the correct height and will hold a folder or thin band book of music.The page holders work well holding the pages open on his band book. legs could be a little more stouter as the flex quite a bit. Comes with its own zippered carry case with two handgrips It has a good thick coat of black paint that seems not to chip easily. For a inexpensive lightweight music stand works well for a begining band student.

At 20 inches wide I was hoping this stand was wide enough to hold a three page song without needing to turn pages. As seen in the photo this is possible. Yea! The photo uses back illumination so you see the support areas behind the music. The page clips work very nice. I like the fact that it's matte black and not chrome which is distracting to (and from) the performer. The base and extension pole proves sturdy enough to place sheet music one at a time. I put a 40 page practice book on it as well with no problem, but you will not be placing a 1 inch thick 'fake book' of music on this stand. Don't expect too much from a portable. The shelf that the music sits on is about 3/4 inch deep. The top of the page as shown is 4' 2" from the floor; which is about as high as I feel comfortable with. In the nylon zippered carry case it weighs just 1000 grams (2 lbs) - about the weight of a can of spaghetti sauce. At a great price I bought 2 and am happy.

I am eight years old and I play guitar I wish the stand would actually stay apart and not tip or fall over my mom wanted it to be a surprise but it was not in a package so I could see it I wish you made it with a different material or make it more sturdy you're not make it tip or fall or make it wobbly I wish I could actually stand up on its own But I still used it I want to make adjustments for other kids to buy it I still play guitar

These are a little wobbly. I got them for students to use, but on my carpet they can get a little tipsy. they're not so bad that I'm going to buy something else though. I'll just put up with it and be careful with them.

This is a solid cheap stand that will be perfectly serviceable to you *but* it has a few flaws. When you take it apart to carry it to and from wherever, the bottom part of the stand is pretty long and it may make it impossible to seal it in your carrying bag. The other problem with this is that the top of the stand, the part that you rest your music on, doesn't flatten fully and instead forms a V shape of sorts, like a 170 degree angle instead of a flat 180. That can make it difficult to place your sheet music onto and you might be the person who keeps dropping their music in class.Otherwise, this is a pretty sturdy build and very cheap. I'd suggest shopping other cheap stands before buying this one but if this is the cheapest available and you don't mind what I described above, this will get the job done.

Giving it 3 stars because it was obviously opened before and returned. The heigh adjustment clamp comes off anytime I try to extend the height. The metal is a little beat up as well. Still functions fine and no reason to send back and go through that hassle. It's cheap and does the job.

Took a little bit to figure out how to set up, and it's a great height. Just if you try to move the stand it may just fall apart on you, and you cannot angle the part of the stand that holds the music.

you get what you pay for. it's function, but cheaply made. the music rest is very loose and tilts significantly if you put any unbalanced weight on it (such as just standing a new music book, the music stand will tilt heavily to the right). still, for 7.70, or whatever I paid - I can hardly complain,

It gets the job done and does fold up nicely, but I have two gripes. First, it's really easy to lose the screws that hold the stand together; I lent my stand to someone for a rehearsal and now I have one fewer screw. Second, I've been using it once a week (2 hrs/week) for about six months, and already it's starting to slide down even with just a couple sheets of paper on it. I used to have one of those silver folding stands, and that lasted a couple of years before it the top part would slide down and be usable only on the shortest height. On the bright side, I do like that there's a bag that comes with the stand.

This item seems to perform fair. The bag ripped at the zipper on the first day. And takes a little work to get it to hold book pages. All in all, it performs fair and it's a good product for the price you pay. A good first stand. If your child is serious about music, you will want to upgrade to a better stand.

I ordered two.The first one was in great condition, and everything worked perfectly. I'm quite happy with this one.The second one, however, had a hole that was not threaded at all, and was so big that the screw that goes there to adjust the height of the stand would simply slide in and out. I should have probably returned it, but it was over 30 days before I assembled the second one. My loss.I would have loved these, but the lack of quality control on that second one makes this a questionable product.

