Paul C. Buff, Inc. Technical Forum

Greetings!

I just ordered 4 WL lights, two of the x1600s and two of the x3200s as well as a the giant foldable softbox and octobox and have a couple of questions/concerns.

First question:

On one of the lights, the socket the modeling light screws in to has a small chip out of it, and the light seems to fit slightly crooked in there. Should I worry? The unit functions normal as best as I can tell, and I really don't want to deal with the hassle of an exchange if I don't have to, but I also don't want any problems to pop up later. I think it may have been dropped at one point because the flash tube wasn't fully seated, either.

Second question:

Exactly how durable are the ratcheting handles? The reason I ask is because an x3200 with the giant softbox attached takes a HELL of a lot of force to keep the light from angling down from the weight. I feel like it's about to snap in my hand at any second. Quite honestly, I really don't like the amount of force it takes to steady the thing. If I could find one fault in the product, it would be the way it adjusts. The handle needs to be a little beefier, and if there were some small notches in the washer and surface it mates to, you wouldn't need to use as much force to tighten it down.

Overall, love the PCB stuff. Thanks for making good, affordable stuff. This was my first lighting purchase and I feel like I made the right choice.

As long as the bulb is not touching the flash tube, I doubt you will have any issues, but is less than ideal. Swapping a light is fairly pain free. Please contact customer service to make arrangements, if you wish.

I have only heard of one handle breaking, so you should be fine. You can use the umbrella mounting areas for counterweighting the light, some find that helpful.

Hi Brendan, I had the same problem and purchased a Lumedyne swivel bracket from B&H Photo which solved the problem. This is the link http://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/product/32350-REG/Lumedyne_AHUA_Umbrella_Bracket.html

So that's beefy enough to hold a x3200 with a 30X60 softbox? I need something. I used the softbox once and am scared to use it again until I come up with a solution.

I use this same type of bracket on my 2x4 ft softboxes but have the bracket attached to the speedring for better balance. Not sure if PCB folding softboxes have a threaded hole for this, but maybe you can tap in your own.

RMS