Looking for an inexpensive, light weight 1x2 LED Fabric light - Andoer? Falcon Eyes?

[puredrifting]

Hi all:

I'm setting up a live stream studio for a client and wanted to light him with the Andoer FL-3060a
https://www.amazon.com/Andoer-Tempe...=1&keywords=FL-3060+led&qid=1588976612&sr=8-3

Unfortunately this light is out of stock everywhere, even AliExpress, Amazon, etc. I need super light weight, it's for a fixed installation so the fact that it's cheap Chinese fragile is fine,
it's not going to get built up and torn down so not being heavy duty is fine.

Client wants it on an extension arm so he can swivel it in and out as he needs it, hence needs to be light weight, have a diffusion screen and having additional price egg crate would be helpful.
Looking for an alternative. For about $60.00 more, I found the Falcon Eyes RT18XD, and it's 18" x 24" but I think it could work. I read generally good things about the Falcon Eyes but that it's not
color accurate, that 5600k is more like 4000k on it? Anyone have this light? Is it adequate for occasional fixed installation use? Any other cheap, cloth LED mats that are around 1 x 2, around 80-100 watts and light weight? Must be under $300.00 as money is tight.

Thanks!

 

[mothmachine]

I have that Falconeyes -- mine is not 4000k by any means, defintely "daylight". I couldn't really tell you the exact color temperature, though i could measure it against a daylight astra and see which one my phone thinks is bluer. I like it; I haven't used it a ton but it's handy -- I got it partly on the basis of the review in geardads/now digitalfilmmaker.net. It may have been this article I'm not sure: https://digitalfilmmaker.net/flex-light-review/
I got it at least 2 years ago and I don't know what might have changed since I got it. The advantage of getting the daylight version instead of the bicolor was the smaller dimmer box.

 

[puredrifting]

Amazon has the Falcon Eyes RT-18DX in a kit with the diffusion and a grid for $370.00. More than we can spend but we may have to just up the budget a bit.
Can't find the daylight only version, only bi-color. Right now, because of the virus influenced supply chain interruptions, a lot of Chinese electronics and accessories are showing June to July delivery times.
Kind of ridiculous when we are all so used to overnight from Amazon, but we are in a new reality now.

 

[homestar_kevin]

I have experience with both of the fixtures you mention.

I personally own a kit of the andoer style bicolor panels. I have 3 of the 3060a's and 2 of the 3030a's that I put together 3 years or so ago when they were first coming out.

My work was looking for new lights so I brought these in and we used them for awhile for interview and course introductions.

Based on our experience working with the Andoer kit for a few months and our needs, when my work bought lights, we went with the falcon eyes panels.

They're definitely nicer build wise than the andoer. The soft box/diffusion set up on the falcon eyes is better than the andoers, but the lights overall are heavier/more bulky. Now this is all relative, because the falcon eyes are still light (we use drop ceiling clamps to hang them onto the frame of drop ceiling conference rooms)

Falcon eyes fixtures are also center mount on the back of the panel as opposed to the andoers which have a side of the frame mount

I still have and use my andoer kit now and they've been great lights for what they are. They have their issues, but so do more expensive fixtures.

Until last year I've left all five fixtures built up on their frames in one bigger case in between shoots. It's really nice. For a case that years ago would've held one kinoflo diva now holds five fixtures, power supplies, all mounting hardware, all at a much lower weight.

I've bought decent light stand adapters and mini ball heads to mount all the fixtures to stands when using stands. The lights are really lightweight and and great to mount on ceilings and pretty much anywhere you can velcro or clamp them too.

I bought cheap velcro egg crates off ebay that work well enough for me.

The few things I don't like about the andoers:

-There's no display or color temp read out for the bicolor fixtures, so you're just clicking blindly in the middle color temp settings, and there's a lot of stops between 3200-5600.
-The little lego like pegs that connect the frame pieces are fragile over time. The whole frame is fragile over time. Mine have lasted for like 3 years, but I've left them assembled the vast majority of that time. If you're taking them down and putting them together more often, I really don't see them holding up.
-Low CRI for a current 2020 LED fixture. They're not bad, I still use the andoers all the time, but the falcon eyes is better CRI wise. I think it's the r9 channel or something?
-Power connector doesn't lock, just a barrel plug.

