I was skeptical given the great price and poor reviews but I_ here to attest that these are great stands! The square _ases are a hearty duty plastic, and the poles are real metal and all comes with the hardware to assemble. It is time-consuming but given the price, I would say it_ worth it. I plan to paint these, as I_ a florist and color requests change ever other weekend. If you are planning to paint, it_ totally doable and I would suggest sanding the metal and bases before doing so. Hope this helps someone!