C-Stand and Boompoles

[Johnny Karlsson]

46 minutes ago, rmac said:

 

 

Thanks, are you referring to the rubberized coating where the Boom Mate and boom pole are in contact?

 

Screen capture from Trew Audio’s YouTube video on the Boom Mate v.2:

 

Perhaps field sound has a different experience than I, but in my case, it’s where the Boom Mate is connecting with the grip-head. Other than that, I think they are great.

[Peter Mega]

Just get the K Tek Boom Cradle and be done with it. By far the best on the market IMO. I have one of these as well as a Boom Boy. 
The K Tek design means there’s no pressure points on the expensive carbon fiber boom pole unlike the other designs. The wide cradles distribute the pressure on the pole. 

 

When I travel, I sometimes take the Boom Boy because it’s smaller but I have taken the K Tek on trips many times. It’s actually pretty easy to slot in a case somewhere. 
 

I personally would not use the Boom Buddy as the screw arrangement just doesn’t look strong to me. Just my opinion though. Can’t go wrong with a grip head set up. 

[tourtelot]

I use the K-Tek cradle as my only boom holder.  On a heavy Mathews Medium Overhead Rolling Stand, and the K-Tek cradle, I have no worries about a fully extended 18' boom with a pair of mics (albeit Schoeps colette heads) at the end.  I use this rig all the time and never had any sense it was unstable or unsafe.  The K-Tek is, IMO, the best choice.  And yes, 30 pounds of sand on the stand base and a 15 on the butt end of the pole as a counterweight.

 

D.

[rmac]

3 hours ago, Peter Mega said:

Just get the K Tek Boom Cradle and be done with it. By far the best on the market IMO. I have one of these as well as a Boom Boy. 
The K Tek design means there’s no pressure points on the expensive carbon fiber boom pole unlike the other designs. The wide cradles distribute the pressure on the pole. 

 

When I travel, I sometimes take the Boom Boy because it’s smaller but I have taken the K Tek on trips many times. It’s actually pretty easy to slot in a case somewhere. 
 

I personally would not use the Boom Buddy as the screw arrangement just doesn’t look strong to me. Just my opinion though. Can’t go wrong with a grip head set up. 

 

Thanks. Your comment and others suggest that my reservations about the Boom Buddy aren’t off-base.

 

K-Tek’s new Boom Cradle 2 looks good, but I’m not in a hurry to embrace its US$180 price, up from $133 for version 1. Looking at written descriptions and photos of both versions, it’s unclear to me what the difference is. K-Tek's website says only that "This updated version fits boom poles with diameters including the K-Tek Mighty Boom”: https://ktekpro.com/product/k-tek-boom-cradle-2/ (Edit: It appears that some vendors are also selling version 1 for $165).

 

Looking at the $60 Boom Mate 2 and the $180 Boom Cradle 2, it appears that the main difference, at least at interview distances, is where each of these devices shows cosmetic wear from grip heads over time.

 

I should probably note, for the benefit of future readers, that the original Boom Mate is still sold. The only difference is that the original is 4” longer, which may be preferred for long boom poles. Trew Audio’s YouTube video on the Boom Mate 2 shows both versions.

 

I might also mention that Kupo makes a $56 Boom Mate knock-off, adding magnets to attach the device, when it isn’t needed, to the stand for the boom pole: https://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/product/1341058-REG/kupo_kg011112_boomgrip_microphone_boom_holder.html

 

 

[fieldsound]

14 hours ago, rmac said:

 

 

Thanks, are you referring to the rubberized coating where the Boom Mate and boom pole are in contact?

 

Screen capture from Trew Audio’s YouTube video on the Boom Mate v.2:

 

The rubber part where the boom pole is cradled has held up well so far. The part that wears off almost instantly is the coating that covers the entire unit, as soon as I put it in a grip head it started to get chewed up. Doesn’t affect usability for me but I thought the coating would be a bit more robust given the price 

[rmac]

2 hours ago, fieldsound said:

The rubber part where the boom pole is cradled has held up well so far. The part that wears off almost instantly is the coating that covers the entire unit, as soon as I put it in a grip head it started to get chewed up. Doesn’t affect usability for me but I thought the coating would be a bit more robust given the price 

 

Thanks. In its YouTube video on the Boom Mate 2, Trew says that it’s anodized. See 2:25 of the video below. Cosmetically, Kupo's knock-off might hold up better: https://kupogrip.com/kupo-microphone-boom-holder/

 

"Chrome Steel construction with textured surface for increased holding power when used in a grip head”

 

I wonder whether stainless steel would have been the best choice, and whether, given the price of these holders, it would have affected the margin much.

 

As I understand it, the original Boom Mate is 14” long and Boom Mate 2 is 10”. According to Kupo’s website (link above), its Microphone Boom Holder is 32cm/12.6”.

 

Trew’s YouTube video:

 

 

Kupo’s video:

 

 

[rmac]

This is what’s happened with K-Tek’s price for its Boom Cradle. All screen captures made October 18/19, 2024.

 

Gotham, Boom Cradle 1: $133 but discontinued. B&H says that it’s “No Longer available”. K-Tek no longer shows Boom Cradle 1 on its website. It says the following about Boom Cradle 2 (the problem with the sentence is in the original): "This updated version fits boom poles with diameters including the K-Tek Mighty Boom”.

 

 

However, several vendors are selling Boom Cradle 1 for $165:

 

 

Price being charged by all vendors for Boom Cradle 2: $180:

 

 

[rmac]

Some prices. Includes holder length.

 

Auray Boom Pole Holder (5.25”): $25

Remote Audio Boom Boy (~5”): $35

K-Tek Airo Boompole Holder (~6”): $65 (but Trew at $58)

Boom Buddy Boom Pole Holder (5”): $75 in the U.S., £72 in the U.K.

 

Kupo Microphone Boom Holder (12.6”): $56

Boom Mate (14”): $60

Boom Mate 2 (10”): $60

 

K-Tek Boom Cradle (16”): until recently $133, now $165 for however long it’s still available

K-Tek Boom Cradle 2 (16”): $180

 

What do Europeans do? There are lots of options in North America, but the only European option I came across is Boom Buddy. Pink Noise Systems sells it.

 

While checking this, I learnt that Trew Audio bought Pink Noise last month 😃

 

 

[mono]

 

 

 

 

 

https://ktekpro.com/product/abh1-airo-boom-holder/

 

 

 

 

https://ktekpro.com/dealers/