What's the deal with Kinoflo?

taubkin

taubkin

Veteran
Now I was looking for some cool ways to save some money while building a flourecent lighting kit. I had the great idea of putting cheaper full spectrum bulbs I got to know from this site inside KinoFlo Banks in order to give them a propper appearance (And the greatness of a lightweight foldable system). Then I went to research on BH and got the following prices: A Foto-Flo 400 4-bank fixture goes at a whopping US$ 250 (Almost 300 if you get the baby mouting stud adapter). Then there are the Lamps themselves, that sell for... huh 20 bucks each? That was a surprise, since the foto-flo 400 kit sells without the lamps for 1000 dollars. But ok, anyway, I checked for the ballast that is really the expensive toy: about 400. So a fixture plus a ballast: 650. I guess the other overpriced accesories in the kit make up for the 1K pricetag. Add another 100 or so on lamps. Very well. Now ths is what I don't understand: Does Kino-FLo lamps work on a different cycle? Can't they be run from regular fixtures with regular ballasts? Because Kino-Flo Lamps run quite cheap, from where I see. What's the deal on finding other lamp manufacturers, if what makes the Kinos so unacessible are the shells, ballasts, cases and the other junk?
 
Re: What's the deal with Kinoflo?

The ballasts and bulbs. The bulbs run prettly long, so they're really expensive when you consider what a proper tungsten or HMI bulb can cost. What you're really paying for is the flickerfree quiet ballast (dimmable in some cases).

Could it be made/had for cheaper? Probably. But with 5+ competing companies marketing flourescent lights at similar price points...is it likely to find something as high quality for cheaper?

No.

Arri, Gyoury, Lowel, Mole, Lumedyne, Videssence, Kaiser, DeSisti, and Patterson are all either actively marketing or rolling out flourescent product lines. None of them are really significantly undercutting Kino. I'd imagine that if they could really cut their costs and still turn a profit, one of those smaller companies would market a cut-rate fluro fixture...but no one is currenty.

I'm of the opinion that kinos are worth every penny. They work great, they're durable, and their light enough to carry up a mountain if you so desired. Not to mention that the light they put out is beautiful.

I've seen several homemade knockoffs, and while a couple were of acceptable light quality, I wouldn't trust them to last on a long production.
 
Re: What's the deal with Kinoflo?

My question is: You can get a KinoFlo Fixture with bulbs for 500 dolars. If you use a regular ballast that should make for a cost-effective flourescent fixture itself...
 
Re: What's the deal with Kinoflo?

What makes you think that the expensive and essential part of the system is not the ballast?

Balanced bulbs aren't unusual technology, and the housings are just corrogated plastic board with a few metal parts, a reflector and an egg crate.

What i'm saying is that the ballast is the part of the kino system that makes it reliable, efficient, and perfectly suited to filmmaking.  Concequently, it is the part you can't find a cheap alternative for.

If you buy a kino flo ballast for 300 some odd dollars, add a couple of bulbs for $40 and the build a housing and jerry-rig the connections...then you've got a cost effective fourescent system.

Unfortunatly, I don't think there's an easy alternative for the ballast.
 
Re: What's the deal with Kinoflo?

[quote author=J_Barnes link=board=lighting;num=1092189885;start=0#1 date=08/11/04 at 08:47:54]The bulbs run prettly long, so they're really expensive when you consider what a proper tungsten or HMI bulb can cost.[/quote]
You meant really INexpensive, right? Because an HMI lamp can be $250, and tungsten lamps are typically $20 to $50, and an HMI lamp lasts about 700 hours whereas a $25 Kino Flo lamp will last 10,000 hours. Kino lamps are quite inexpensive for what you get.
 
Re: What's the deal with Kinoflo?

If you SoCal guys ever need some Kino Flo lighting I have 2 4 bank select systems. Instead of renting the lights just call me and I will match the rental price and even deliver them to you anywhere in the LA area.



These lights are great during our hot summer months.
 
Re: What's the deal with Kinoflo?

[quote author=Barry_Green link=board=lighting;num=1092189885;start=0#4 date=08/11/04 at 16:59:21]
You meant really INexpensive, right?  Because an HMI lamp can be $250, and tungsten lamps are typically $20 to $50, and an HMI lamp lasts about 700 hours whereas a $25 Kino Flo lamp will last 10,000 hours.  Kino lamps are quite inexpensive for what you get.
[/quote]

Ah yes typo. I meant to say that the bulbs are $20...sure more then a $4 household fluro, but you get the even spectrum that kino provides.

And yes, they last much longer then HMIs or tungstens and cost far less.

Ever bought a 10k xenon bulb? Yeah, kino tubes are cheap.
 
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