If you want a lightweight, telescopic professional boom pole, it’s not exactly cheap. But is it really worth paying hundreds of dollars for this particular piece of gear? In this video, Griffin Hammond of Indy Mogul compares a $589 K-Tek K-102CCR boom pole with a $10 “broom pole” he made himself, you guessed it: from a broom handle. So, how does a $10 DIY boom pole stack up against the pricey pro version? Let’s check it out.
Griffin tests his boom poles in three categories: portability, ease of use and sound quality.
Portability
Both the boom pole and the “broom pole” are lightweight, but Griffin doesn’t find either of them as portable as he’d like. Even though the K-Tek K-102CCR is smaller when collapsed, it still doesn’t fit into a suitcase or a backpack. Because of this, the broom pole might actually win in the “portability” category. You don’t have to take it with you when you travel. Instead, you can just buy a new broom handle in any hardware store when you need one.
Ease of use
The “broom pole” is as easy to use as it gets. You only need to make sure that the mic is screwed on tightly and that the XLR cable is taped or wrapped out of the way. The good side of the professional boom pole is that it has the XLR cable built in. But it can also be an obstacle because it can get in the way when collapsing the pole.
And what about using each of these for extended periods of time? They are approximately the same weight, but the K-Tek K-102CCR reaches twice as far. And when it’s collapsed down to the same length as the broom handle, there doesn’t seem to be a significant difference in comfort. At least judging from Griffin’s test.
Sound Quality
For the final test, Griffin uses his favorite Azden SGM-250CX mic on both poles. Surprisingly, it seems that the cheap “broom pole” doesn’t perform any worse in terms of sound quality. When tapping each of the poles, it sounds practically the same, as you can hear in the video.
So, the $600 boom pole or the 60 times cheaper broom pole – which one wins this challenge? Well, considering that the performance is pretty much the same, but the broom pole is way cheaper, Griffin gives the advantage to the DIY version. He even used it on set with William Shatner once, which I find pretty interesting.
Of course, for some purposes and for professional work, there will be situations when you will need a nice (and pricey) boom pole. But many other times, the “broom pole” will do the work just fine.
[BEST BOOM POLE? $589 K-Tek vs $10 Broom Pole | Indy Mogul]
