consistency, power, fast recycle, build, the people who work for them, low cost accessories ( honey combs, snoot, barn doors, reflectors)

Modeling lights could be more powerful and the controls are on the back (I like them on the side) oh ...and there gold.

They just work, very consistent (but like the other brands I have used +/-1/10 of a stop at there lowest settings) color temp dead on (again same as other brands anywhere near there league a fraction of a hair off at the lowest setting)

Ok let me try and find the down side,

1) The controls should be on the side, when there are on a light stand higher than the subject you tilt the light down, well the back (and the controls go up) it sounds silly but it get to be a pain moving a step ladder around the studio, a great (and better) alternative is to pony up the extra money for the wired remote control (LG4X), having ALL you light setting (up to 4 strobes) from one spot in great, and if like me you cant stand having you and your camera wired down you only need to buy one set of Pocket Wizards, one for the camera and one for the wired remote (LG4X)

2) The modeling light is underpowered, no matter how you slice it 150 watts just will not be enough, well if you shoot with either the lamps on FULL or tracking when you are shooting at FULL, then I guess they might work, but even with medium format camera and slow film I am usually around half flash power and with the modeling lights set to track (75 watts is not visible enough to make any call on lighting even in a dim studio)

3) Not really a downside when you take the price into consideration but the soft-boxes are kinda flimsy and a bit of a pain to take down and reassemble (I doubt you will not do much better without doubling the cost) If you know what size you need and will use, skip the WL boxes and go for the Chimera or Larson (Im sure there are others but these 2 are great, and the low cost White Lightning speed rings work/fit perfectly)

thats about all I can find "fault" with but I really like the price and it would no doubt go up if they where added to the next generation of units (my newer X1600 strobes have 250 watts lamps and fans for $100 more)

I think the only thing to watch out for is buying to much power, with our/my DSLRs that only go down to ISO 100, even the 800's are near there lowest settings for one or 2 people (ISO 100, f5.6 at around 10-15 feet through 3x4 foot boxes) do not tell me to use ND filters, did you read what I said about the modeling lamps? well the ND is going to kill em

The power thing brings me back to the newer X1600, I shoot studio portraits of drivers/riders racing with and without there cars/ motorcycles, a few X1600's and I can light a vehicle and a driver, when it comes to just shooting the driver I can flip a switch on the mono-lights and I have 1/4 power mode (hello temp WL X400) very very handy.

I think the best thing I can say about the White Lightnings are the people (oh yes I said PEOPLE as in NOT a freakin machine, press 1 now if you feel me here)

Every order I have ever made with WL has been fantastic, I get through on the phone no hold, even a tech got to me in a few minutes after, oh and they stand behind there gear, I had one go bad (my first, a used one) and they fixed it for FREE! If they take care of me with the one I bought used I am 100% sure the other 4 I bought new would be taken care of if I can manage to break one

Customer Service

EXCELLENT!!!

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Balcar, Novotrons, Travelights