The AB800 has plenty of power for studio portrait duty in a softbox of that size. I have an AB800 I bought used that provides beautiful light in that scenario, as does the ABR800 (same light output as the AB800) mounted in the big Moon Unit rigged as a softbox.
In fact, when I first bought a White Lightning X1600, the extra punch was an obvious consideration, but what sold me over the AB1600 was it's unique 1/4 power mode, which offered several extra stops of REDUCED power compared to the AB1600.
I have met many satisfied indoor portrait artists who only own a couple of AB400 units, and still feel full freedom in using light modifiers of all types. I like to have a kit that meets whatever lighting needs I might be faced with, but I have been adding, subtracting, and changing the scope of my kit for nearly a half century now, and along the way, people actually pay me to use my stuff, which helps the photo budget a little....
If I had a massive High School senior portrait shoot lined up for today, and all of my lights but one or two AB800's, and a maybe a speedlite were stolen last night, the job would have went off without a hitch, and the results would have been as fine as frogs' hair. The AB800 is an excellent all-around light.
Voyager
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