Review
DW Airlift
Images:
We Have Lift-Off!
We've all done it at one time or another. Twisted a wrist
or taken a chunk out of a bass drum, whether excitedly setting up
your kit in a hurry at home, or trying to make those final tweaks
to your tom or snare stands before going on stage. Drums are heavy,
and stands can be hard to reach, particularly from the throne, so
DW has presented a solution.
Taking The Strain
Conceived by Randall May, the stands work on the same principle as
shock absorbers, or suspension, using air inside the main tubing of
the stands to take the weight of the drum and prevent it from
sliding down, even when the wingnut is loosened. Like all clever
inventions, its brilliantly simple, but incredibly useful. Without
the weight of the drum, as you will see on the video review, the
stands simply rise by themselves to their full extension, and even
take some force to collapse again. But with the weight of the
drum[s] on the stand, the balance neutralises and with very little
effort, you can take as long as you need to adjust the drum height
before tightening - or even thinking about - the wingnut.
DW Airlift Stands Review
9000 Series Hardware
The Airlift technology has so far been applied to the 9300 snare
stand and the 9900 tom stand. Other than the addition of the
Airlift, they are exactly the same as the 'regular' 9000 Series
hardware. Double braced stands, heavy duty feet, heavy gauge tubing
and ultimate reliability are the key features here, with a
particularly impressive snare drum stand. Highly adjustable, the
9300 snare stand features ergonomic and quality components to alter
stand height, snare basket width, distance from the player and 360
degree angle.
The Airlift stands are a wonderful invention. Most likely
designed with the heavy hitters in mind, those drummers [or rather
their techs!] with vast kits to lug around and set up night in,
night out. But they will benefit a wider audience too. For example,
they would be a welcome addition to the house kit in any venue
where dozens of drummers a week might be adjusting drum heights,
and often with very little time between sets. Whatever the
situation, the DW Airlift system is bound to save a lot of grief
and prevent a lot of broken hearts out there.
www.dwdrums.com
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