Bought this in 2006 and really liked the way it worked--easy, one-person tree set-up. The Krinner stands are great in concept--they use a cable mechanism to tighten a "claw" that holds the tree. It is much nicer than the cheaper, "bolt type" stands; however, locking mechanisms and the release are a bit confusing. The major problem is when I went to use the stand in 2007 the pedal mechanism would not tighten the cable. Either something was jammed or the cable had come loose--unfortunately there's no way to take the thing apart to find out. The build quality of the tightening mechanism is poor (note: my stand was marked "Made in China"). The product warranty is vague and they require you to pay the shipping for product replacement.