It appears that this is your second attempt to gain more insight or understanding of your lighting needs. Again you have posted your shots comparing the ringlight to your 100 ws lights. As no one has yet to comment, I will try. As stated, the ringlights, that you seem to favor, are going to have a different look because of their position. This type of lighting has been used in glamour lighting to provide a more flat lighting such that a woman's face would not show skin blemishes and wrinkles as much. A simular type lighting, and much better in my view, is to use three umbrellas in a circle and the camera is shooting in the middle. I am not so in love with the ringflash effect as you seem to be. To me the lighting is too flat.
Let me try to explain. As you learn about lighting, you will note that there is a loss of light as you get further from the light source ( fall off ), and the closer the light source, the greater the degree of fall off. This fall off causes more sudden developement of shadows as you get further away, which in turn, yields a more three dimensional image. Now, a large light source ( soft box, umbrella, flash bounced off a wall or panel ), very close to the subject, creates this effect, and this large light source creates nice large catchlights in the eyes.
I am guessing, but you might like some of your results, with soft box and umbrellas, if you try the following. Move lights very close to subject, move main light higher and not so far from camera, adjust fill light a little off axis and lower the power or move further away to produce 1 to 1 1/2 stops of light less than main light. If you don't have a flash meter, use the histogram to set exposure. Some of you shots appear to be underexposed. Lighting is about position, distance, and diffusion. Power, if sufficient, only relates to ISO and fstop, and the look of the lighting will be the same.
