Anyone using Balcar?

[BarryS]

I just scored some old Balcar gear on Craigslist. A Rapid 1200 generator with two "silver bullet" heads, a Monobloc 2, and a Minibloc. The Monobloc 2 is cool, I've never seen a monolight that will let you plug in a second head and I've read that it's powerful--1200-1600WS. I'd like to buy some speedrings to mount a soft box--any idea if the current Balcar accessories will fit the old flashes? Is the Balcar mount the same as any other popular lighting brand?

[Ron Marshall]

Is the Balcar mount the same as any other popular lighting brand?

Current Balcar mount is the same as White Lightning. I don't know about the old mount.

[Bob Salomon]

I just scored some old Balcar gear on Craigslist. A Rapid 1200 generator with two "silver bullet" heads, a Monobloc 2, and a Minibloc. The Monobloc 2 is cool, I've never seen a monolight that will let you plug in a second head and I've read that it's powerful--1200-1600WS. I'd like to buy some speedrings to mount a soft box--any idea if the current Balcar accessories will fit the old flashes? Is the Balcar mount the same as any other popular lighting brand?

Contact Jon Harst at Light Tec in Dallas. He used to manage the Balcar division.

[BarryS]

Thanks for the info, it looks like the Paul Buff lines have the same mount, so i just need to find out if Balcar changed the mount at some point.

[QCC]

No changes to the mount. Always the same, White lightning rings will work fine.

[Ric.64]

Well this is 2013 .
I was wondering if those Balcar heard still worked and if not I would like to know if you might have a tube cover clear glass 2+- '' X 3 1/8 that you would like to sell ?

[AtlantaTerry]

Back in the '70s I owned a Balcar 1200 pack and head. I used it for many portraits. Nice (but expensive) gear.

The funniest story about my Balcar kit happened when I was flying out of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania USA to an industrial advertising photo shoot. The airport security guy wanted me to disassemble the power pack so he could see what was inside! No way that was happening. Somehow I sweet talked him out of that idea by handing him my business card, showing my camera bag full of gear and saying something like, "Look at the screw heads and the paint around them. They are in factory condition - no marks or scratches." These days he would probably insist on my taking it apart. :(

[BarryS]

Well this is 2013 .
I was wondering if those Balcar heard still worked and if not I would like to know if you might have a tube cover clear glass 2+- '' X 3 1/8 that you would like to sell ?

Sorry, I don't have any spare parts to sell. I've found a good selection of Balcar parts on eBay, so I'm sure you'll find covers or some broken heads.

[Allan B]

Sorry, I don't have any spare parts to sell. I've found a good selection of Balcar parts on eBay, so I'm sure you'll find covers or some broken heads.

I have a 1200 pack and two heads. Unfortunately on one head, the flash tube is going out
and does not fire all the time. I've started to have troubles, in general, with my Balcar equipment.

I bought it in the 1980s. It has been great. I can't complain, it's lasted a long time.
Unfortunately, due to the high costs of replacing the flash tube, and the lack
of dependability, I replaced my Balcar lighting with 2 Paul C. Buff's White Lightning units.

I don't think they are as good. The modeling lights don't track the flash output as well,
as the Balcar. And the output at lower settings sometimes is uneven.

However, Paul C. Buff units are dependable, easy and cheap to fix and I can sell
them or replace them at very good rates. I am using my Opalite
(beauty dish) and 7 inch Balcar reflectors with the White Lightning
units. The Balcar reflectors seem better to me than the Paul C. Buff
accessories.

Allan