Anyone use the new Cheetah Qbox 24?

Anyone use this yet?

Link

Looks pretty good and is less than the Ezybox by almost $100.

There was a thread about a month or so ago about the products from them.

Search for myself or TMR Design and I believe you will find some more info.

If I find the link, I will post it...

-Mario

Okay, I lied, they talked about the 16" one.

But here's the thread that talked about a few types...

https://photography-on-the.net …&highlight=chee​tah&page=1

-Mario

The Qbox16 is available and shipping. The Qbox24 is on the way but not yet available. My understanding is that they should be available in the next few weeks. There was a delay in production of the grid.

I'll have the Qbox24 for testing within a week and I'll be posting with a review as soon as I get it.

The Qbox16 is essentially the same design and build of the Lastolite Ezybox. I love Lastolite products but I can't justify the expense knowing that the Qbox's are just as good.

The Qbox16 only has a single layer of diffusion in the front but the Qbox24 will have the internal baffle as well.

The bracket and insert are well make. I haven't found anything about the Cheetah products I don't like and the Qbox24 should be great once it's available.

any word on these?

The new Qbox24 (inner diffuer, outer diffuser, grid, larger and stronger ballhead) is in stock and available now. Call Edward or email him to place an order.

There are limited quantities right now so if you miss out this time you'll have to wait another month for more to be in stock.

I've been using mine for a while now and I love it. Saves you a ton of cash over the Lastolite EZYbox, and as much as I like Lastolite products, I don't see a difference in quality or construction to justify the price.

I just called Edward and he told me he has an order coming in today or tomorrow and hopes to start contacting the pre-orders right away. Then he will put them on the web for order with what he has left over. I will be ordering at least 1 when he contacts me, I would like 2 but we will have to see. It looks like a very good product for the price.

Brandon

Just spoke with him and US Homeland Security held up the dleivery. It was flagged so they have to look through the entire order before releasing it. Bad luck for him as he seems like a really nice guy. Seems his shipping list missed an item that was in the packaging. All is good, but it will take a few days to clear. Looks like Jan 30th at the latest, but possibly sooner. He said he would still let the preorders know as soon as they can order.

He has 300 units being shipped and close to 200 preorders. Gonna be a hit for sure.

Correct! Edward was supposed to have the container yesterday but it's been held up by customs.

Edward is a really good guy and is producing some really good products. I do beta testing for him and I can definitely vouch for the quality as well as the customer service he provides.

I just spoke to him on the phone and can confirm everything that Robert/CxThree said above. I've also pre-ordered the box and can't wait for it to arrive.

Robert,

Have you beta tested the latest version of this box? Edward said he's made some improvements already (color temperature, larger ball head etc.). The ones that are coming in have a larger ball head to make locking them in place easier. Just wondering if you have an opinion on the ball head?

Thanks!

int2str wrote in post #9442076
I just spoke to him on the phone and can confirm everything that Robert/CxThree said above. I've also pre-ordered the box and can't wait for it to arrive.

Robert,

Have you beta tested the latest version of this box? Edward said he's made some improvements already (color temperature, larger ball head etc.). The ones that are coming in have a larger ball head to make locking them in place easier. Just wondering if you have an opinion on the ball head?

Thanks!

The new version is excellent. There was no reason for me to beta test since I had already tested the last version. The improvements are nice but wouldn't affect my review other than to give it a better review.

The original ball head was not a problem at all. We just felt that a lager one would be nice.

The ball head is cool and the nice thing is that you can just mount the bracket to a light stand and have tilt capability without the use of an umbrella adapter.

All in all I think everyone is going to like the Qbox24 a lot. The grid is well made and not as flimsy as some others and the new version has the inner diffuser to soften the hot spot and give more options for quality of light.

TMR Design wrote in post #9442335
The new version is excellent. There was no reason for me to beta test since I had already tested the last version. The improvements are nice but wouldn't affect my review other than to give it a better review.

How would these work with the 430ex II? Or not enough power?

Drozz119 wrote in post #9442394
How would these work with the 430ex II? Or not enough power?

Works great with just about any hot show flash of any power level. A 24" box is the perfect size for these flashes but you will want to either use the wide panel (if available) or a stofen-type diffuser to get the most even coverage.

The 120J or a Quantum flash works really great because of the 360 degree flash bulb.

Any problems folding the Qbox? A friend bought one of these:
http://cgi.ebay.com …ain_0?hash=item​3a4fcc7d15
And it doesn't do the reflector fold thing any more because the aluminum shifted out of place or hit some weird fatique limit..

Looks like the qbox is essentially the same thing w/ a bigger ball head (bracket looks the same), inner diffuser and grid?

If the box is going to be solid and well made, the metal frame can't be all the flexible.

I can definitely tell you that the Qbox does not fold up as easily as a collapsible reflector. If it did then the box would be flimsy and a real pain the arse to use.

The nice thing about the Qbox is that if you either have trouble or don't feel like folding it up to fit in the round pouch you can just collapse the box so that you have a flat triangular wedge and then slip it into the triangular bag that is provided.

Folding the Qbox does take a bit of oomph but once you do it a few times it's like a reflector or background or HiLite that collapses. Remember that when you're folding one of these softboxes you're not just twisting one one surface, you're twisting four surfaces together.