Coollights v KinoFlos

M

mrWr0ng

Well-known member
Hi guys,

I'm looking at investing in some lighting equipment this year and was taking a look at the Cool Lights CL-455MD, which shapes up to be most like the 4 bar KinoFlos that I work with pretty regularly on film shoots. I know that one of the reps for Cool Lights is here and is an awesome person to deal with, but I'm really curious about how these lights match up in day-to-day use: On the last shoot I worked on, we wound up using 9 of the 4 bars, but on most shoots we usually wind up using at least one or two.

I'd prefer to go with the Cool Light since it's cheaper and the rep sounds great to work with, but if they're pretty different lights for different situations or it's a bigger hassle which would make the extra money for the Kino worth it, then I'd like to hear about it. Does anybody have a couple of each in their setup and find them interchangeable?

Thanks
 
I DO NOT own any of Richard from Cool Lights- fixtures as of YET...But will soon.
I have done considerable research on various lights and new technology for sometime now, as I am putting together my new grip truck.
The ONLY thing about I find nice about Kino brand lights , besides they are pretty durable, is the fact that you can remove the wiring harness and rig a single bulb in a location that you would not be able to use the entire fixture.
I have shot many commercial inside of grocery stores, and quite often I need to place daylight balanced bulbs inside the "Freezer" section. This also great for behind glass in a bar, hidden on the car dash and countless other uses.
I do believe CoolLights to be a great value, and quite nicely made. Many people who use this forum are proud new "Fathers and Mothers" of this fixtures.
Hope my coments help...
 
I looked at both extensively (but hadnt used either) and went coollights for the price. I went with the portable style and its a fantastic light and will get lots of use - the only advantage I saw in the Kinos is that you could use a bare bulb as filmat11 mentioned, and I just dont have alot of use for that ( i do corporate interviews mainly). I would (and will) buy more coollights when I need more. Richard also has great support and is just a really nice guy as well.
 
So as far as the actual light itself is concerned, colour temp, ballast to prevent flickering, all of that's exactly the same? I mean I can live without a removable wire harness, ibut I'm mostly thinking about interview setups and soft keylights for my short narratives. Right now I'm mostly using Omnis and Totas, so I think a four bar flourescent would be the next best to add to the kit, I just remember hearing that the ballast for the Kino Flos was the biggest problem in trying to replicate them DIY.
 
I really think you'll find the light output and quality to be the same based on all the user feedback I've gotten and tests I have run and there is definitely no flicker. Also, I noticed you picked the CL-455MD which is our studio version. You may prefer the lighter weight CL-455PMD or CL-455P for travel use. We'll have carrying cases coming up in the next couple of months for the portables but we won't be making any carrying cases for the studio series. Hope this helps.
 
I own several different Coollights and I'm very pleased with the quality and the value. You won't be dissapointed.
 
I've been buying some Cool Lights stuff. I've got some 1st-gen CL655s, and they aren't in the same class as the Kino stuff. Of course, they're 1/3 the price -- you have to keep that in mind! The 1st-gen 6-bank CL655 is $429, including lamps. A Kino 4-bank Diva is $1200, without lamps. Is a Diva worth 3x as much? For many people, yes, it probably is. For many of our DVXUsers, who just want a fixture that sprays good quality light, I'm sure they'll be very happy saving $800.

It is my understanding that the 2nd-gen CL655s improved on much of the shortcomings of the first gen, so this should no longer be an issue anyway.

I also received some more Cool Lights stuff while I was away, I should have a 150W HMI (650w equiv.) and a 150w fresnel out there. I haven't unpacked it yet but I have very high hopes for this gear.
 
Things to keep in mind: the Cool Lights fixtures are biax fixtures, which inherently are brighter/more efficient than "classic" kino fixtures. The most valid comparison is with the Divas, not the older straight-tube models. Can't comment specifically on Richard's first-gen biax fixtures, other than to point out that they are heavier and less portable by design than Divas...but so are all other Diva clones and similar biax fixtures.

I just bought two of Richard's new portable series fixtures and I am thrilled so far. It is far more than a mere Diva clone; it has unique advantages that go beyond price.

I did a side by side review with another DP friend's Diva. My Cool Lights are bank-switchable vs. the Diva's dimmers. You can buy dimmable Cool Lights but bank-switchable suits my working style fine. The Cool Lights design and build quality is excellent...there is a small plastic trim piece across the front of the barn door that tends to come loose...easily fixed with Liquid Nails and purely cosmetic. All the hardware looks and feels very very solid. The polycarbonate (vs. Kino's plastic) is much lighter... a great benefit on location. The construction of the popcicle stick is excellent...I would prefer it to be a bit longer like the Diva's. I bought the extension arms to compensate, but in my opinion the execution is flawed...I need to add some Loctite to the nuts that hold the brackets on the end of the arms. A fairly minor issue but a bit of a pain to fix.

The cable is very generously long, but a bit stiff and harder to wrap up than the Diva or other typical professional lighting gear. It has a standard connector (like on the back of a computer) so I could easily replace it someday if I cared to. These are very small quibbles.

Quantity of light is excellent and compared well, to our eyes, with the Diva. Didn't take meter readings. Daylight tubes did seem a VERY slight bit warmer than the Diva to our eyes but didn't make extensive tests. Really a non-issue for me. I understand that CRI is a standard for the eye, and film and video may see things differently in a given circumstance. If you are a purist you can certainly buy bulbs from Kino or GE's cinema series (keeping the included-free bulbs as your backups) and you would still be many, many dollars ahead.

Richard is still working on his full suite of case solutions, but the "around town" case I bought is a great case for about half the price of a KATA or Petrol case.

I also bought the 150W CDM/HMI (in the 650W tungsten body), and the 300W tungsten. The CDM is amazing for the money. The 300W tungsten is a real value for the money. The build quality of the CDM didn't seem quite up to snuff compared to the 300W, but they were relatively tiny issues, such as loose barn door screws and a minor assembly problem. For the money, this is a breakthrough piece of design and engineering. The little bitty ballast is really quite a marvel.

My 300W tungsten is a lot of bang for the buck. Really solid, nearly indistinguishable from an Arri. Oddly, there was no on/off switch on the cord. I use the Harbor Freight dimmer, so it's no big deal to me. Richard told me that this was a mistake by the factory on the first batch of 300's, and he plans to change that in future manufacturing runs.

My correspondence and conversations with Richard have been very helpful and productive, and he speaks with the same candor and passion for excellence as his postings on the boards.
 
i've worked with kinos and own several coolights. my coolights are the studio, non-portable type, but we use them alot and they work well. haven't yet used they're portable variety yet, but Richard is always very, very responsive to any questions or concerns, so if you can do without the removeable fixture part, save the $ and go with the coolights.
 
I pretty much echo sunporchmedia's comments. I have one of the Cool Lights portable CL-655's and a couple of the CDM-150's and really like them so far.

Compared to the alternatives, the price/performance/quality ratio makes the Cool Lights a solid choice, especially for indie filmmakers. I'm looking forward to more of Richard's offerings as he broadens his product line with various wattage options.
 
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