Stick with White Lightning or try something different?

[gsxturbo]

I have a bunch of X1600's that are about 10 years old, I need to buy 4 or 6 more of them and was wondering if I should stick with White Lightning or if I should try another brand? Every couple years one of them will need to be rebuilt which normally costs $55 or so, but with all the new Technology that is out didn't know if anyone had any other recomendations?

 

[Superfitz]

I love the white lightnings. They are built like a tank. Only problem now is that for $100 less the alien bees are just as good, but not as tough. Plus the alienbees are smaller and lighter. There is one dude on here, derrel, who despises Paul Buff and sings the praises of Speedotrons. I've never tried them, but as much as he adores them I will check them out sometime.

 

[Derrel]

I don't despise the Paul C. Buff company, but I am aware of what they do with the Alien Bees line: they sell offshore made, partially USA-assembled low-cost gear that breaks down fairly frequently, but which they replace with basically NO hassles, no hemming, no hawing. Alien Bees are cute little lights, with pretty colors available if desired. The reflector attachment system is very cheezy. It seems like Flashpoint (chinese-made Mettle brand) quality at twice the price, plus $35 per light. Buff has excellent customer service and replaces thousands of products every year. The web is FILLED with stories of broken or malfunctioning Buff gear that is cheerfully replaced, with no hassles, and it is done fast. Paul C. Buff runs a very good company, and has an excellent customer service record at replacing damaged, broken,defective, or malfunctioning products.

 

[cgipson1]

I have a bunch of X1600's that are about 10 years old, I need to buy 4 or 6 more of them and was wondering if I should stick with White Lightning or if I should try another brand? Every couple years one of them will need to be rebuilt which normally costs $55 or so, but with all the new Technology that is out didn't know if anyone had any other recomendations?

Is another brand going to put out better light? They might have some other features that might be handy if you need them, but the light will still be the same....

 

[Derrel]

As far as the question, "Stick with WL, or try something different?"...maybe you could figure out what's the best course. Are the lights suitable for your needs? Are they powerful enough? Are they too powerful? Do they function right and work well for you? Do they overheat and shut down? DO they burn thru modeling lamps too fast? Are they packable? DO they travel well, and WORK when unpacked and set up? Do you feel a need for newer-looking, sexier, or more stylish lights? Do you WANT to move "up", to a higher-status brand, like DynaLite or even Elinchrom? How much money do you want to spend? How much do you have tied up in WL's?

There are a number of things to consider I suppose.

 

[cgipson1]

As far as the question, "Stick with WL, or try something different?"...maybe you could figure out what's the best course. Are the lights suitable for your needs? Are they powerful enough? Are they too powerful? Do they function right and work well for you? Do they overheat and shut down? DO they burn thru modeling lamps too fast? Are they packable? DO they travel well, and WORK when unpacked and set up? Do you feel a need for newer-looking, sexier, or more stylish lights? Do you WANT to move "up", to a higher-status brand, like DynaLite or even Elinchrom? How much money do you want to spend? How much do you have tied up in WL's?

There are a number of things to consider I suppose.

Yep.. there is that!

 

[Superfitz]

As far as the question, "Stick with WL, or try something different?"...maybe you could figure out what's the best course. Are the lights suitable for your needs? Are they powerful enough? Are they too powerful? Do they function right and work well for you? Do they overheat and shut down? DO they burn thru modeling lamps too fast? Are they packable? DO they travel well, and WORK when unpacked and set up? Do you feel a need for newer-looking, sexier, or more stylish lights? Do you WANT to move "up", to a higher-status brand, like DynaLite or even Elinchrom? How much money do you want to spend? How much do you have tied up in WL's?

There are a number of things to consider I suppose.

Derrel, does speedotron have an equivalent to. The WL 1600 in terms of durability? I have had WL's for about 7 years. I am sure at least one is going to die sometime soon.

 

[tirediron]

Not to derail, but I'm curious; you have "a bunch" already and you need 4-6 more... what are you lighting? That's a LOT of light!

 

[Derrel]

Derrel, does speedotron have an equivalent to. The WL 1600 in terms of durability? I have had WL's for about 7 years. I am sure at least one is going to die sometime soon.

The make mostly pack-and-head systems. My original 1600 W-s pack and three M11 heads all work flawlessly. Two of the original flashtubes are still working, and I bought the kit in 1986. Not one dime spent on service or repairs. One flashtube got into a fight with a concrete floor and got busted up pretty bad when it jumped on the floor from 9 feet high ands tried to do a WWE move...

