What is the toughest most economical lighting kit money can buy?

[Frank Petronio]

If they are annoying and there are too many of them, get some Normans and let Darwin sort them out ;-)

[Walter Calahan]

For hot lights, Lowels.

For strobes, White Lightning and Alien Bees fall apart from heavy use. They are inexpensive, but you have to buy them over and over again.

For a little more money, but will take a LOT more punishment, I say Dyna-Lites.

http://www.dynalite.com/index2.shtml

I've been using Dyna-Lites since 1982. They last and last.

[Dave Wooten]

I have an alien bee. I like it, students would get a kick out of the color choices...a pretty good "kick" for the money and you can just call Paul on the phone for questions etc. Easy service access, you are dealing direct. Also have the white lightning set up

[snuck]

If they are annoying and there are too many of them, get some Normans and let Darwin sort them out ;-)

That would be an awesome and spectacular way of losing my license.

[jnantz]

Lowels

i agree,
and make sure
you get all your bulbs
at http://www.topbulb.com/

[Tzabcan]

I would avoid Alien Bees as they are not designed for professional, or worse, student use.
I second the suggestion for Dyna-Lites. They have an excellent educational purchase program with huge discounts. They even bump the warranty from one year to three.. Cant beat that!
If you are into hot lights, then I think the only way to go is Mole Richardson, they TRULY last forever. Brooks Institute uses them almost exclusively in their studios and they stand up to constant severe abuse with flying colors. It's remarkable how badly they are treated and how much use they get, and they just keep on truckin'.

[Mark Sawyer]

If your purchasing system will allow you to go the used route, an old set of Novatrons might be a good way to go. They're simple, deliver lots of light with a fast recycle, vary the intensity easily, and are pretty bullet-proof, even in the hands of high school students.

[SAShruby]

Norman's of course....you need a flashy firepower if you use 8x10....

[Brian K]

I second the Normans. I used Normans everyday for 25 years and they rarely had issues. The only problem and this is common to all power pack type strobes is if the assistants don't plug the heads in all the way leaving you with an arc at the plug. And even that was rare in my studio.

They provide consistent output and a pretty fair amount of it.

[Scott Davis]

For inexpensive but durable strobes, I'd say Novatrons. For hotlights, Smith Victors. The S/V lights are really cheap, but they're basically indestructible. We had bunches of them at Maryland Institute College of Art, and some were 20+ years old. Lots of dents and scratches in the paint, but they still worked like a charm. MICA had Balcar strobes for high-power strobe units, and they're excellent, but they're far from value priced.