Review of BluLine 300w Fresnel

Patryk_Rebisz

Patryk_Rebisz

Veteran
I purchased a used BluLine 300w Fresnel unit. The light was in a good cosmetic condition as it appears it wasn't used too much. The light is a direct knock off of the Arri lights. It's pretty well made but has its issues. The finish, the blue paint, is not a nice and smooth like on Arris and gives off this feeling of cheapness. Also I feel the paint used is not of the highest quality as only after 1 hour of use I started smelling something funky as if the temperature was causing some chemical reaction to happen with pain – and since the lights are most likely made in China where as we all know they have a perfect environmental and safety record... It makes you think what kind of chemicals you are poisoning yourself with. Another issue I encountered is the fact that the design of the barndoors only allow for 2 scrims to be inserted rather than 3 on Arris.

Other then the unattractive finish the lights are direct replicas of Arris and thus work with all Arri accessories (barndoors and scrims).

A new Arri unit with barndoors cost about $420 so at $180 it was a bargain. Still if I was going to purchase the BluLine light retail I would have to pay $240 at which point I wonder if I would make the jump and go with the knockoffs.
 
Interesting to read your feedback.
Yeah, the smell is just probably that normal tungsten fixture smell and the paint shouldn't be a big deal unless it is just disappearing with normal use. If you are worried about lead content, just don't eat the chips or inhale the sanding dust, you'll be fine.
Most important thing is whether or not the reflector, bulb and lens are aligned properly and how well or poorly the stage adjusts when focusing. Other things to watch for are whether or not the door opens/closes without scraping or unhinging itself, casting flash blocking the vents, bubbles or chips in the lens, non-centered lens, etc. Other knockoffs have had serious issues making any perceived cost savings irrelevant. For the sake of knowing what is available, you might want to check out similar fixtures from Steven Studios on ebay. They make decent quality products at great prices. For example, you can get a 300w fresnel shipped for $200 or a 650w shipped for $225!. In my opinion, they are way underrated for price/value.
 
I have many Arri lights and a few of the Blue Lines, so when comparing them side to side they look the same.

While these light appear to be direct copies of Arris there are some major differences. For example the quality of the metal in the yoke screws are sore poor (expect them to strip) you will replace them within a year of medium use. The focus knobs are just pressed on. The only fix I could find for these, when they fell off, was to purchase very thin metal shim material and repress the knobs. Once this was done they have never come off again.
 
I like the little 300... I've been buying up small used fresnels as they come up on the 'bay. 150's are kinda sweet for punching something up. You should see the a-clamp hoops I'll jump through to get a grid on 'em sometimes.

I did a fashion shoot at a wonderfully renovated theater in downtown Dallas (the Majestic). We were the first people in there after the (zlillion-dollar) renovation, and I was bouncing a 750 broad light, which was new. Of course it smelled like baking paint.

The manager just freaked - she could smell it across the lobby. It was a good three feet from the wall, but she nixed it pretty damn fast. Got some sweet shots that day though.
 
phudsontx said:
I have many Arri lights and a few of the Blue Lines, so when comparing them side to side they look the same.

While these light appear to be direct copies of Arris there are some major differences. For example the quality of the metal in the yoke screws are sore poor (expect them to strip) you will replace them within a year of medium use. The focus knobs are just pressed on. The only fix I could find for these, when they fell off, was to purchase very thin metal shim material and repress the knobs. Once this was done they have never come off again.
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That's oddly appropriate considering real Arri light knobs are pretty shabby after high use. Mole knobs last...
 
Ryan, I totally agree. The Arris and Blue line do not stand the wear and tear like a Mole. Mole has always been my favorite, but the light de jour has been the Arri. I have no idea why people insist on me having these things. Another note, you can pick up used Moles for far less than Arris and they will LAST.
 
That's the problem with going for the cheaper brands, you might get them for half the price, but they also last half the time. That's probably why Arri's are so popular, they don't last as long so they look newer and cleaner than the work horse Moles that have been around since the dawn of time, and some people mistake looks for talent. Common issue in Hollywood (and I suspect Vegas). I've had to retire several of my Arri's to the spare parts bin because some of the basic components have gone belly up and I can't get my hands on replacement parts, especially the 1K opens.

How about the Blue Lines? Other than the knob issue already mentioned, how do they hold up and how easy are they to fix?
 
I was on a shoot today and there were two of these damn Blue Line 300's both of them had the set screw in the bale block fail within the first hour.

Please people don't buy this Chinese junk.
 
phudsontx said:
I was on a shoot today and there were two of these damn Blue Line 300's both of them had the set screw in the bale block fail within the first hour.

Please people don't buy this Chinese junk.
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Thank you for your information, that's mainly the reason I bought it (well not bluelines, but I suppose that they all come from the same factory ( the off brand ones I say). I want to see which are the flaws so that people that in the future want to buy them can have a list of possible defects and how to properly solve them....(though list like this already exist...) For example is it possible to replace the bale block with a better new one, You can get good ones pretty cheap (10€ for a manfrotto one).

I'm not saying that this heads can replace a good Arri or Mole. But those are usually rented for bigger gigs. I would only use this for personal joy and education(for example, students that personally want to learn to light well and want to assemble a small kit to try different setups at home or with some friends in a short film...)
 
You can buy used Mole's in good shape for about the same price. They will last for years and you will avoid the grief these Chinese lights cause. Look on Ebay or call Dave at Pyramid Films he always has dozens of lights available.
 
I totally agre with you. I would love to get those great offers at Pyramid films, the deals are great. But the cost of shipping to europe is prohibitive (at least it was when I asked last year). If there was (and I hope there is) a place like that here in Europe (if someone knows of one please tell) I would buy there without any doubt.

In the USA I wouldn't even think of buying cheap chinese copies (pyramid films has great used material and I would be a recurrent client, for sure, and there are far more oportunities for second hand material). But the opportunities of buying used equipment in Europe aren't that good. Hopefully this will change. The problem is that the studio system didn't have that much strengh hee as it had over there and there is less second hand material.
 
Hell this is an awesome deal for someone that wants to build a small kit. Mole Richardson # 407 1k baby fresnel light w/ doors for 175$ (in pyramid films).
 
It is I bought one last week to replace on that was destroyed in an accident. The light was nearly new.
 
Here is an interesting link with a short review/comparison between different lights including the Cinelight Fresnel 650W.

Link

I have in my arsenal two Cinelight Fresnels 650W and 1000W and one Steven Studio Fresnel 650W (BlueLine) and the quality of Cinelight brand is better than Steven Studio ... better assembly and materials (especially the mirror, barndoors and spigot receiver which is made from metal on Cinelight and not plastic). Also the light output is higher and beam is uniform without dead spot when in flood position as on Steven. Also no problem so far with the bale block. Used them for about two years now - medium use.
Judging by the differences I can say that they are not made in the same factory.
 
Alex Stolnic said:
Here is an interesting link with a short review/comparison between different lights including the Cinelight Fresnel 650W.

Link

I have in my arsenal two Cinelight Fresnels 650W and 1000W and one Steven Studio Fresnel 650W (BlueLine) and the quality of Cinelight brand is better than Steven Studio ... better assembly and materials (especially the mirror, barndoors and spigot receiver which is made from metal on Cinelight and not plastic). Also the light output is higher and beam is uniform without dead spot when in flood position as on Steven. Also no problem so far with the bale block. Used them for about two years now - medium use.
Judging by the differences I can say that they are not made in the same factory.
Click to expand...


It looks interesting, I'll see in two days time when it arrives.
 
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