I found the GBM-300's center-mass boom design to be a better idea than other mic stands that rely on a counter-weight at the end of a long boom to balance heavier studio condenser mics. With top-heavy mic setups and when fully extended, those old boom designs add causality to an already precarious situation.

The Goby stands use an all-metal, locking grip at mid-point that easily slides forward and backwards on the boom itself to achieve counter-balance. There are no small screws or knobs to lock down (and hope they don't come loose) and the entire grip is camshaft-shaped (three lobes) and easy-to-turn using no tools. I had no problem using the GBM-300 for a solid vocal mic setup for a Pearlman 250--a large tube condenser mic that weighs somewhere in the 0.5 to 1.0 kilo range.

I liked the tripod metal base because it has three stout and stable, crush-proof legs also with a larger ultra-heavy, center-locking, vertical handle for added stability. The three legs lock into a stamped metal frame preventing any sideways movement no matter how rockin' the stage gets!