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Impact Varidrive with Black Chain

BH #IMVPDDSBK • MFR #VPD-DSBK
187 reviews
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Impact Varidrive with Black Chain
Key Features
  • Holds Seamless Paper Rolls
  • Easy Raising and Lowering of Rolls
  • Expandable Cores for Different Rolls
  • Chain Length: 13'
Part of the Varidrive system for easy raising and lowering of seamless paper, the Varidrive with Black Chain from Impact has adjustable inserts that tightly grip each side of the various sized seamless paper rolls. The Varidrive is then inserted into hooks like the Impact ME-122, ME-123 or the triple hook VPD-H3W. With the exception of ME-122 which fits in a Super Clamp, the other hook sets are bolted onto the wall.
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Impact Varidrive Overview

Part of the Varidrive system for easy raising and lowering of seamless paper, the Varidrive with Black Chain from Impact has adjustable inserts that tightly grip each side of the various sized seamless paper rolls. The Varidrive is then inserted into hooks like the Impact ME-122, ME-123 or the triple hook VPD-H3W. With the exception of ME-122 which fits in a Super Clamp, the other hook sets are bolted onto the wall.

You can load three rolls for example, onto the VPD-H3W. Each roll requires another Varidrive kit. You can purchase color-coded units to clearly identify which roll you're raising and lowering. The Varidrive can handle seamless rolls measuring up to 9' wide and weighing up to 22 lb. To strengthen large coreless rolls and prevent bowing, Cross Poles (VPC-5) are available from Impact.

Holds background paper with cores
Chain drive can be placed on left or right side of paper
Allows rapid deployment of background paper while working in a studio; eliminates having to clip or tape paper to a wall or ceiling
Multiple rolls can be mounted on an optional background support system using multiple Varidrive sets
Each set includes two expandable cores (left/right), chain and weight
UPC: 847628031197

Impact Varidrive Specs

Material of Construction
ABS polymer
Clamp Range
1.8 - 3" (46-78 mm)
Load Capacity
22 lb (10 kg)
Finish
Black
Dimensions
Chain Length: 13' (4 m)
Packaging Info
Package Weight
2.45 lb
Box Dimensions (LxWxH)
13.7 x 5.3 x 3.4"

Impact Varidrive Reviews

Sturdy, But Probably Best Suited For Paper Rolls

By Daniel
Rated 4 out of 5
Date: 2025-12-04

I Bought This System To Hang Fabric Backgrounds So I Could Easily Switch Between Multiple Backgrounds In A Shoot Quickly Without All The Hassle Of Hanging On A Stand, Steaming The Wrinkles Out, Etc. I'm In A Small Studio, So Having Something Mounted On The Wall Was Going To Save Me A TON Of Time And Space And The Description On This Product Said It Was Suitable For Paper Rolls And Fabric Backgrounds. Perfect! ...but It's Not As Great For Fabric Backgrounds As I Had Hoped. I Have Abstract And Picture Backgrounds--the Picture Ones Are More For Holidays, Like Christmas. So They Need To Be At A Certain Height In Order To Look Right In The Shot. Because Each Bar Is Higher Than The Last By About 4.5", You Can Only Ever Get One Background Exactly The Right Length And The Topmost Roll Is More Than A Full FOOT Higher, Causing All Sorts Of Problems! To Be Clear: This Is A Problem That I Should've Had The Foresight To Anticipate When I Bought This...I'm Not Sure Why I Didn't. To Get Around This, I Had To Use A Seam Ripper On The Pole Hole On The Backgrounds And Sew On Extensions To Drop The Different Tiers Down To Where They Should Be When The Background Is Extended. It's A TON Of Extra Work I Didn't Plan On Doing, But It's Worth It For Me To Have A Solution Like This In My Studio! Down-side Is That The Backgrounds Can Only Ever Go On One Specific Tier On This Varidrive System...but That Was Going To Be The Case Anyway. Another Problem Is That You Need A LOT More Room On Either Side Of The Bracket Than You Would Anticipate To Account For The Plastic Tube Inserts That Hook On The Brackets. The Knobs That Tighten Down The Tube Need To Be Able To Spin Freely As You Work The Chain, So You Need To Leave At Least A LITTLE Space Between It And Any Walls. I Actually Had To Buy Smaller Knobs For The Topmost Bar Because The Giant Knobs Were Rubbing Against My Sloping Ceiling. Other Than That, It's A Pretty Great Little System. The Chain Operates The Roll Pretty Smoothly (although It Does Kinda Wobble A Bit, But That May Just Be Something I Did During Install.) When You Attach The Bracket Using All The Screw Holes, It's Super Solid On The Wall--even On Drywall With No Studs! I Used Anchors To Add Extra Strength, And I'm Pretty Sure It Could Hold My Weight If I Tried Hanging From It. It's A Lot Of Extra Work That I Didn't Plan On, But I Really Do Love This System And Would Recommend It To Someone Else Looking For This Type Of Background Storage Solution.

