I have recently begun looking at the $349, 160-watt-second Excalibur monolight with AC power capability, and which comes with a portable external battery that looks a lot like the Quantum-style sealed, lead-acid batteries with belt clip and lugs for a shoulder strap.
Given the size of the reflector, this AC-DC, indoor-outdoor monolight flash looks like the best bag-for-buck,and it has been on the market for years now. I ran into a traveling photographer a few years back who showed me his mobile van, which was equipped with these,and he really liked them.
The other POWERFUL speedlight solution is the Sunpak 622 Super for $199 for the handle and body, and another fifty dollar bill or so for a head; it accepts up to six or seven different head styles. The Super Zoom head is versatile, and it has the power, in terms of actual Guide number, of many 400 watt-second flash units. I have a 622 Super, which is the most-powerful handle mount speedlight ever made--it will light up an entire mural at night with no problems,and it is portable. Older, low-tech, but it has a built-in tripod thread for mounting, and is very powerful for its weight,and it works at much longer distances than any whimpy little shoe-mount flash--it is over twice as powerful as an SB 900 or 580 EX-II, for half the price roughly. USed with a ceiling bounce, it can light up an entire room that is 20x20 with 16 foot ceilings and deliver an f/8 exposure at ISO 400 anywhere in the room,all on battery power.
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