great product works well

This is a good stand. I use the crank feature with my Ryobi drill and it works great. I gave it five stars because it performs its function well, and the stand is a good price.
Price is the key here. This is NOT the most heavy duty stand available. Its somewhere in the mid-price range, and as such it inherently has some limitations. I would reccomend it, with the understanding that it will not be thrown around, stacked on, over extended, etc.
I purchased bags for mine, and I am a solo performer who takes exceptional care of my gear, because it takes care of me. I fully expect a long life from them with proper care.

Older version much better, if its cranked down, once the speaker is in place on it, you can't crank it up..the crank hits the bottom of the speaker..so you then have to take the speaker off the stand...raise it up making it high again, then put the speaker back on to raise it higher to meet the height needs up. Older version you could crank up the stand height with the speaker in place..it worked properly.

These turned out to be a solid investment. We needed speaker stands for a pair of passive 15" cabs, did some checking back and forth with our super awesome Sweetwater tech, needed to see what would suit us best. Came through for us again,regarding the SS8880B+; gave us a deal that was better than any other vendor, online or local. NOW we realize we needed these crankups a year or so ago. More heavy duty than expected but also not the most heavy duty stands,either. Another solid deal from the folks at Sweetwater.

This is a substantial piece of gear and will serve me well. I am not planning to use it as a speaker stand, although it would handle that task very well - instead I will be supporting a moderately heavy (well under the 80 lbs specified) ham radio antenna for portable operation on my patio. I need to get the loop up about 6' or higher and this will do that job well.

I am also impressed with the one-on-one communication that Sweetwater initiated upon my order. They kept me informed and made sure that this was the device that I was looking for. I will be buying other items from them in the near future.

Great item! Great retailer! Great combinatino!

The crank-up stands makes it easier to raise the speakers up and down. It takes the stress and strain off me. By putting a board on a flange I can use these stands for other purposes. Such as putting sheeting up on a ceiling. These stands works good for me. I recommend them.

Thanks for your great service.

New, used once. Didn't have to raise up, so, what's not to love. Light weight, durable. Might change my mind later, but for now, Cool.

Okay, maybe they're just PA speakers that I'm spiking on top of these stands, but they are stout, and easy to set up & strike. I know that they'll serve us well for years to come.

We have used these stands for many years. Someone must have dropped something heavy or tried to force it through a small opening while still open. Either way, we needed a replacement and I wanted the same model, because it is so dependable.

Raise 80lbs or 36.7kg ? (Stated rating.) ...Rather you carrying speakers that size than me, mate...

But these featherweight wonders WILL do just that.

Let's be quite clear about their unique mechanism. SLANTED grooves (on the outside of its internally re-enforced riser tube) mesh with the crank's winding gear to form a screw jack, ...decidedly NOT the rack and pinion or "cable and reel" solution offered by most others.

Why am I prattling on about this ?

Because, when UNclamped ...the screw jack is the ONLY mechanism of these that will remain solidly fixed unless it's actually being cranked.

The riser's knobbed "locking" bolt therefore becomes optional, mainly to prevent acoustically induced rattles or buzzes.

I weigh around 95kg or 210lbs. Applying my full weight (plus G-forces) could not force ANY retraction whatsoever when "pogo sticking" an inverted SS8800B that was extended without its "locking" bolt being screwed in.

That being said, a word about the spreader position in the "brochure" snapshots.

Under NO circumstances should any speaker be raised with the tripod base's legs angled as shown. The stand should only be loaded AFTER the correct deployment (for maximum stability) of the spreader mechanism, a procedure I'll detail below.

(I find that working the legs upside-down is often the easiest way to both start and conclude their spreading.)

Here's how:

1) "Over-spread" the legs past their largest "footprint".

2) With the large "locking" knob UNclamped, plant the stand in its intended location.

3) Use your full weight (probably a lot less than mine) to bear down above the crank housing so as to find where the tripod spreader is most "happy" to sit. This is the position of highest stability, which will have the triple-hinged leg collar a lot lower than shown in the snapshots.

4) Only then should you lock the spreader mechanism, safe in the knowledge that you're now NOT relying on its clamp for stability.

Also, I often use a pair of (or, very rarely, even three for a "hurricane") 15kg (33lb) shot bags for wind-loading.

These are best added AFTER the above procedure, (but before the speakers) by dint of sliding their webbed strap over the entire centre column (the removable crank's a great help) so that the bag ends up "dangling" between the legs, its strap handle securely hooked over the triple-hinged spreader collar.

Hooked this way they're not only less of a "target" for mischief, but they're also transferring their effective ballast to the lowest possible centre of gravity, right at the very end of the stand's legs.

All in all, this is finest and most "back-saving" rig I've ever experienced.

It's also one of the cheapest.

Light weight, smooth operation and with the average modern speaker weighing less than 50lbs more than adequate

I checked this stand out for our band. We're now using the On-Stage stand without the crank and we love it! These stands are lightweight, well made, very sturdy, and easy to use. And they look great! The large adjustment knobs are easy on the hands. This new model makes it even easier to raise your speaker up over the heads of your audience. A little pricey but worth it for ease of use!