Elinchrom D-Lite4 vs Hensel Integra Pro 1000

DocFrankenstein wrote in post #8549602
None elinchromes tested

Thanx, thats what i thought.

Cheerio!

So everyone in this thread (except Doc) is of the opinion and willing to argue that today's Elinchrom monoblocs are as strong and durable in their housing, controls and angle clamps as the older Elinchrom lineup? That's interesting. It certainly wasn't my impression when first handling some D-Lites, but there's no denying these good experiences you're all reporting. I believe the D-Lite 4 came out in early '07, so there's not enough longevity with them in the marketplace to draw solid conclusions on, but if the original D-Lite and D-Lite 2 used those same housing and controls, and appeared far earlier in the marketplace - I guess that is enough history to validate those claims.

I dunno - they (D-lites in particular) just don't seem all that stout and solidly manufactured to me but the higher-end Elinchroms (such as RX) feel like they'll hold up better under regular use. It seems virtually all brands are now engineering to save material cost and weight at the expense of durability.

slivr wrote in post #8550539
So everyone in this thread (except Doc) is of the opinion and willing to argue that today's Elinchrom monoblocs are as strong and durable in their housing, controls and angle clamps as the older Elinchrom lineup? That's interesting. It certainly wasn't my impression when first handling some D-Lites, but there's no denying these good experiences you're all reporting. I believe the D-Lite 4 came out in early '07, so there's not enough longevity with them in the marketplace to draw solid conclusions on, but if the original D-Lite and D-Lite 2 used those same housing and controls, and appeared far earlier in the marketplace - I guess that is enough history to validate those claims.

I dunno - they (D-lites in particular) just don't seem all that stout and solidly manufactured to me but the higher-end Elinchroms (such as RX) feel like they'll hold up better under regular use. It seems virtually all brands are now engineering to save material cost and weight at the expense of durability.

They're certainly not as solidly built as the older EL monoblocs but it's a big leap from that to to saying that they won't last, especially when it's based on the fairly superficial reasons that have been given here with no real-world examples.

The D-lites have proven to be unreliable and susceptible to break-downs in several ways, but certainly nothing to do with them having plastic housing or their buttons - in fact I've yet to hear of a single Elinchrom light having problems of any sort due to the buttons. The D-lites aren't built like any of the older lights but they're also not priced anywhere near any of the older lights were when new.

My RXs have always served me well and I've never had to send one in for repair - by contrast my EL500s all went in for repair at one time or another (usually blown caps). The problems of the D-lites (weak mount, flimsy tilt handle, unreliable locking collar, e.t.c.) are not present in the RXs and are also largely absent from the new BXRis.

I'm curious as to what people think it is that will happen to these lights that will cause them to disintegrate over time. If the plastic housing of my lights hasn't fallen apart or crumbled to dust in the last few years, I have no reason to suspect it will in the next few - same with the buttons, the tilt, and the rest of it. Electronics will inevitably 'wear' over time on all strobes, but my experience of Elinchrom is that their electronics have always been reliable, and their support for their older products has always been very good too. They still service lights that were discontinued 15-20 years ago.

Jason noone is claiming the D-lites is as well buildt as the EL series or the RX/FX, there several diffrences as Hermes pointed out.

There never was a analog D-lite, so the comparison (build) is mainly between the RX/FX strobes to the older EL, diffrence being the housing (metal/plastic) and the controls. (analog/digital)

D-lites is entry level stuff, its priced and buildt accordingly.

Doc wants to argue that all Elinchrom gear with "digital controls" is going to break, and is aimed to amateurs/consumers. Wich in my book is ridiculous to be blunt.

Kindest

MR do little wrote in post #8550751
Jason noone is claiming the D-lites is as well buildt as the EL series or the RX/FX, there several diffrences as Hermes pointed out.

There never was a analog D-lite, so the comparison (build) is mainly between the RX/FX strobes to the older EL, diffrence being the housing (metal/plastic) and the controls. (analog/digital)

D-lites is entry level stuff, its priced and buildt accordingly.

I don't understand why you keep referring to digital vs analog. Irregardless if there's a microprocessor in the recent monoblocks, a switch is an analog device...

Do you know what digital means?

All I'm saying is that profoto's switches are rated for higher duty cycle. Don't put words in my mouth.

Well i've read somewhere about the BX shattering just from being picked up by the handle. Maybe they found that using a better housing was costing them profit over the long term. You have to remember most electronics are created with a predetermined shelf life. I learned that by going to school rather then by forming an opinion based on some idea posted on the internet.

