Monolights

[luis a de santos]

My Paul Buff monolights have failed me again for the third time so it is time to replace them.
Any suggestions as to what is good and reliable these days?

I would appreciate brands and comments of personal use.

Thanks Luis

[Peter De Smidt]

I have Photogenic monolights, and I've been very happy with them. I've also heard good things about Calumet Travelers, which I think are re-branded Bowens.

[lenser]

Luis,

Which models are you using? How are they "failing"? Is it possibly a technique issue?

I've got four Ultras that have served me well for way over twenty years with only three or four total repairs in all that time. Everyone that I know personally (several) who uses them are equally pleased. That includes Ultras, the X series, Ultra Zaps and even the very first tin cans.

[Uri A]

i have the profoto ones and they are an absolute pleasure. stepless power, super fast recharge, small and solid build.

[DrTang]

Like my Calumet Travelers...of course I also have an Elite set so all the accessories swap..but built solid and has never failed me

[Henry Ambrose]

Whatever you can have repaired near where you live might be worth considering. I'm surprised you're having so much trouble with the White Lightnings.

[Ash]

Bowens Gemini aren't bad. Barely used mine since i bought them nearly 2 years ago though...

[Daniel Stone]

Profoto "black sausages" i.e. monolights.

-Dan

[Frank Petronio]

Buy whatever lights are the most popular in your region. Then you can share-buy-borrow-rent-steal from other photographers.

If I was a redneck American hillbilly I'd buy those garishly-colored plastic Paul C. Buff lights too. But you're a sophisticated European gentleman, you must have ProFotos or some esoteric, very expensive brand ;-)

Round here, Dynalites rule -- robust, lightweight, middle-value workhorses made in New Jersey. Speedotrons are from Chicago - not lightweight but very solid, everyone had them throughout the MidWest. Out in California photographers used a lot of Normans, because they were made there. Dangerous like a fault zone ;-p

Go figure....

[David R Munson]

I vote for Protofoto lights. Reliable, durable, intelligently-designed, great accessories, and the best speedring-mounting system on any lighting system I've used (and as a freelance assistant I've used them all).

[Pete Watkins]

Frank,
We sophisticated European gentlemen tend to use Bowens (with our sophisticated Leicas of course).
Pete.

[cjbroadbent]

Frank,
We sophisticated European gentlemen tend to use Bowens (with our sophisticated Leicas of course).
Pete.
And fused plugs. When are you going to rewire?

[Coelus]

I've used a pair of Calumet Travelites extensively over the past 18 months. They're solid and can be picked up used at a decent discount. I like the modifier mounts better that Elinchroms or Paul Buff. They don't color shift as much as cheaper brands either. They are pretty big though if that's a concern. I've used Hensel's before and wish they were in my budget to keep. Also got to shoot with Broncolor once; beautiful light but require a second mortgage.

[Robert Jonathan]

That's surprising. Paul Buff lights last forever with unbeatable service, period.

But there are those "rough and tough" lights that take a beating like speedotron and dynalite.

Broncolors are the best ever, with Profoto probably coming in a close second. After that it all depends on what kind of features/flash durations you want:

250 watt modeling light vs. 100 or 150, flash duration decreases with an increase in power, flash duration increases with a decrease in power, color temperature changes, and on and on, etc, etc. :)

I have Alien Bees, and I'm looking to add a Bowens, but I'm not quite sure it's worth it. Alien Bees have earned me money for the past 4 years, with thousands of pops, no failures. It's just light. My knowledge of lighting technique is more important.

[Two23]

I too am surprised to hear Buff lights are failing. I own x5 WL X3200 and x2 B1600 and use them outdoors in winter, often during blizzards and well below zero temps all night long. I pull them to my locations across the snow on a plastic tobaggon. Never had one fail in the three years I've owned & used them. I've never used them in a standard studio type setting though.


Kent in SD

[Noah A]

I used to use the old Paul Buff White Lightnings and they were pretty reliable, though one did catch fire on me during an editorial portrait shoot. I threw it away, didn't figure it was worth fixing and I kind of lost faith after that. They were built solid back then though with really tough metal housings.

Light is light, in theory, but there is a difference between strobes for sure. I actually liked the quality of light with the White Lightnings better than the Dyna-Lites (uni 400s) my paper provided me with. But I like Profoto lights best of all. I actually prefer the older dome models (Compact Special) to the new ones with the built-in reflector.

Probably if you're bouncing them into umbrellas or a softbox it doesn't matter quite as much, but if you're using them straight on or with some of the specialty reflectors like the beauty dish, the quality of the light from Profotos is very good. The sliding/focusing reflector mount is a nice touch.

The color temperature and exposures are also very, very consistent with the Profotos (and probably with other higher-end lights).

[darr]

Profoto D1 Air -- the best I have used!

[Don Dudenbostel]

I have 8 Speedotron Force 10's and used them heavily. I bought them nine or ten years ago. They've travel many thousands of miles. I used Speedotron packs and heads for ten years before the force 10's and really loved them. The only repair I ever had was due to a faulty generators voltage regulator thar fed 220v to my 4800cx pack. The resulting damage cost about a hundred dollars to repair and Speedotron turned it around in one day.

I also have 5 Alien Bees for low power work where I would shoot at wide apertures. I've had them for years and never had a problem.

I can't say the same for Norman strobes. I had 6 2000 packs, 3 800 and 3 4000's. Three of the 2000's and one of the old 800's were great but the rest were constant problems.

[keith english]

I don't think Franks comments were neccesary, but is it possible the electricity where you live is causing problems? White lightnings have been very reliable in my experience, and many others who use them. Anytime you are pushing that much current through large capacitors you going to have the occasional failure and fire.

[Uri A]

C'mon fellas, this much is obvious: all flashlights are fine. You want the best, you pay for the best. Which may not be the best (for the $) if you use them 5 times a year... You show up for a $10K job, you wanna have the best on board, otherwise use whatever you can afford.
Peas x

[luis a de santos]

Thank you everybody for the responses.
I ended buying two Photogenic Power Monolights 2500 in a kit
They are wonderful and work great.
They are good value for the money.

Thank you Luis

[Peter De Smidt]

Hi Luis,

I've had good use from my Photogenic gear without any issues. They should work well for you.