RedHead Lights, any good?

hi jpschmidt,

you have to ask yourself why a 3 redhead kit is available for

343.00............................

the original ianaro heads are 400.00 each (for a reason)

you get what you pay for...........

as mentioned earlier on this site (do a search) i wouldnt touch these with a
40 foot barge pole.

cheers
 
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Ive done a few searches but cant find anything on "light kits" or "cheap lights" or anything along those lines ... i'm looking for a starting points for HD work ... want a decent (i know i stress decent) kit for around $500 to start... I will be buying an arri fill light though ontop of the kit, but the basic kit i want cheaper.
 
hi jp,

purchase them if you have no other option........but be aware that you get what you pay for.

as a professional gaffer there is no way i would take these on to a set i was working on.

they look the part but are built very cheaply.

one of the problems i had was they were not earthed. the earth should be terminated to the housing, the one i purchased (for evaluation) had the earth stop at the switch.

they are all metal (the originals are fibreglass) and if they go live the current will travel thru the light and down the stand.

put your hand on a live stand to move it and you are dead.

if you do purchase them have them tested and tagged by an electrician for safety. which you should do every six months for all your lights.

cheers
 
yea, after what you all have said i'll avoid the ebay ones ... i MIGHT cave in and get a Lowell set (my orignal plan) for $745, but I would prefer cheaper if I can for now, but thanks for the suggestions and if anyone knows any worthwhile kits, let me know.
 
hi jp,

if you buy the lowel kit it will be the best money you can spend
they are a quality brand and you will still be using them in 20 years......if the globes are still available................

i have 5 original ianaro redheads ....3 of them are over 20 years old and they still work like new....i doubt that would happen with the ebay ones.

cheers
 
Yeah, the Lowells were my first pick forever ago, but money is tight right now ... but that is assuring to know if i go that way that they are worth it
 
The lowells are good lights and will last for sure. The Tota lights get very hot and you need to be very careful with crew or paint getting too close. having said that they give a beautiful soft light with an umbrella or a fantastic gradient against a wall. I use a tota in interviews all the time. The prolights work really well but seems to blow globes really easily. That is said to be an australian 110v issue though.

If you could come up with some money the lights I find most useful for most things are dedos, expensive but great.

I have used the cheap redheads and they do the job fne but you will pay the money you save in globes in the long term.
 
I've personally used the ProLine fresnels from Altman (150w; 300w; 650w; 1k; 2k; 5k) with very good results. They're comparable with the Arri for at least 30% less and you have a real manufacturer in Altman that will stand behind them.
 
Saying Red Heads (or Blondes) are bad in general is wrong. They have been a standard workhorse in film and TV production for decades. Cheap knockoffs might not be the best quality(good note on the missing Ground/Earth), but that goes with any lighting fixture. The one guy stated he lost a couple bulbs in 4 weeks, not bad really. You're going to lose bulbs in any light being used, in transit, constantly getting bounced, bad power, it just happens. Over the past few years I've been surprised how many Gaffers have Red Heads and Blondes in their personal kits, but never Lowels. In fact I have never seen a Lowel light on a film set and I mean an actual Union show that is gonna be seen in the theaters. On "I am Number IV", we used Red Heads and Blondes almost daily. Now for industrials, interviews and the like, even CBS Sports, I've seen plenty of Lowel Kits and have always felt they are better in the hands of their owner, as rental ones get beat up easy if you're not careful(same as the small Arri 650 & 1k kits), they need motherly love.
 
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