I mistakenly assumed there were a number of serious photogs on here that would point out their reasons for buying whatever vs whatever etc.. Unfortunately for me this forum seems to be very two sided on one hand you have the Alien Bee fans and on the other it seems all about Elinchrom. I wont buy Elinchrom because it feels to me like some folks on here are plants for the company as revealed by plenty of posts about the older D-Lites that were not fan cooled.

I've read many complaints about the housing cracking, melting and even capacitors blowing on Elinchrom D and BX models. Also there are many tales of handles snapping off or shattering pretty easily on the various plastic models. I would have to guess they are more widely used thus increasing popularity like AB's due to the lower cost/value factor. Many people around here swear AB is the best thing on the market for the money and that's for great their money but not so great for mine.

I was just trying to get some type of feedback on how good the Hensel setup is considering the added expense. After looking at many forums and reviews on both Elinchrom and Hensel products it becomes pretty obvious both the build quality and price can vary greatly between different models regardless of the brand. Having also come from a background in electronics i can say the quality of every bit from the power supply to the size of heat sinks to the soldering method used can all make a huge difference. My main interest is which product will not leave me totally SOL waiting weeks for repair if it happens to get knocked over.

Camel Toe Coalition wrote in post #8551052
Well i've read somewhere about the BX shattering just from being picked up by the handle. Maybe they found that using a better housing was costing them profit over the long term. You have to remember most electronics are created with a predetermined shelf life. I learned that by going to school rather then by forming an opinion based on some idea posted on the internet.

I mistakenly assumed there were a number of serious photogs on here that would point out their reasons for buying whatever vs whatever etc.. Unfortunately for me this forum seems to be very two sided on one hand you have the Alien Bee fans and on the other it seems all about Elinchrom. I wont buy Elinchrom because it feels to me like some folks on here are plants for the company as revealed by plenty of posts about the older D-Lites that were not fan cooled.

I've read many complaints about the housing cracking, melting and even capacitors blowing on Elinchrom D and BX models. Also there are many tales of handles snapping off or shattering pretty easily on the various plastic models. I would have to guess they are more widely used thus increasing popularity like AB's due to the lower cost/value factor. Many people around here swear AB is the best thing on the market for the money and that's for great their money but not so great for mine.

I was just trying to get some type of feedback on how good the Hensel setup is considering the added expense. After looking at many forums and reviews on both Elinchrom and Hensel products it becomes pretty obvious both the build quality and price can vary greatly between different models regardless of the brand. Having also come from a background in electronics i can say the quality of every bit from the power supply to the size of heat sinks to the soldering method used can all make a huge difference. My main interest is which product will not leave me totally SOL waiting weeks for repair if it happens to get knocked over.

I've experienced the handles breaking and caps blowing prematurely on the D-lites but not on any other model. I talk to my Elinchrom service dept a lot about these things and I've never heard of the housing cracking or melting, especially not on the BXs which have the same handles and housing as the RXs.

Care to post links so we can all see the complaints you're referring to?

DocFrankenstein wrote in post #8551024
I don't understand why you keep referring to digital vs analog. Irregardless if there's a microprocessor in the recent monoblocks, a switch is an analog device...

Do you know what digital means?

Well im refering to the fact the EL has a "analog" slider, and the new models has "digital control" as in membrane buttons wich is the whole premises of you argument. Nothing more nothing less.

Yes i know what digital means, but more importantly i actually have some data to base my arguments/opinion on, you have your keyboards and your microwaves....

DocFrankenstein wrote in post #8551024
All I'm saying is that profoto's switches are rated for higher duty cycle. Don't put words in my mouth.

Atually this is what you said.

DocFrankenstein wrote in post #8545618
But elinchrome IMO is becoming a more consumer line, there might be more name there then good technology.

DocFrankenstein wrote in post #8548224
it has nothing to do with analog vs digital. Take the back panel for example. they are using buttons which simply won't last. It's a plastic connection - the same kind used in keyboards. Just two layers of plastic with the circut printed over them, as you press on them the plastic will break down and you won't be able to adjust the power settings.

if they wanted it to last, they'd put in real spring loaded button switches. In 10 years of use, the button switches will last and what they're putting in right now would not.

Cheerio!

Camel Toe Coalition wrote in post #8551052
Well i've read somewhere about the BX shattering just from being picked up by the handle. Maybe they found that using a better housing was costing them profit over the long term. You have to remember most electronics are created with a predetermined shelf life. I learned that by going to school rather then by forming an opinion based on some idea posted on the internet.

Really ? Yet here you are asking for ours....

