AB's Brolly Box any good?

I just got my AB's 800 and the Umbrella bounce.
I'm not ready for the expense of a softbox so I was considering a 48" Brolly box.
Any one use this and getting a good result?

About the only product I don't give a recommend to from AB is the brolly box.

As far as results it works well (even when broken), but it is way too flimsy for all but the most careful photographers and I am way too hard on my equipment.

If you are careful putting it on, it works well, but I have to recommend you look around for other brolly box options first.

Meanwhile, I love AB lights, stands and light mod kits and think the softboxes and umbrellas are good for the price and the radio remotes are also fairly good (although these could be made a bit sturdier).

And I think AB customer service is fantastic. I also tend to like that they quietly update their products based on customer feedback without advertising the upgrades.

Longwatcher wrote in post #2863578
I also tend to like that they quietly update their products based on customer feedback without advertising the upgrades.

that is true. just got a vagabond 150 in yesterday, and there was a loose piece of paper in the box (not manual) mentioned an updated converter.

Stackinchips wrote in post #2863895
that is true. just got a vagabond 150 in yesterday, and there was a loose piece of paper in the box (not manual) mentioned an updated converter.

I wish you hadn't told me that
mine is about 3 years old now.

hows that battery holding up after 3 years?

Longwatcher wrote in post #2863578
About the only product I don't give a recommend to from AB is the brolly box.

As far as results it works well (even when broken), but it is way too flimsy for all but the most careful photographers and I am way too hard on my equipment.

If you are careful putting it on, it works well, but I have to recommend you look around for other brolly box options first.

Meanwhile, I love AB lights, stands and light mod kits and think the softboxes and umbrellas are good for the price and the radio remotes are also fairly good (although these could be made a bit sturdier).

And I think AB customer service is fantastic. I also tend to like that they quietly update their products based on customer feedback without advertising the upgrades.

Thanks, that helps me a lot. I'm trying to get some difused light and the bounce umbrella (white side) is still a bit harsh and my space is limited so I can't place it further away.

It's good in that it forces me to learn exposure techniques.

You can make an inexpensive DIY diffusion panel or get something like the LightingMagic.com diffusion panel. It's not real cheap but it does the job of all the softboxes, brolly boxes and bounce umbrellas, soft light if you wish, and an infinite number of softbox sizes with one device. Others have made similar panels themselves with great success.

TMR that looks like a viable solution for sure.
Thanks.

Stackinchips wrote in post #2864741
hows that battery holding up after 3 years?

The battery on my Vagabond CU-300 is holding up well, but I followed the rules and it stays plugged in except when I use it. Although it gets what I would consider light use. It is starting to slow down a bit, which is why I picked up a spare battery for this summer

Last time I used it about 2 months ago it lasted for over 200 shots running two AB400's at between 1/2 and full power. It may have gone for well over 400, but I only used it for just over 200, before someone came around with a long enough extension cord. Direct power is always better.

I also picked up the spare battery because I plan to do some long distance traveling and do some outdoor shoots along the way this Summer and the battery was a likely failure point at this point - the CU-300 comes with two converters so has an inherent backup.

Actually, the light will get softer as the light source gets closer to the subject. It's the relative size of the light source that makes a difference...so farther away means a smaller source.