14
That convention center job in Phoenix changed my whole approach to staging
I was at the big builder expo in Phoenix back in March, the one with 300 booths. Everyone was raving about the new modular staging kits, but I tried one demo and the clips snapped on me after 3 uses. I ended up borrowing a ratty old wooden platform from a guy named Terry who said he's been using the same set for 12 years. It made me realize that fancy doesn't mean durable, and now I stick to heavy duty stuff even if it's uglier. Has anyone else had a similar letdown with those overhyped expo products?
3 comments
Log in to join the discussion
Log In3 Comments
jessicac282mo ago
@ben206 but you just proved the expo stuff sells itself perfectly fine to people who only need it for one weekend.
9
ben2062mo ago
That Terry guy sounds like my kind of people. My buddy runs a rental shop and he's got the same wooden platforms from 2005, but he bought a set of those fancy aluminum risers two years ago and now half of them are sitting in his shed with bent legs. The heavy ugly stuff just works better in the real world where stuff gets dropped and dragged across concrete. Expo booths are all about looking good for a weekend but they don't last a month on a working site.
5
phoenix3311mo ago
Gotta agree with your buddy's experience there. I've seen crews toss aluminum risers into the back of a truck and by the third job, half of them have legs bent at a 30 degree angle. Meanwhile those wood platforms from 2005 are still flat as a pancake and probably weigh half as much as people think when you've got two guys grabbing the ends. The expo crowd talks about weight savings but they don't account for the fact that rental gear takes a BEATING every single day, not just a gentle setup and teardown once a month.
4