A couple things that folks touched on that might be useful in your thought process:
A good light stand can make a lot of difference in how easy it is to set up your light(s). Going with something light weight isn't necessarily the best investment. On the other hand they aren't trivial in expense and may tend to challenge your budget.
Whichever strobe you go with, proportional modeling lights are essential. You can see the effects of single/multiple light set ups. I use four venerable White Lighting Ultra 600 ... never a moments trouble. Most often lately I use an Ultra 600 in a 24" square soft box on a counterweighted Redwing pantograph type boom mounted on a heavy stand on casters. (I do a lot of smallish objects on a table top, and occasional portraits.) It makes those slight changes in the light position/direction easy. 6" this way or a foot that way is really quick to check. If it is hard to make changes and small adjustments ... the tendency might be to 'settle' rather than refine. I wish I'd bought this stand/boom/softbox arrangement the first time I bought lighting ... but I tried to save money. Not a good decision for me. But it is a budget stretcher. And, yes, sheets of foam core make fine reflectors.
A trustworthy meter for electronic flash is essential if you're shooting film.
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