Camel Toe Coalition wrote in post #8551052
I mistakenly assumed there were a number of serious photogs on here that would point out their reasons for buying whatever vs whatever etc.. Unfortunately for me this forum seems to be very two sided on one hand you have the Alien Bee fans and on the other it seems all about Elinchrom. I wont buy Elinchrom because it feels to me like some folks on here are plants for the company as revealed by plenty of posts about the older D-Lites that were not fan cooled.

You wont buy Elinchrom based on what ?

Camel Toe Coalition wrote in post #8551052
I've read many complaints about the housing cracking, melting and even capacitors blowing on Elinchrom D and BX models. Also there are many tales of handles snapping off or shattering pretty easily on the various plastic models. I would have to guess they are more widely used thus increasing popularity like AB's due to the lower cost/value factor. Many people around here swear AB is the best thing on the market for the money and that's for great their money but not so great for mine.

Wich begs us to ask the question why did you pose the question in the first place, in this case you echo something your read on the internet, we give you our opinion based on experience of the actual products. (in my case Elincrom)

Camel Toe Coalition wrote in post #8551052
I was just trying to get some type of feedback on how good the Hensel setup is considering the added expense. After looking at many forums and reviews on both Elinchrom and Hensel products it becomes pretty obvious both the build quality and price can vary greatly between different models regardless of the brand. Having also come from a background in electronics i can say the quality of every bit from the power supply to the size of heat sinks to the soldering method used can all make a huge difference. My main interest is which product will not leave me totally SOL waiting weeks for repair if it happens to get knocked over.

I highly doubt that, considering this response.

Take care now.

Camel Toe Coalition wrote in post #8551052
I've read many complaints about the housing cracking, melting and even capacitors blowing on Elinchrom D and BX models. Also there are many tales of handles snapping off or shattering pretty easily on the various plastic models.

It would be great if you could provide me with the details of the complaints as I'd like to read about them.

thanks

Camel Toe Coalition wrote in post #8536637
Is it worth paying approximately $400 more for a slightly better build or better to toss that into a skyport set?

I've pondered this for a bit... IMO the hensel's 300W modeling lights alone are worth the difference. Then if you consider the fact that the hensels are 2x as heavy, IMO there's got to be more than a metal cover. I'm guessing larger heat sink and larger capacitors.

The elinchrom kit has manfrotto stands, which I don't think will break.

I on the other hand have broken two out of three elinchrom stands. They have fragile top and bottom triangles which hold the legs. So I'd carry them around in a case like in your kit and on my first shoot I found the triangle broken. Elinchrom didn't even want to replace the light stand. The second time it happened they didn't replace it and I ended up using tape to hold it in place. It broke a vivitar that was on it as well.

I would rather not throw away money on plastic and it appears the difference in weight between plastic and aluminum housing cannot be all that sets these products apart.

http://www.bhphotovide​o.com …e4_Two_Monoligh​t_Kit.html

http://www.bhphotovide​o.com …egra_Pro_2_Mono​light.html

If you're only going to shoot a couple times a year and allow the lights to cool down a bit, it should be ok.

Calm down, folks! People with no experience with Elinchrom equipment are bashing it? Well, I know how much faith I would put into opinion based on that sort of experience...

Rudi wrote in post #8551330
Calm down, folks! People with no experience with Elinchrom equipment are bashing it? Well, I know how much faith I would put into opinion based on that sort of experience...

Just because I didn't test them, doesn't mean I have no experience.

DocFrankenstein wrote in post #8551344
Just because I didn't test them, doesn't mean I have no experience.

Not gonna work, Doc. I know when I'm being baited. Have a good day!

Rudi wrote in post #8551330
Calm down, folks! People with no experience with Elinchrom equipment are bashing it? Well, I know how much faith I would put into opinion based on that sort of experience...

Yeah, Rudi - the thread kinda took a left turn and kept going, but made for a good read anyway. Cameltoe - asking "which is better" opens debate based on opinion and experience ... and each person's experience varies. The guy with an Elinchrom D-Lite who's handle snapped out is going to say they're crap ... while another photographer might be successfully relying on his RX series for daily professional use. Likely the same for Hensels. I'm not personally familiar with the Hensel's, meaning no "hands on" experience - but was following the thread to see what the consensus is between those two options. Didn't really pull anything out of the thread except Hensel's are heavier and have a 300w light (just statistics) which might be a larger heat sink ... or it could just be a crappy design with lead solder inside. You're going to need responses from people that have used them and are familiar with both. Hope someone can shed light on it for you.