[MM]

There are lots of requirements that tend to conflict when doing pit work:

STABILITY
FAST HORN CHANGES (need to pick up/put down quickly
SMALL FOOTPRINT (floor space often limited)
GOOD HEIGHT OF THE HORN (lots of changes from low height can get tiring or cause RSI)
QUICK SETUP/TEAR DOWN
PEG SPACING (if using pegs for clarinet, soprano, should not be too close to a tenor sax otherwise tenor can bang the small horns or slow you down)

I'm probably forgetting some. Compact for carrying is nice but a 2nd tier. I know you can wear the alto or tenor (and often one MUST do this) but not ideal to flute/picc playing. I play them much better without a sax on my strap or in my lap. And the some can interfere with a neighbor in a tight pit.

I notice with my Hercules it is quite easy to miss the bell brace. If you do that with an alto it might easily shift in position and fall. I have the most difficulty in finding a really good alto stand. The portion that grips the bell often doesn't work well wasting precious milliseconds while fussing.

 

[turf3]

I don't like combo stands because individual ones give you more options in a crowded place.

You should expect to have to bend and adjust stands to fit the bell of your particular instrument.

I paint the top of all my pegs white so I can aim the horn at it better in low light conditions.

 

[Grumps]

K&M Saxxy stands take up very little space, especially the alto version. Not everyone likes to use them based on looks alone. But if you set them up properly, they are solid stands that will hold your horn and let you pick 'em up quickly. They also store in the bell.

 

[jgreiner]

If you're in a poorly lit area, take some white-out and liberally paint the top of your peg(s) and the outside ends/tips of the "horseshoe" of your saxophone stand. I guess some kind of bright color or fluorescent craft paint would also work.
Personally, I don't have a problem missing my bell brace/horseshoe of my saxophone stand. It's the pegs I always tend to miss with clarinet/flute. The white-out gives me a very good target. I use Hercules stands exclusively, for what it's worth...

 

[LostConn]

I notice with my Hercules it is quite easy to miss the bell brace. If you do that with an alto it might easily shift in position and fall. I have the most difficulty in finding a really good alto stand. The portion that grips the bell often doesn't work well wasting precious milliseconds while fussing.

Most stands are designed to be big enough to hold either an alto or a tenor bell; that's why they can require more careful positioning with an alto. So I use the Hercules Auto Grip stand, which closes around the bell and thus compensates for an alto's smaller size.

 

[turf3]

Most stands are designed to be big enough to hold either an alto or a tenor bell; that's why they can require more careful positioning with an alto. So I use the Hercules Auto Grip stand, which closes around the bell and thus compensates for an alto's smaller size.

If it's universal-design and it's too big for your alto, just bend it to be smaller.

 

[LostConn]

If it's universal-design and it's too big for your alto, just bend it to be smaller.

The Auto Grip is still more secure. A conventional bell holder has to have an opening wide enough for the bell to enter. The Auto Grip closes around the bell at the top.

 

[Benny]

Oleg bulldog on alto.
I use use seperate pegs- Valentino or blayman- with a heavy base.
Tenor, still hunting for the perfect stand. Hercules are poorly made in my experience.

 

[Saxhound]

Tall Saxrax for tenor and bari. Hercules for bass clarinet, but difficult to grab or return quickly. For my pegs, I went to Home Depot and bought this reflective tape. I also clip a small LED stand light to my bari stand to illuminate the floor area.

 

[sinkdraiN]

I use Protec Deluxe sax stands. Very solid yet very small when folded up. Flute and clarinet goes on separate unattached pegs. I have reflective tape on the tips of the pegs so I don't miss. I use one of those plastic shelves that attach to the music stand for my piccolo and very fast flute changes. My travel coffee cup sits on the floor!

 

[bandmommy]

Thankfully my pit 'doubles' were limited and I could manage with a basic On Stage alto/tenor stand with a peg or two attached.
There was enough light in our pit that seeing where stuff went wasn't an issue.
Nine years ago the governing body of my local community theater changed and they did away with the 'pit orchestra'. Now its karaoke with some acting thrown in.

 

[soybean]

… I guess some kind of bright color or fluorescent craft paint would also work.…

Years ago, a stagehand gave me some glow-in-the-dark tape. Actors use it to find their position on a dark stage. But it works great for horn stands.

One night the main actress knocked my baritone right off it's stand and on to the floor. They paid for the repairs.