Paul C. Buff, Inc. Technical Forum

What is the max diameter that the VML clamps were designed to work with? The bottom section of my stands are made of 1.5" OD tubing, and the only way to get the VML clamp to work is to loosen it such that the tightening screw (with spring) is barely engaged into the battery pack. It barely reaches when extended this way, and it looks rather dubious.

The VML clamp is designed to fit up to 1 1/4" tubing.

The only luck I've had is attaching the VML's clamp to the feet of my stands, resting it against the center cross-section. Works fine for the most part & keeps the mass relatively low, but sometimes gets in the way when using a few sandbags. Most of my stand's center sections are way bigger than the clamp can open, even if backing up the screw... unless i'm doing something wrong (which is VERY possible)

I have the same issue, the clamp won't fit on any of my 13' light stands.

I tried using a super-clamp, but there was too much stress on the VML's female connector. 1.25" might be okay for some photographers, but it will be too limited for others. Perhaps PCB can redesign the clamp, and then offer it to current VML owners at a small price.

You don't have to put it on the bottom tube. Surely one of the tubes is 1 1/4" or smaller? Or clamp it to one of the legs? I don't understand why the super clamp would stress the VML socket? Someone suggested Bungee cords. How do people attach Ranger Quadra or Profoto Acute or Tronix Explorer or BatPac to the stand?

Just to be clear, the objective is to improve the product in the future...it is not a complaint.

Yes, the upper tubes are < 1.25", as are the legs. As you previously stated, the idea is to have the bottom of the VML resting on one of the knobs, but when mounted on a leg, there's no support for the bottom. The smaller diameter tubes are frequently raised, lowered and turned, so that's not the ideal place to mount the VML.


With the supplied clamp, one side of the VML rests against the stand, which puts some shear and tensile forces on the screw. When using a super-clamp, the VML hangs about 3/4"'away from the lightstand, which results in torque that may be too much for
a 1/4" screw.

When it comes to the Ranger and other similar gadgets, including the Vagabond II, that's where the shoulder straps comes into play ;) . The VML offers a substantially better option that just needs to be tweaked.

I agree, the clamp is the only disappointing feature of the new VML. It won't work where I'd like to have it, on the bottom section of my 13' stands. Even on sections of 1.25" tubing, it is an awkward fit, seems fragile, and tends to slide down when moving the stand. I would like to see this reworked somehow.

The clamp that comes with the Quantum Qpaq-X is a good example of a design that works pretty well but certainly costs more to fabricate.
See it here: http://www.amazon.com/PPM-Pole-Mount-Li ... B00009UTHJ

I'd be willing to pay extra for some clamps designed like that for my VMLs.

If you're of the DIY persuasion, you could convert an inexpensive studio C-clamp like this:



into something like this:



which will screw into the back of the VML like this:



and allow it to mount securely to any light stand like this:



Dave F.

Thanks for the mod pics!

I don't have the Vminis on order yet, but plan to get 3-4 soon. I am a bit disappointed to learn that the clamp design sort of requires that they be mounted well above the lower stand sections--I really don't need to make a stand more top heavy than it already is, so I will probably have to mod these in some way, or (sadly) just sit them on the floor. I use avenger c-stands most of the time. I was looking forward to using them to lower the cg on location.....

So on general principles, without actually having these in my hands, I would vote for an updated clamp at some point that is more generally useful, and addresses the common sizes of lower stand tube diameters.