The Beka Swift is awesome! We love it and use it frequently here in the shop. The swift has a sturdy construction and is made of Natural Hard Maple. It has metal bearings that make the yarn winding process ultra smooth. The amount of different sized yarn skeins that this swift will accommodate is pleasantly surprising. We use it with many different yarn types including boucle and novelty yarns and haven't been let down yet. It does not need clamps and it's super easy to assemble, no tools necessary. It weighs a modest 3 lbs. Here is a photo of the swift broken down. Everything breaks down to straight "sticks" except the base which is a x shaped piece. This piece could be placed on its edge along the side of a bag for transport. The top loading feature makes this swift unique and special. One person can easily load and align the strands to facilitate easy, tangle free winding. The ball bearings that support the platform on the Beka Yarn Swift make for smooth and trouble free operation. I have wound many balls of yarn here at Paradise Fibers and the Beka Yarn Swift is my favorite.