It is definitely very light, compact and easy to transport, but it a bit on the flimsy side. You have to really torque the nuts to get it to stay in place. One really nice feature is the springs that hold the music in place. They do a great job of keeping both books and sheet music flat on the stand.

The stand folds up and down nicely. It has strong spring loaded arms to hold the pages. It has a generous backing for larger books/papers. It packs away into a long roundish bag that has a carry handle and zips end to end. The reason I didn't give it more stars is because the bag is extremely cheap and the zipper is plastic. I put the stand in the bag and upon first use the slider head puled off of one side of the chain. I was able to get it back together and upon trying to zip again...off it came. I emailed the seller asking for a replacement bag or an upgrade to a bag with a metal zipper. I received no response. Again, stand - nice, zipper/bag - garbage. To contain the stand and the poles, I put everything in the bag then wrap Velcro straps at each end.

I think the story is here is that you get what you pay for. The stand itself is okay, but not super sturdy, but it folds up nice and small, so good in that way. The ridge to hold your books is kind of narrow, so only one book at a time. My main complaint is the "clips." They are two pieces of steel rod with a spring in the middle to make it bendable. When I first set it up, it was so tight I could barely get my book under it. Plus, you have to put in one side at a time, which can be tricky. Then it only took about 2 days for one of the springs to get twisted and not hold on to the book at all. I had to twist it and bend it back in shape to get it to hold down.I have been trying to figure out a way to make it easier to work these clips when I'm turning pages. I don't think there is with this type of spring clip. Wish I had looked around a bit more and got something else.

I bought this stand about a year ago and seldom have used it. About a few months and 1 performance later one of the plastic caps at the bottom of the stand started falling off, and then the next one, and then finally all of them came off. The top clamp for the stand also came off which prevented me from adjusting the height of the stand at all. If you are looking for a quality stand that will last I do not recommend this one.

Worth what was paid but it's the minimum

Very unstable, somewhat uncomfortable to use, one of the parts was bent due to shipping, had to return it.

Music stand is barely tall enough for me to use when I stand to play my violin. I am 5 foot 4 inches, the average height for a woman. Also, when I put it all the way up, it is not as sturdy and wiggles and slants. I am disappointed with the quality. I use to have a Hamilton stand made in the 80's, but considering this modern version is so inexpensive, perhaps I need to adjust my attitude and put up with the fact that the stand is not sturdy for a musician who stands. If you stand when you play and are taller than my height, find a different stand.

We use this stand regularly. The feet have fallen off. The part the holds the stand is wobbly. If youtravel with your folding stand regularly I would suggest you buy a better stand. This one will not last.

First of all, this stand is not sturdy at all. I actually bent it a little just putting it together. I have a song book that really isnt very heavy. I put it on this stand, and now the shelf is crooked from the weight. Its very wobbly, and sometimes it falls when I change music. Do not recomend

Not as stable as it should be. When you place a music sheet book on it, the side of the book with more pages weighs heavier than the opposite side causing it to slump on that side. There is no way to resolve the issue either. I'd recommend buying another one. Unless you use single sheet music.

I'm so disappointed. When it says its designed for affordability - its not lying. . that's all its designed for. Its made of so many pieces. There is no easy extension of anything. You have to break this thing down into several different pieces to get it in and out of the bag. You can't extend it to its full height, its so wobbly. There' s no way it can hold anything other than sheet music, this thing would topple right over. Luckily my child plays that tuba and will be sitting down so we don't need the full height of it. This thing was affordable, and I'm grateful for that but it certainly isn't easily portable or sturdy. If you need something that is sturdy, or that will be used often with transporting, or something that requires playing an instrument while standing . . get something else, you will be *really* disappointed.

The stand was difficult to put together because of the low quality. The screws were stripped- the stand does not stay at the same height because you cannot tighten it enough. The top portion will support pages only, but not a music book- falls forward easily. bag was ripped upon delivery. Will work fine set up in the room with some replacement hardware and not moving but will not travel well.

