Lowel Caselite 4 vs CL655pmd

The 655 is going to have a lot more output, seeing as it's six tubes instead of the CaseLite's 4 tubes.

The CaseLites are built in tough hard molded plastic cases; the whole point of the CaseLite is that "the case *is* the light." The Cool Lights unit looks like it's made from the same kind of corrugated plastic that the Kino Flo fixtures are made from, which would imply that a separate case is needed for travel to protect the unit.

The Lowel has some reversible/removable mirrored barn doors, and is probably quite a bit more compact than the Cool Lights unit.

As for cost differences, you have to factor in the manufacturers' different philosophies. Lowel has always seemed to me to be about the most compact equipment, designed for durability and ruggedness but not for low price. Cool Lights was started with a goal towards making very inexpensive fixtures.

I don't think the 655pmd is really intended to be a direct competitor for the caselite as much as it's intended to be a direct competitor to the Kino Diva.
 
The 655PMD is about as compact and lightweight as a 6x55w can get. It is not built of the same plastic as a diva which uses corrugated polyethylene is actually a fairly soft material. Ours uses corrugated polycarbonate which is a harder substance and has shown that it stands up well to punishment. Caselite, diva or 655PMD--I would use an external case if I was traveling by air, no matter what.
 
Nice to see that it's more rugged than the Kino material. It looked similar, as I said, but if it's in fact more rugged that's a good move.
 
Ours has several improvements I really like in general.

The plastic we use is probably my favorite point. I can't say enough good stuff about polycarbonate, its one of the best plastics out there for not only blunt impact resistance but also heat as well. This is the same stuff they use in atriums of buildings to withstand not only weather but impacts like hail. And ours is shinier than theirs too--you can see yourself. ;-)

The other cool thing I like about ours vs. theirs is our ballast is hidden inside rather than a "hump" on the back so to speak so its a complete and self-contained package with all wiring protected.

Plus you can get it in the economy "six" size which Kino doesn't have either as you pointed out.
 
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