A stand puts a board at the correct height without touching the wall, which is the whole answer for a rented house, a shared room or a block-walled garage.

The height lock is the part worth checking. A stand that holds its setting keeps the bullseye at the regulation 1.73 metres session after session, so you are never unknowingly throwing at a board that has crept.

Tripods fold smallest and set up on uneven ground, since three points always sit flat. Frame stands take a board and surround together, which is worth confirming before buying — a surround adds real width and weight. Most fold down to travel, which suits club nights in venues without a fixed board.