just how durable are speed lites?

Careless me unscrewed the latch on my light stand that held my wireless trigger and speed lite and it just came tumbling to the floor. Just some minor scratches but flash still fires just as well. I've read cases where the speed lites broke upon impact on the floor. So how durable are our flash guns? Using a 430exii

I would not recommend dropping one, of course, but they are considered pretty robust units. I've never read a 'drop test' comparison between Canon, Nikon, and other brand units, but these have a very good rep for durability and longevity.

JohnCollins wrote in post #16612572
I would not recommend dropping one, of course, but they are considered pretty robust units. I've never read a 'drop test' comparison between Canon, Nikon, and other brand units, but these have a very good rep for durability and longevity.

I see. thankfully my speedlite still worked as i dropped it before a shoot. . Pictures still came out nice with the soft light behind an umbrella i was using. Embarrassing mistake.

How long is a piece of string? There are so many factors involved. One day you can drop a flash from 6 feet and it survives. The next day you drop a different flash from 2 feet and it has to go to Canon. As for breaking upon impact? It all depends on how it hits the floor. Flat, on a corner, on the end. It is like playing a lottery and as John stated best not to drop it at all.

Ev0d3vil wrote in post #16612783
I see. thankfully my speedlite still worked as i dropped it before a shoot. . Pictures still came out nice with the soft light behind an umbrella i was using. Embarrassing mistake.

You are not the first or the last to drop camera gear. Far from last. It happens.

Ev0d3vil wrote in post #16612437
Careless me unscrewed the latch on my light stand that held my wireless trigger and speed lite and it just came tumbling to the floor. Just some minor scratches but flash still fires just as well. I've read cases where the speed lites broke upon impact on the floor. So how durable are our flash guns? Using a 430exii

I bought a Canon 380EX for a film camera in 1996 and it lasted until 2012. If the flashes aren't dropped or overworked, they can have very long lives.

If you expect flashes to work after being frequently abused, you will be disappointed.

DC Fan wrote in post #16612834
I bought a Canon 380EX for a film camera in 1996 and it lasted until 2012. If the flashes aren't dropped or overworked, they can have very long lives.

If you expect flashes to work after being frequently abused, you will be disappointed.

Yep, this is not atypical at all. And as a brand, Canon has a very good rep, along with Nikon and some of the top non-camera brands like LumoPro. Canon flashes are pretty tough.

And that's not always a good thing! Now that I am upgrading to a 60D body, I want the 580EX-II and 430EX-II, but my 580EX is still going strong! It's hard to part with!

I've had speedlights fall down stairs, get blown over by wind and the battery door broke off, but they still work and fire.

It sounds like yours, anyway, is durable *enough* Yeah, not something you want to do regularly, but the gear is all a bit more robust than most people think. My flash, my camera and a few of my lenses have taken drops, bumps, bruises and bounces that made the heart sink a bit, but came out working just fine. Hell the entire camera weathered a snowmobile crash with me and was fine

I've never had a speedlite come apart from a drop, and the majority of the drops the unit was still working....
had a flash and TT5 clamped to the top of a door frame... it fell to the cement floor... worked just fine
my assistant dropped his 7D with flash mounted on, flash hit ground first... didn't separate, all worked fine
my daughter, at the age of 1.5-ish, picked up a 580EX from my bag, carried it a few feet, and then dropped it head first... the flash head went off-track, and 5 minutes with a screwdriver fixed it...

they are solid, but general rule of thumb is to not let gravity get a hold of your gear...

I can attest to the 600 ex rt's sea worthiness:https://photography-on-the.net …/showthread.php​?t=1333621

i've dropped mine off a bridge about 2 stories high into a rocky creek. there are some gouges and the bulb broke but i replaced it for 20 dollars myself. the weather sealing is really really good (580ex2)

BrickR wrote in post #16613084
get blown over by wind

So many times for me... shooting outside with an umbrella is just tempting fate even though it doesn't feel windy.

Ev0d3vil wrote in post #16612437
Careless me unscrewed the latch on my light stand that held my wireless trigger and speed lite and it just came tumbling to the floor. Just some minor scratches but flash still fires just as well. I've read cases where the speed lites broke upon impact on the floor. So how durable are our flash guns? Using a 430exii

considered yourself are being lucky, that's all

I already experienced 3 units of 580EX II, all fall down from lightstand,
all with damaged tube and replacement tube

anyway,
speedlite wasn't designed like that, it was designed to give you more light

I realize you're asking about DROPPING a speedlight, which I've never done, so I can't comment on that particular problem. But overall, I don't find them to be that durable. I shoot 20-30 weddings, and maybe 20-30 other shorter gigs every year, and I find that my Canon 580 EXII's are good for two years before they give up the ghost. Then, it's $200 or so to ship & repair them. Then, two years later, they're dead again. I have four of them and when the last two burned out, I replace them with Yongnuo's which are too new for me to assess just yet. So far, so good.