Chauvet Flex Stand ILS. Worth buying as a DJ, or gimick and waste of money?

all of this kinda stuff looks tacky. 90% of what nick reviews he doesn't use. they just use high profile names in the industry to get eyes on the product.

In the end though, lighting needs to be DMX'd if you want it to be effective.

I do have a similar stand with a base plate, and I love it very much.
But in the end, it's just a stand.
It has a very simple job.

DJ Ricky B said:

Agreed. I kinda think it would be cool to have a light up bar and would mount a mega color wash, or perhaps a Starburst or Chauvet Rotosphere light on top of it. BUT, I have to ask myself...I would drop $450+ tax on this flex stand...What's the actual ROI I would receive in return? The answer is zero. Nobody is paying me extra for this light stand. Even though I think it would be cool, like Taso said it might be perceived on the tacky side by some clients.

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If you’re gonna do tube lighting, it’s gotta create a better stage presence. 2 of these aren’t gonna cut it. You want at least 4 or 6 minimum. Second, for the first dance you want a nice warm white. You want appropriate programs for low and high intensity moments, which is why dmx is important, and you also want them to be visually appealing, which these aren’t.

If astera ax1 tubes are out of the budget, get the ape labs neon pixel tubes.

If you want to talk about roi. I’ve spent $5000 on my 8 ax1 tubes in 11/21. I also spent $1500 on accessories like stands and an app control unit. While at first I charged $300, I now charge $450 for this as an add on and market it as stage design lighting… not dance floor lighting. So let’s call that $375 avg over the years. Since purchasing it in 11/2021 through 11/2025 (4 yrs) I added it on 140 out of 260ish events. Or about $50,000 in additional income, avg $12,500 per year in extra revenue. .

This year, while not done, the pixel tubes has already been added 14 times out of 30 events completed, and 27/65 events booked. However, since couples are allowed to add stuff as the event date nears, it likely will be 30-35 total add ons this year.

DJ Ricky B said:

Agreed. I kinda think it would be cool to have a light up bar and would mount a mega color wash, or perhaps a Starburst or Chauvet Rotosphere light on top of it. BUT, I have to ask myself...I would drop $450+ tax on this flex stand...What's the actual ROI I would receive in return? The answer is zero. Nobody is paying me extra for this light stand. Even though I think it would be cool, like Taso said it might be perceived on the tacky side by some clients.

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I think there is a balance to the thinking on stuff like this. Some DJs can't stop themselves from buying gear even if it won't ever make them a dime. But more commonly, I think your sentiment is the one I see.

"If I can't charge X more, why would I invest?"

There are lots of things that companies do to create nice experiences for their customers that don't get an immediate return. My gig on Saturday was at The Fairmont hotel, and they are using LeLabo soaps in their bathrooms. That's a super premium brand to use for public restroom soap. They don't have to do that - and I'm certain this couple didn't book the hotel because they did. But crafting an experience for people means that sometimes you make investments just to make the product a little better or nicer to deal with.

I'm not suggesting this Chauvet light bar is the LeLabo of our industry - but you'll avoid most investments in quality if you're only looking for things that offer a direct return.

If they didn't have such a harsh looking pixel look on this, I think it would be so much nicer. But the dot style of the light makes it look cheap to me. It's my same complaint with their Freedom sticks too. They just make too much stuff that looks like it should be fitted to the outside of a Gravitron:

DJ Ricky B said:

Your clientelle is willing to spend the money! Almost Half of my weddings last couple of years has had BBQ Catering, and probably under $25,000 total budget. I don't see them paying me $375+ for the pixel tubes to enhance my stage presence although I think it would be cool.

I'm also working diligently to pay off just a feeble $2,000 or so revolving credit card balance this year and that is an on going operation. Only way I would be able to afford dropping $6,500 on lighting is to use credit cards, and then I would be paying interest on top of that for many months. Or I could purchase on PayPal and get interest free for 6 months, but even then, I risk not paying it off in 6 months and getting all that deferred interest charged.

I see some DJs saying they love their CLUTCH brand pixel tubes, but you can also tell they are not quite the same as Astera and maybe not same caliber as ape labs either. I also doubt most DJs are getting up sale money from having the pixel tubes set up. I believe most are just buying them and using them themselves because they think it looks cool and elevates their show.

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A lot of dj's have the throw it in mentality. If you have good quality pictures, great videos, and showcase actual value (aka creating a more impressive stage presence)... clients will invest in it. It's the dj's that are intentional in how they present themselves that get the clients that value "stage presence" and find this to be a worthwhile and relatively affordable add-on.

Ask yourself, what do you do to try and showcase that you care about your appearance/presentation and utilization of lights. Ape labs is under 3k for 6 neon pix (the new ones) and 6 of their light stands if you get the soft case instead of hard road case. That's half the price of my astera's, and honestly a pretty good light. That's an investment that if showcased right, would be more effective and profitable than any other light you've ever bought.

DJ Ricky B said:

Your clientelle is willing to spend the money! Almost Half of my weddings last couple of years has had BBQ Catering, and probably under $25,000 total budget. I don't see them paying me $375+ for the pixel tubes to enhance my stage presence although I think it would be cool.

I'm also working diligently to pay off just a feeble $2,000 or so revolving credit card balance this year and that is an on going operation. Only way I would be able to afford dropping $6,500 on lighting is to use credit cards, and then I would be paying interest on top of that for many months. Or I could purchase on PayPal and get interest free for 6 months, but even then, I risk not paying it off in 6 months and getting all that deferred interest charged.

I see some DJs saying they love their CLUTCH brand pixel tubes, but you can also tell they are not quite the same as Astera and maybe not same caliber as ape labs either. I also doubt most DJs are getting up sale money from having the pixel tubes set up. I believe most are just buying them and using them themselves because they think it looks cool and elevates their show.

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I get upsell money for pixel tubes,
Rules for gear aquisition
1 does it make me more money
2 does it make the job easier
If the answer to both is no then it is not a viable purchase, you are just wanting because you personally like the look