little microphone boom stand
 

Can anyone recommend a decent mini-microphone boom stand? I bought something very similar to this cheapie, but in practice, it just flops around due to weak legs and falls apart after about ten pickups because the boom section is attached to the base with a plastic fastener inside the tube. I'm willing to pay much more for a stand that does not have a weighted base, but I just can't find anything at local music stores or even scanning the on-line catalog at BH Photo.

"Ultimate Support JS-MCTB50 Low-LevelTripod Mic Stand with Telescoping Boom"
Ultimate Support | JS-MCTB50 Low-LevelTripod Mic Stand | 16796

This one is better. It's made by K&M
AKG | KM259/5 Extra Low Profile Tripod | KM259/5BLACK | B&H
I have a few of them and I like them because they break down small enough to put in a suitcase and they are Black so as to hide in a video set.

Thanks for the tip. It looks about the same as the one I have, which is marketed under half dozen different names so that music stores can advertise that they will beat any price on identical products and can reject the claim when the "manufacturer" name (K&M, DR, Hosa, Neuman, etc.) is different.

My main gripe is that this stand has fallen apart after about a dozen setup/teardowns. My main gripe is that the knobs don't tighten enough for a microphone (BLUE Dragonfly) to be placed on the boom. Also, the leg positions also creep. Perhaps I am asking too much of this stand with the BLUE microphone.

"Looks about the same" is not much of a qualification when it comes to microphone stands, because everyone has copied the K&M designs, but most copies are made much, much more cheaply. Lower quality materials, designs not quite right.

True K&M is the pro standard, period. AKG is relabeled K&M and is also fine (at least the AKG that I've seen). Ultimate is a little bit harder, because at various times they've sold K&M, as well as having their own designs, some of which are fine and some not as good as the originals. They're trying to meet different price points, I assume.

If you've not tried a K&M/AKG, I wouldn't give up on it just yet. K&M is the standard for good reason.

Studio mics (dragonfly?) are usually put on heavy-duty booms/stands in the studio, K&M makes them, the Atlas product isn't bad, but these are not small enough for location work.
Definitely not K&M quality. Typical of the quality found in music stores. I have K&M stands that have seen hundreds of uses without falling apart.

Seth, thanks for the reassurance in the known brands. I don't have physical access to the stands you mention. I have a "DR Pro", and it really looks the same judging only from the on-line images. Darn it. I was duped by the local Guitar Showcase.

I'm using the microphone for my infant/baby and house videos, so I need small boom stand that can place the microphone above and sometimes under the rather small frame. My large , sturdybut very heavy Quick Lock boom stand is nearly impossible to use without rearrangeing furniture. Perhaps I'm asking for too much from these small stands, but I know I can assemble a heavy duty stand for a lot of money.

One subtle but important thing to check is the metal washer that bears on the boom pivot when you tighten the angle adjustment handle. If the cupped side of the washer is facing the tightening handle, then the boom will slip down under the weight of the mic.
If the cupped side of the washer faces the boom's pivot and the dome side of the washer is in contact with the tightening handle, then the boom will hold much more weight before slipping.
I've seen stands arrive new in the box with this washer installed backwards and the boom would always slip until the washer was flipped to face correctly.
I also second getting the genuine K&M or AKG stands. I've had many of them for years with no problems.

Get a genuine K&M - also - you can easily get spares for them.

My own K&M stands are over 30 years old and still going strong.