Love the Impact Wall Mounting Kit

By Lorinda Fraboni
Rated 5 out of 5
Date: 2025-05-20

I don't actually mount this on the wall but I mount it on my light stand and use ManFrotto Clamps to hold it on there - works great. Like the changes for raising and lowering the back drops and use an A-Clamp to hold them in place. Once in a while the chains turn through this wrong and I have to reset but all in all I like the system. These photos show the first time I used this system and I'm added another set on the back of the stand to balance it out and will be able to add 3 more backdrops. Much more convenient than taking them up and down as they are very heavy for me.

See any errors on this page?

Is this works with savage port A stand?

Is this works with savage port A stand?
Asked by: Safwan
I think it would be awkward at best. These work best on a bracket anchored to the wall. That said, if you mounted the bracket to the stands it could conceivably work, but it'd be wobbly
Answered by: Roy
Date published: 2020-06-25

question

Minimum and maximum core diameter please?
Asked by: Robert
According to the manufacturer, the Varidrive will expand from 1/8 to 3 .
Answered by: Kirk R.
Date published: 2019-01-23

question

What is the final measurements if using a 107 roll, or how many inches does it stick out of the paper roll on each side?
Asked by: bryan b.
The Varidrives stick out about 4 inches. So add four inches to each side of the background.
Answered by: Robert K.
Date published: 2021-01-06

What wall mount is compatible to this product??

What wall mount is compatible to this product??
Asked by: Daniel
There should be a wall mount associated with this item...? There was when I bought mine- it works great!
Answered by: Anonymous
Date published: 2019-09-30

I bought the 140"x150' savage paper, I also ...

I bought the 140"x150' savage paper, I also bought a set of baby hooks for an expan drive to mount to c-stands,will also be using an ALU-Core, these rolls are 100 pounds, should I be confident with this set up holding the weight?
Asked by: Thomas
No. I'm not sure the ALU-Core will even do anything. These drives are all plastic. You would be better off just using the ALU-Core in my opinion. I found the roll flexing a lot in the center and the drives underperforming. I ended up unrolling a ton of the paper to make everything lighter. I hope this helps.
Answered by: Anthony
Date published: 2021-04-13

Can I use it with the crossbar of the Impact ...

Can I use it with the crossbar of the Impact BGS-S12-V2 Background Support System ?
Asked by: Carlos
You cannot use a crossbar with the Impact BGS-S12-V2 Background Support System.
Answered by: Paula M
Date published: 2025-07-30

I own 2 of these. One of them the tension on the ...

I own 2 of these. One of them the tension on the chain to unroll is very tight--I have to pull hard to bring the paper down. On my other one, the tension is so loose it doesn't want to stop unrolling. This makes me believe that there is a way to adjust the tension but I can't figure it out. To be clear, the entire roll and chain/gear/pulley keep unrolling, it's not just the paper tube not being tightly attached to the rods. How do you adjust?
Asked by: James
The side that doesn’t have the chain, there is a knob that loosens and tightens. It’s where the bracket mounts on the arm.
Answered by: Rocco
Date published: 2020-10-04

question

I have this system I use for 2- 9 ft paper rolls and it worked fine for awhile but now when I move the chains it isnt catching the rolls and unwinding as it should. I have tried taking it off and reinstalling and tightening and everything. any ideas on what could be the problem?
Asked by: Amy
There is a tension control on the drive without the chain to control how loose or how tight the drive will move. If this does not correct the issue, I would recommend speaking with the manufacturer by calling 212-594-2120.
Answered by: Kirk R.
Date published: 2020-04-30
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