Here’s an article that is at least a few months overdue. I have been fortunate enough to test these stands for the last 8-10 months on a regular basis. I have been using both the Scangrip Telescopic Tripod and Scangrip Telescopic Wheel Stand and both have been very welcome tools to the shop. I mainly use my Scangrip Multimatch V2 on the wheel stand as it screws straight into the top and is less likely to fall over (more on that later) and I use two of the original Multimatch lights on the tripod stand with the bracket and mounts.
Both the tripod and wheel stand are extremely well made. Unfortunately, I don’t have any experience with similar items so can’t really compare the price and quality. However, I’ve seen my fair share of regular work light stands and tools in the industry to know these stands are of great quality. Here are some photos and my thoughts for each stand…
First, one I used was the wheel stand… It comes in a nice box, well packaged and very easy to assemble…
This photo shows the wheels, main body and legs of the stand along with the two light mounts…
As you can see the main body has all the friction locks in place, so you simply need to screw on the wheels and the mounts to assemble everything. I forget the exact size, but wheels simply screw into the legs and are tightened with a wrench (should be 11-14mm)…
Once the wheels are on, fold the legs out and set the whole assembly down. At the top is where you’ll see the threads for attaching the mount for Multimatch V1 or you can attach the V2 light by itself…
Simply hold the mount over the top and screw it in…
I really liked how the notch was designed in the mount to sit flush against the top tube, which prevents the light from swaying side to side…
The lights then simply fit into the mount and are a very secure and tight fit. Fit into the slot…
Rotate down so it sits flush…
Then push to the right to lock everything in place…
The overall assembly doesn’t take up much space but is very versatile both in being mobile and adjustable in height…
Two of the wheels have a lock on them, but I usually just put it where it should be and no need for locks. I guess they will help if used on a slightly sloped surface or if some cord/hose can push the assembly… In this case make sure the light isn’t close to the car since you don’t want to roll or push it into the car obviously!
Next up is the tripod. Also nicely packaged and even easier to assemble…
Here I will be using the double light mount…
Like the wheel stand, the top has a threaded part where you can either screw in the light mount for a single light…
Or screw in the bracket that allows you to use two lights. In this photo you can see how the Multimatch V2 doesn’t need a mount, rather simply screws into the bracket (or if using only one light, you would screw it into the top of the tube on the body)…
Here is the tripod in all its glory…
Again, both of these are extremely well made, easy to use and very useful. That said, I wanted to list some individual characteristics for both the tripod and wheel stand after having used both for quite a while.
The Scangrip Telescopic Wheel Stand, as expected, works very well if you need a mobile light source. The wheels roll freely, the locks work well and the unit is heavy enough that it’s not flimsy and easy to knock over. My favorite part is the adjustable height since we use it both for polishing and PPF installation. This variable height makes it easy to get more light on both the sides of a car as well as the hood and roof on many lower cars. With great power comes great responsibility though. One time while using the wheel stand and setting the height a bit below max, I managed to knock it over. It was a combination of a thin piece of film stuck onto one of the wheels, me not seeing it and two lights being mounted on top. In short, I basically pulled the rug from under the stand… while pulling the one wheel with the film (I didn’t see that it was still stuck on there) the weight of the two lights shifted in the opposite direction and the light simply fell over. I am not blaming the stand here whatsoever, rather want to warn everyone using this at full height. Physics will take over and you’ll have an accident if not careful. My fix to this situation was to use only the one Multimatch V2 light and also weigh down the stand at the bottom if setting the light pretty high. I’ve been thinking of mocking up some bracket that will attach to the base and accept containers of water when necessary to weigh it down, but for now I’m just being careful.
Other than that incident (again, my fault completely), the wheel stand has been amazing. The locks are extremely easy to use and they hold very well with no need to adjust. The legs can be folded in and then shifted up along the main tube so that it takes up less space. This is great for those using it for mobile detailing or simply storing it.
The Scangrip Telescopic Tripod has pretty much provided the same results without the wheels. It’s very sturdy, much harder to knock over and works perfectly fine just like the wheel stand.
The finish on these looks good and is very durable. It has held up to a lot of use showing minimal signs of wear.
There is one tiny thing I dislike about using these stands and it has nothing to do with the actual stands… It’s how the Scangrip Multimatch V2 mounts to the stands. Initially, I liked the idea that the V2 has a threaded hole and can be directly mounted to the stands. I figured I don’t need the mount, less space, etc. Over time however, I grew to dislike it because we use these lights without the stands quite a bit, so removing the V2 is a hassle compared to quickly popping out the V1 lights. So like I said, nothing against these stands, just a small thing I dislike about the whole system. For me it’s not an issue since I have both lights, but for someone who has just the V2 it may be a small inconvenience moving the light from stand to floor and back.
As I mentioned above, I use the V2 light on the wheel stand (less weight and screwed in directly) and I use two V1 lights on the tripod. When needed, these V1 lights are easily removed from the mounts and can be used on the floors (usually for PPF work) and the V2 stays more “permanently” attached to the wheel stand.
Having purchased some camera tripods and many tools, I think the value for these stands is definitely there for the price point. I don’t see how these will fail for many years even with daily use/abuse. They are built VERY well and feel very solid. Everything is easy to use and durability has been great. l may sound like an infomercial for the Scangrip stands, but other than receiving $10k for this review I do not work for the company nor do I receive any compensation for sales.
Kidding aside, both the Scangrip Telescopic Tripod and Scangrip Telescopic Wheel Stand are great tools to have and something I’ll be getting for my home garage also as soon as I start setting up some tools and products in there.