Things I do like:

-They're bright. I remember when buying them the thing that sold me was that the output was more than a kinoflo, and it is. It has enough punch for what it is and where it's priced.
-They're super light weight and modular. The main thing I do is connect the frames together for (2) 3060a fixtures so it's 2x2. Then you can put the two fixtures together on remote and control them in tandem as one big fixture. You can do this with more than 2 lights too, so you can easily make a 1x4, a 2x3, 2x2 fixture by combining several 3060's together.
-They're cheap. I bought all mine after some ebay hunting for under $150 a fixture I think.


I understand that might not be accurate with the current situation, and I think if the cost was the same or as close to the falcon eyes as they seem to be now, I'd go with the falcon eyes.

The color temp display alone is worth it.

Let me know if you have any questions that I didn't touch on

 

[puredrifting]

I have experience with both of the fixtures you mention.

I personally own a kit of the andoer style bicolor panels. I have 3 of the 3060a's and 2 of the 3030a's that I put together 3 years or so ago when they were first coming out.

My work was looking for new lights so I brought these in and we used them for awhile for interview and course introductions.

Based on our experience working with the Andoer kit for a few months and our needs, when my work bought lights, we went with the falcon eyes panels.

They're definitely nicer build wise than the andoer. The soft box/diffusion set up on the falcon eyes is better than the andoers, but the lights overall are heavier/more bulky. Now this is all relative, because the falcon eyes are still light (we use drop ceiling clamps to hang them onto the frame of drop ceiling conference rooms)

Falcon eyes fixtures are also center mount on the back of the panel as opposed to the andoers which have a side of the frame mount

I still have and use my andoer kit now and they've been great lights for what they are. They have their issues, but so do more expensive fixtures.

Until last year I've left all five fixtures built up on their frames in one bigger case in between shoots. It's really nice. For a case that years ago would've held one kinoflo diva now holds five fixtures, power supplies, all mounting hardware, all at a much lower weight.

I've bought decent light stand adapters and mini ball heads to mount all the fixtures to stands when using stands. The lights are really lightweight and and great to mount on ceilings and pretty much anywhere you can velcro or clamp them too.

I bought cheap velcro egg crates off ebay that work well enough for me.

The few things I don't like about the andoers:

-There's no display or color temp read out for the bicolor fixtures, so you're just clicking blindly in the middle color temp settings, and there's a lot of stops between 3200-5600.
-The little lego like pegs that connect the frame pieces are fragile over time. The whole frame is fragile over time. Mine have lasted for like 3 years, but I've left them assembled the vast majority of that time. If you're taking them down and putting them together more often, I really don't see them holding up.
-Low CRI for a current 2020 LED fixture. They're not bad, I still use the andoers all the time, but the falcon eyes is better CRI wise. I think it's the r9 channel or something?
-Power connector doesn't lock, just a barrel plug.

Things I do like:

-They're bright. I remember when buying them the thing that sold me was that the output was more than a kinoflo, and it is. It has enough punch for what it is and where it's priced.
-They're super light weight and modular. The main thing I do is connect the frames together for (2) 3060a fixtures so it's 2x2. Then you can put the two fixtures together on remote and control them in tandem as one big fixture. You can do this with more than 2 lights too, so you can easily make a 1x4, a 2x3, 2x2 fixture by combining several 3060's together.
-They're cheap. I bought all mine after some ebay hunting for under $150 a fixture I think.


I understand that might not be accurate with the current situation, and I think if the cost was the same or as close to the falcon eyes as they seem to be now, I'd go with the falcon eyes.

The color temp display alone is worth it.

Let me know if you have any questions that I didn't touch on

Thanks! Good feedback and use points. I think I've talked this client into spending a few bucks more for the Falcon Eyes, it seems to be a little better.