Not the cheapest background support system I've seen (but far from the most expensive either), and easily the best value for money I've seen in a background support. Everything about this support speaks to quality of design & construction. For a start, the legs are made of heavy-gauge tubing and the air-cushioning is really nice - with many background support stands, loosening the lock screws results in the upper sections of the telescoping legs suddenly retracting into the lower sections, and if this happens when the support is under load, can result in disastrous collapse of the entire thing as the support becomes unbalanced and the heavy paper roll comes crashing down. Not so with the ALZO, where the air cushioning ensures the sections retract softly and under control. The cross-bar is another beautifully-made piece, constructed of internally-braced powder-coated heavy-gauge tubing that snaps together in two or three sections to give support paper rolls up to 7' (two sections) or 10' (three sections) wide. I have used telescoping support bars before and have had them get jammed - they've also felt much less sturdy than this product. Even the way the cross-bar attaches to the uprights is well thought-out. The ends of the cross bar have cutouts in them - a large hole on one side, and a small hole on the other - to fit perfectly over the brass monkeys on the tops of the uprights, and hold the whole thing together. Bravo!