portable power source

I am wondering what is the best thing to use on site for a power source for plugging in my strobes. Any one have any suggestions??

( oh, p.s. this is on a shoestring budget.)

Shoestring budget?

And AlienBee Vagabond II or Invotronix Explorer XT are about the two most popular solutions used around here. How much do you have to spend and what strobes will you be powering?

I have 3 strobes. Will i use all 3 all the time, not sure about that, but that's what i have.
Yeah, unfortunately the budget got smaller when i upgraded the camera, lens and flash this fall.

I can understand that. What brand and model are the strobes?

Hi Denise:

Neither recommended by ben_r could be considered cheap or inexpensive. But both work extremely well for plugging in and using strobes where power and outlets aren't available.

Don't let someone tell you that portable power supply that can be bought at a Best Buy or Office Max for around $50-60 will work. I fell for it. They don't. Luckily, my lights still work.

Bit bullet and bought the Explorer XT. It's about 14" long and 6" x 6" square. Weighs around 12 lbs, I'd guess. Can plug both strobes in at same time. Great power on tap. Never came close to draining while doing outdoor senior shoots.

dave

snyderman wrote in post #10995663
Hi Denise:

Neither recommended by ben_r could be considered cheap or inexpensive. But both work extremely well for plugging in and using strobes where power and outlets aren't available.

Don't let someone tell you that portable power supply that can be bought at a Best Buy or Office Max for around $50-60 will work. I fell for it. They don't. Luckily, my lights still work.

Bit bullet and bought the Explorer XT. It's about 14" long and 6" x 6" square. Weighs around 12 lbs, I'd guess. Can plug both strobes in at same time. Great power on tap. Never came close to draining while doing outdoor senior shoots.

dave

Yea the UPS way of going is def not a good idea!

However, cheap/inexpensive is a very relative term. Hence why one of the first questions I asked was how much are you looking to spend. That being said as far as portable power goes, your cheapest pro option starts at around $1000 just for the battery pack. Strobe heads are of course extra. So $325 shipped for a Vagabond II that can be used with many different strobes that the OP might own is a pretty darn cheap option.

I am using Interfit Stellar X300. I have 3 of them.
Using them outdoors is not necessarily something i will do on a regular basis.
I do however have some sports team photos that will be done outdoors and i want to make sure that i have adequate lighting for everyone, therefore, i am considering taking the lights along.
Looking to spend what i have to i suppose. There really is no right or wrong answer, however, spending $500 on a power source is probably not a possibility.

Thanks for the input, of course, that was a suggestion, go to walmart or a farm supply store and get one.
Wasn't so sure that was a good idea myself, so I am glad that you mentioned it.

I appreciate the information!!

snyderman wrote in post #10995663
Hi Denise:

Neither recommended by ben_r could be considered cheap or inexpensive. But both work extremely well for plugging in and using strobes where power and outlets aren't available.

Don't let someone tell you that portable power supply that can be bought at a Best Buy or Office Max for around $50-60 will work. I fell for it. They don't. Luckily, my lights still work.

Bit bullet and bought the Explorer XT. It's about 14" long and 6" x 6" square. Weighs around 12 lbs, I'd guess. Can plug both strobes in at same time. Great power on tap. Never came close to draining while doing outdoor senior shoots.

dave

denise69 wrote in post #10995729
Thanks for the input, of course, that was a suggestion, go to walmart or a farm supply store and get one.
Wasn't so sure that was a good idea myself, so I am glad that you mentioned it.

I appreciate the information!!

There are UPS units that can work, you just have to research them - though buying new, they'll be about as expensive as the Vagabond II, or the Innovatronix Explorer XT SE.

The most important thing is that you get a unit with a pure sine wave inverter. Any battery pack you're buying from a hardware store that is less than $300 (Even ones above that don't specifically say it) is not likely to have a pure sine inverter. They're also not designed for strobes that draw power in several-second bursts, so they may not behave as expected.

GREAT!~ THANK you for more valuable information! it is very much appreciated. This is new territory for me and I was unsure where to go or what to buy.
Thank you all for your time and info.

I'm getting ready to buy a lighting kit and remote power is one thing I am looking into.

One possibility I am researching is a high powered inverter to convert 12 VDC to 120 VAC.

I have to get the electrical information on the lights and will seek out an interver rated continuous at 3X the required power.

My dealer seems to think it should work, but he is checking with his expert tomorrow.

ben_r_ wrote in post #10995680
Yea the UPS way of going is def not a good idea!

However, cheap/inexpensive is a very relative term. Hence why one of the first questions I asked was how much are you looking to spend. That being said as far as portable power goes, your cheapest pro option starts at around $1000 just for the battery pack. Strobe heads are of course extra. So $325 shipped for a Vagabond II that can be used with many different strobes that the OP might own is a pretty darn cheap option.

Ben,

I wasn't slagging your 'good ideas' at all. Apologies if I came off that way in print. Both of those units are superb. The cost of either unit and 'shoestring budget' probably aren't going to align. I should have just posted the cost of each. Ball sqaurely in buyer's court, then.

Best answer is to always identify need first, then spec equipment to satisfy those needs. In most cases, running strobes where no power is available clearly makes the two choices you recommended good ones!

dave

snyderman wrote in post #10995929
Ben,

I wasn't slagging your 'good ideas' at all. Apologies if I came off that way in print. Both of those units are superb. The cost of either unit and 'shoestring budget' probably aren't going to align. I should have just posted the cost of each. Ball sqaurely in buyer's court, then.

Best answer is to always identify need first, then spec equipment to satisfy those needs. In most cases, running strobes where no power is available clearly makes the two choices you recommended good ones!

dave

Sorry, no worries. Didnt mean to come off as defensive. Youre right, I suppose I should have concentrated on identifying OPs actual needs and budget (shoe-string didnt make sense to me lol) first before throwing out suggestions.

Best price for a Tronix Explorer 1200 I've seen is here. He was trying for a local sale in the Los Angeles Area, but I don't know if he had any local interest. He may be willing to ship if he hasn't found a local buyer. I was able to pick one up here for about the same price, but mine is banged up a little bit (still works !!!). Silver's unit looks spanking new !!.

Paul C Buff is coming out with a lithium ion battery pack in the next month or two. Looks like an amazing deal for right around 240. You can buy individual batteries for it too for 80. 2 plug ins. Might be worth waiting a month for. They are light (3 lbs.(ish))and are supposed to produce as many pops as the acid based vagabond 2.