Metz bl-400 set up opinion

Hey hey!

So I've been toying with the idea of getting a set of strobes instead of newer flashes.. I noticed locally a set of Metz bl-400 with soft boxes.. I know the flashes are excellent by Metz but it's their first strobe. Does anyone have experience with them??

No personal experience with this flash, but I have been using Metz products professionally for a very long time. Metz enjoys the respect of decades of professionals for their reliable and consistent results with their flash units, and they set the standard for exposure accuracy of photosensor Auto mode (unlike Canon's underexposing External mode flash).

The recycle time, at 2.5sec is quite slow for a 400 w-s AC powered flash, though!

Do also be aware that on 19 November, Metz filed for insolvency having previously gone down the Protection from Creditors route.

While the reputation of their speedlight / flash units is unparalleled - and yes, I DO mean UNPARALLELED - if something should happen to go wrong then there's the possibility that you wouldn't be able to get it fixed easily. The Insolvency Practitioners said that production and customer services would continue "For The Time Being" (aka we're going to struggle along to see if we can sell the company as a going concern rather than just kill it dead) and there are measures in place to ensure continuity until the end of January 2015. After that time ........ who knows.

Like Wilt, I have used (aka thrashed the living daylights out of them) Metz professionally since the 1960s with just one failure - a new tube a couple of years ago. OTH, the units in question are their first real venture into the field of strobe / studio flash. Much though I like Metz products and came to rely on them totally, I'd tend to look elsewhere for studio flash now simply to avoid any potential future supply problems.

Well, that's not good news. I swear by Metz as well in terms of small flashes. Their monolights have the advantage of using the S-mount, so they're very compatible with aftermarket light formers. I do find 400J rather limited for what I do, however.

Whortleberry wrote in post #17314317
Like Wilt, I have used (aka thrashed the living daylights out of them) Metz professionally since the 1960s with just one failure

Gee, Pekka has tagged me as 'the old fart' (see my title), but I feel like a young upstart compared to your pro use of Metz since the 60's...BTW is that the 1860s?

My, that's a heck of a long title.

Wilt wrote in post #17315528
Gee, Pekka has tagged me as 'the old fart' (see my title), but I feel like a young upstart compared to your pro use of Metz since the 60's...BTW is that the 1860s?

Feels like it sometimes!
I still have some uncoated (ie non-colour corrected - they do have the protective lacquer coating on the glass envelope, of course) Philips PF100 flashbulbs in storage up in the roof but the flash powder has been disposed of (not joking - I really have used the stuff). All this 'modern' gear we use now may be far easier and more predictable but it ain't a tenth the sheer fun that things used to be.