Impact Counter Weight (10 lb)

Perhaps, I should have paid more attention to the reviews that are critical of the clamp mechanism that holds the counterweight to the light stand, however I thought that it really couldn't be that bad. I guess I was wrong. Pros: For permanent installation on c-stands used in the studio, the counter weight should work fine. Cons: In order to install or remove the counter weight, one must remove or substantially loosen the screw clamp readily visible in the product pictures, plus one must loosen 4 small screws with an Allen wrench. It's not convenient nor practical for use on-location, nor where your counterweight needs may vary during a shoot. I was tired of lugging sandbags around when shooting outside of the studio, and hoping for a cleaner solution. Unfortunately, Impact's counter weights aren't the answer.

I am not giving up sandbags altogether but I have ordered more of these. It is much easier to control where the weight is on the stand or boom arm and the compact size and not having to worry about dust or bags wearing out and leaking contents (I use pea gravel) they are great for working at client locations.

Do yourself a favor and get the Manfrotto version. The locking mechanism for this one is not very good if you need to lock it on to anything thicker than the standard grip head (i.e. light stand that isn't a nano).

No frills, cumbersome to use and not easy to swap out and move. The handle and clamp don't open fully to fit most stands. I had to use the provided Alan wrench to attract the weight by removing the hardware and screwing it down once in place. That being said, once in place it's secure and a good counter weight. I don't plan on moving the weights, they are now dedicated to the boom, stand, light, etc... they are on. If you're looking for mobility with this weight I suggest a different brand. If your looking to attach a permanent counterweight, these are fantastic.

So like almost everyone else here. You look at the Impact counter weights vs the Manfrotto ones due to the price difference. Its a weight, its actual practical function won't differ. So which should you get? So is it as good as a Manfrotto? No it's not, The Manfrotto's mounting mechanism is faster, and easier to use with just the handle, but is it as good as you need it for your purposes? That depends. It's fine for mine. I bought 5 of these, and thinking of buying more. They are more compact than sandbags, and easier to store. The clamp has 4 hex screws, and the tightening handle. To get full gripping force, you need to use both, though you can mount with only the screws first than tighten the handle later. By leaving the screws slightly loose, you can move it around your C-Stand / Boom fine. It has a plastic inner protection to not scratch your equipment too much. So what's the difference between this and a Manfrotto or better quality weight? The amount of actions you need to take before mounting. I know alot of reviews said these work fine for permanent, it is true, they aren't the easiest to move around after placing, however it is doable, and its just a matter of a minute of two more of loosening the screws and re-tightening them. And has 4 more points of failure than the Manfrotto. (4 screws with time that can strip) So my workflow is remove the handle completely, loosen the screws as much as possible without them falling. Position and move them around the C-Stand or Stand legs. Lock the screws in X pattern, Top left first, then bottom right, etc. Then get the handle and fully lock the weight into place with the handle. Works fine. If you are on a shoot, and need to move the weights constantly, especially more than once. These won't work as well. But if you need to place it and possibly move it once or twice, its fine. By MSRP; and if you need to move them, get the Manfrotto. But on Sale, where it costs less than 2/3s the competition. These by far are the best choice, and the yellow coloring is very nice and safe. I would argue the best is to have these are the main weights, and get a few Manfrottos for the times you need to move them in a shoot. I.E if your changing Softboxes and one needs 1 weight, whereas your big Octo may need 2. Keep one Impact always mounted, and add or remove the Manfrotto or equivalent as needed. For every 3 impacts you earned yourself another weight vs if you bought the Manfrottos. Overall I am happy with the weights and they serve my needs. Changing and repositioning will take between 1 to 2 minutes.