Inexpensive - portable - easy to set-up

none yet..

I've only had these for six months. So far, they've worked great. No issues as talked about in other reviews. I've been very happy with the options on the fixtures and how they work together. I'm thinking about buying a few more.

price

durability and reliability

They say you are only as strong as your weakest link and that is the basic problem with the Travelites! Overall, i would say they make a pretty good system at a very good price but the release trigger for the reflector heads is a piece of junk. All 3 broke within weeks of my purchase. It is clearly a design flaw. The Calumet tech recommended that I try a bent paperclip. I bet my clients would really be impressed by that!

Customer Service

Friendly but not helpful with this matter.

Similar Products Used:

Dyna Lites, White Lightning, Normans

easy to use
reliable light

shoddy design

Avoid this product like the plague. The lights are good enough but they have a fatal flaw. The locking mechanism for the reflectors is a piece of junk. I bought a 3 head kit. One head came with a broken mechanism, one broke a few months later and the last one broke a few months after that. The Calumet tech recommended that I use a bent paperclip to get the reflectors on and off. You can imagine how professional that looks! I pay to ship them back to calumet to have them fixed at my own expense but its so obviously a design flaw they would probably be broken again in weeks. And since I can't get any leverage on the one with the softbox attached, I can't even remove it so it has to stay in my studio now.

Customer Service

not particularly concerned

Similar Products Used:

white lighnings
lumidyne
normans
quantums

Ease of use, strong body design, many aftermarket accessories. Dialable power settings.

Expensive when compaired to similar w/s competition. Flash tube and model lights easy to break...all monolights have this problem. Umbrella mount reflector seems very light weight - could bend easy.

Needed a light for ourdoor groups that was quick and easy to set up. This monolight was exactly what I needed. Very easy to use and lots of power. I usually turn the power to the lowest setting and use it as a fill light with ambient light. Considering buying more for increasing on-location work. The only problem I've had is the airlines - they tend to break the modeling light, so I always carry an extra. By the way, my DynaLite soft box rings work fine on the monolight, didn't need to buy 'special' ones to use a softbox.

Customer Service

Haven't needed any yet

Similar Products Used:

Norman, DynaLite, Novatron, Hensel

With a GN of 350 (including a bright 250w modeling lamp), this light can easily function as a studio workhorse , yet transports easily to any location. Setup and breakdown is a breeze, even with booms, softboxes, whatever... It has a 5-stop variable power control (as well as proportional modeling lamp), and accepts many light modification accessories. Fast flash recycle times even at full power. Easily replaced flash tube and modeling lamp.

The unit itself cost more than a comparable flash head for a studio flash system, but the fact that it is self-contained makes it much cheaper than that system (with battery, etc.).

The recently redesigned Travelite 750 is Calumet's most powerful monolight. Even so, it displays the great portability and versatility these strobes have become known for. I have yet to find a lighting situation that it can't handle...

Customer Service

5-year parts and service warranty from Calumet.

Cheap

almost everything.

At first glance, this was a great product. I purchased one set of travelites to see how they would stand up in both a wedding environment and a studio environment. They seemed to do well. So I eventually purchased a total of 15 lights. I own a 6,000 square foot studio. These lights get used a ton. With in 6 months, 8 of the 15 lights have had to be serviced. Calumet guarantees a 72 hour service, however, one light, they had for 7 weeks before I received it. For the last servicing I sent two lights to Calumet. I received them back within 96 hours, not 72 hours, and one light still did not work when I received it. Unfortunately, problems with the travelites don't stop there. Every single umbrella that I received with the travelite systems has been returned for repair. After six weeks, I still don't have one of those back. They are on back order from England. I realize that these are inexpensive lights from a very good manufacturer who has a great reputation. However, I strongly suggest people reconsider before they jump at and buy these lights. If they do need service, they don't get it. If you are unhappy, the company really doesn't care.

Customer Service

Slow and ineffecient. Very difficult to get anywhere when something does go wrong.

Similar Products Used:

Bowens, whitelightning, photogenics, and normans.

Solid construction, not too heavy, easy to use, lots of add on toys.

none

These monolights are hot! Although this is my first set, I have found nothing wrong with them. Best value for the money.

Customer Service

Calumet is the best.

Similar Products Used:

This is my first set of monolights.

Good power (750w) for the money. Variable power modeling light really helps. Lot''s of available accessories.

None that I can tell. Just the typical weakness associated with monolights (vs. powerpack system) - weight. I wouldn''t attach these to a boom, just sturdy stands that can take the weight. Accessories can be expensive.

I bought two Calumet Travelite 750''s which are a great value for the a little money. Ideal if you''re starting out with studio photography and don''t want to spend an arm and a leg with studio lights.

Customer Service

Haven''t needed to use it. But since I''m near a Calumet outlet, it should be good.

Similar Products Used:

Norman powerpack system.

The Travelite is a powerful yet inexspensive light with lots of capability. Power is continually variable from full to 1/32nd power via a control knob on the side. This makes the controls easier to reach in certain situations. An incredibly sensitive slave is built into the unit which seems to work better than slaves on other lights that I have used. The slave can be turned on or off. The modeling light is powerfull and can also be turned on or off. When on, the modeling light will go out momentarilly after the unit fires untill it has recycled again. Recycling is only about 3 seconds at full power. The modeling light is continously variable also.
The reflector is detachable and the unit can be used bare bulb. The reflector also has a built in umbrella holder. Sinc is achieved through a phono type plug. Calumet has a whole line of attatchments, softboxes, etc. to choose from that will look beautifull on this unit. Highly recommended!

Unit seems to be a little heavy though not unusuall for this type of unit. Control knobs have somewhat of a cheap feel to them but does not effect performance.

Lots of power and capability for the price. I would highly recommend this unit for those who want a serious light at a great price.

Customer Service

Great!

Similar Products Used:

White Lightning