Speedotron does make some very nice monolights in the "Force" series. The lower-power Speedotron Force 5 would be the closest WL 1600 equivalent I think,but more-powerful and more modern than a WL 1600. The Brown Line D402 + M90Q would also be a close equivalent that costs much less than a Force 5. Do not be fooled by the power ratings difference between Speedo vs WL; the Force 5 for "500 Watt-seconds" has a 50 degree beam spread GN of 380.

 

[gsxturbo]

Not to derail, but I'm curious; you have "a bunch" already and you need 4-6 more... what are you lighting? That's a LOT of light!

Tirediron, things are doing well and we are growing, so I need more setups I normally like to have 2 extra strobes per setup just in case.

 

[gsxturbo]

As far as the question, "Stick with WL, or try something different?"...maybe you could figure out what's the best course. Are the lights suitable for your needs? Are they powerful enough? Are they too powerful? Do they function right and work well for you? Do they overheat and shut down? DO they burn thru modeling lamps too fast? Are they packable? DO they travel well, and WORK when unpacked and set up? Do you feel a need for newer-looking, sexier, or more stylish lights? Do you WANT to move "up", to a higher-status brand, like DynaLite or even Elinchrom? How much money do you want to spend? How much do you have tied up in WL's?

There are a number of things to consider I suppose.

Derrel, thanks for your input on this! Color, looks, etc.. don't mean anything to me. I'm looking for something reliable and constant. Pricing I could probably see spending under $700 each right now. I probably have 4-6 800s, and 6-8 1600's. My thought was that some of the newer ones have digital adjustments on them so you set it to what you want and you're done. Instead of constantly metering each strobe adjusting it, taking another reading, adjusting it, and so on. I'm absolutly fine with doing that I'm just trying to cut down on some setup time if possible. Something packable would be nice nice also but the WL lights are pretty easy to transport. I don't have a studio I just bounce around mostly to different schools.

 

[LShooter]

Never had a single issue with my ABs. Upgraded to Einsteins just for fun. No complaints here and the price is right.

 

[Village Idiot]

As far as the question, "Stick with WL, or try something different?"...maybe you could figure out what's the best course. Are the lights suitable for your needs? Are they powerful enough? Are they too powerful? Do they function right and work well for you? Do they overheat and shut down? DO they burn thru modeling lamps too fast? Are they packable? DO they travel well, and WORK when unpacked and set up? Do you feel a need for newer-looking, sexier, or more stylish lights? Do you WANT to move "up", to a higher-status brand, like DynaLite or even Elinchrom? How much money do you want to spend? How much do you have tied up in WL's?

There are a number of things to consider I suppose.

Derrel, does speedotron have an equivalent to. The WL 1600 in terms of durability? I have had WL's for about 7 years. I am sure at least one is going to die sometime soon.

Speedotron allows cheap big power. For about $2500 I got something like two 1200 w/s packs, a 400w/s pack, and 5 heads. Unfortunately, one 1200w/s pack and one 400w/s pack with the 5 heads and all cables in a Pelican case ended up weighing about 130lbs, IIRC. If you're using them in a studio and not moving them from job to job, they're great, but that's why I sold all of it and went with Dynalite.

Derrel, does speedotron have an equivalent to. The WL 1600 in terms of durability? I have had WL's for about 7 years. I am sure at least one is going to die sometime soon.

The make mostly pack-and-head systems. My original 1600 W-s pack and three M11 heads all work flawlessly. Two of the original flashtubes are still working, and I bought the kit in 1986. Not one dime spent on service or repairs. One flashtube got into a fight with a concrete floor and got busted up pretty bad when it jumped on the floor from 9 feet high ands tried to do a WWE move...

Speedotron does make some very nice monolights in the "Force" series. The lower-power Speedotron Force 5 would be the closest WL 1600 equivalent I think,but more-powerful and more modern than a WL 1600. The Brown Line D402 + M90Q would also be a close equivalent that costs much less than a Force 5. Do not be fooled by the power ratings difference between Speedo vs WL; the Force 5 for "500 Watt-seconds" has a 50 degree beam spread GN of 380.

Would you actually pick a Speedotron monolight over another brand like Elinchrom that gives gives you a lot more features? Elinchrom is definitely a solid brand from what I've seen and with their Skyports, you can adjust the power via a program on your computer. I think you can save setups and stuff too.