Bought it in January it is now June and I am looking to replace it. My 9 year old cannot get it tight enough to stay up. You think it is good and then accidentally touch it and it sinks. It is only used in the house we do not travel with it and case broke by the end of February. We need something a slight bit sturdier.

It won't hold up a music book or a ring binder.The post clamps don't tighten up enough to prevent the shaft from sliding down from the weight of a song book or a binder with song sheets or sheet music in it. It is only capable of holding a few sheets of paper at a time. OK for a few songs but not for a concert.

very flimsy though cheap. the ledge cannot hold more than sheet music (not even the thinnest music book) as it is only 3/4 inch deep. Also, the height is NOT 50-something inches- that is only to the highest point! The maximum REAL height of the music ledge is 35 INCHES and that is at full extension, rendering it WOBBLY. Seek an alternative for another $10. The case (which is 4" - 5" too long for it) would better be left out of the "deal", adding the extra 5 cent value of the case to sturdier material for the stand. The mechanical fittings are all plastic. The one I gave away (it was older, but excellent quality) was 100o/o chromed steel, sturdy, and taller, if need be

I bought two stands for an upcoming student recital and both are defective! The rivet behind the stand that holds the rod is upside down and makes both stands completely useless. Waste of time and money! Please do not purchase these stands!!!!

When I was browsing through the different music stands, I chose this one because of the great reviews and price. When I was trying to put the stand together, I realized that the pieces didn't fit with each other, making the stand useless. Overall, I would not recommend this product, and don't be fooled by the reviews and price!

My stand is defective and I am very hesitant to purchase a replacement... The top bracket, which supports the area for material, is riveted on upside down, making the stand unusable.

Came broken and they suck

Very flimsy

The joint between the pole and top of the music stand is sloppy resulting in over an inch of movement at the top of the stand. It will not reliably hold up a light weight 1 inch 3 ring binder.

You get what you pay for. It's quite flimsy and light. The plastic covers for the tripod disappeared within days since they didn't fit tightly. Then one of the knobs that adjust the height of the stand developed a striped screw. We can no longer adjust the height properly since the knob would not grip the pole. It also makes the pole spin with the lightest touch. We've had it only for a few months. Now we have to pay a bit more for a heavy duty one because this one is junk.

I have used other ChromaCast products in the past and have been very happy with them.I bought this stand less than six months ago, and it has sat gently in its little package until I needed it for a gig tonight.I took it out of its bag and started to put it together, and the thing is already broken.Either I was sold a used item (I bought it NEW), or it is defective.There is a nut missing that allows the telescoping pieces to fit together, and it looks like someone forced the two pieces together, breaking off a tab which is required for it to stay in place.Basically what I have now is an utterly useless pile of pieces which are good for nothing unless they send me replacement parts.Alas, I have no way to contact the company to see about achieving this.As I said, ChromaCast stands have been great for all my instruments and music stands--I have been a fan. Until now.

As soon as I pulled the pieces of the stand out of the bag, a nut fell out and I couldn't figure out where it came from.. The thumb screws would not tighten enough to hold up the stand at all (perhaps related to the mystery nut?). When attempting to put the pieces of the stand back into the bag, the zipper broke. Cheap all the way around! While it was light and would be perfect for my daughter to transport if she ever needed to, it seemed so flimsy that even if I had been able to get the stand to extend to its full height it probably would have bent or broken easily.

This stand comes in pieces. You have to loosen thumb screws to connect rods. When the thumbscrews are loosened, a loose nut falls out and you have to put it back in which isn't an easy task. This makes it so that once you have it together, you don't want to loosen those thumb screws and have the nut fall out again...meaning this is not good to travel with and is poorly designed.

Plastic holding the stand together broke the 2nd time assembled. Very weak. Can only hold a few sheets of paper. Very flimsy. Mostly plastic. Do not waste your money. Buy a better quality stand that will be much sturdier. Didn't even realize there was a 30 day return window so I can't even get my money back. What a waste.

Too flimsy. We bought 3 only 1 still has it's screws in it. The washers just fall off with normal wear. We do move the stand approx. twice a month to attend orchestra location. So disappointing.