I need a portable flash suggestion

[Mach0]

Shop around. KEH had a speedotron 1000ws mono for $399. Be patient and smart about your purchase. Otherwise, you'd be paying twice.

 

[GerryDavid]

But is that 1000ws strobe useable outside? I guess any strobe can be used outside with a powerpack, but id be afraid of humidity and moisture and possible shocks?

The 600w one would be even more powerful than the strobe I have in studio now, which is the dlite4.

 

[Mike_E]

Gerry, the one I linked to is a Mettle, Mettle is -as far as I have been able to determine- the main manufacturer for a number of Brands. In other words the Brands take the basic strobe then add a little different packaging and their own name much as most of the products of Chinese origin. Some of Adorama's Flashpoints are the the same (there is a 300WS model out there too) B&H had one called the Interfit Steller Xtreme Interfit Stellar Xtreme 300 Watt/Second AC/DC Monolight INT474 this one is 300 ws.

Raw watt seconds are a little hard to translate into guide numbers because a regular flash is more focused. The guide numbers that they give are for the most focused settings. My old Metz 60 CT4 has a guide number of 60 meters (197 feet) which is around 300 ws. It also has a recycle rate of about 6 seconds at full dump.

As to Cowboy Studios, I've bought a few things from them. Good quality for the money and have had no issues with the owner.

 

[Mach0]

But is that 1000ws strobe useable outside? I guess any strobe can be used outside with a powerpack, but id be afraid of humidity and moisture and possible shocks?

The 600w one would be even more powerful than the strobe I have in studio now, which is the dlite4.

I don't know about it getting rained on but it's speedotron. It has a better reputation than many of the companies. A few members on here would know about them more than I do. It's been sold already. It only lasted less than a week but I'm sure you can find similar deals. Are you shooting in the rain or something ?

 

[GerryDavid]

I prefer not to shoot in the rain, but I do love to shoot in overcast weather, which sometimes leads to rain. I do my best to keep my gear dry though.

But is that 1000ws strobe useable outside? I guess any strobe can be used outside with a powerpack, but id be afraid of humidity and moisture and possible shocks?

The 600w one would be even more powerful than the strobe I have in studio now, which is the dlite4.

I don't know about it getting rained on but it's speedotron. It has a better reputation than many of the companies. A few members on here would know about them more than I do. It's been sold already. It only lasted less than a week but I'm sure you can find similar deals. Are you shooting in the rain or something ?

 

[Village Idiot]

But is that 1000ws strobe useable outside? I guess any strobe can be used outside with a powerpack, but id be afraid of humidity and moisture and possible shocks?

The 600w one would be even more powerful than the strobe I have in studio now, which is the dlite4.

Any strobe can be used outside as long as you have enough power cord or a battery that's compatible. Something like the Elinchrom Ranger is made to be weather resistant and runs off a battery. I know the snowboard guys like them a lot.