Is buying Westcott like shopping at Macy's

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Michaelparris
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p.1 #1 · Is buying Westcott like shopping at Macy's

I can get a Phottix easy folder 16x16 softbox for $65.00 or a 12x16 westcott for more than double the price. Am I paying for the name? Is the output from there modifiers so much better that it is really worth the extra money? Just curious as to what you all have to say about this.....I already have softboxes but have been watching Joel Grimes videos and noticed he endorses Westcott so I have been doing some research.

Jul 12, 2012 at 05:10 AM

jshalvorsen
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p.1 #2 · Is buying Westcott like shopping at Macy's

There is a chance the phottix easy folder is just as good + solid, but are you willing to take the chance to save a few bucks? I'm not..

Jul 12, 2012 at 03:36 PM

tedwca
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p.1 #3 · Is buying Westcott like shopping at Macy's

I consider Westcott soft boxes to be mid level at best. I've had several versions of the Halo and they did not hold up very well. They are very convenient to use and inexpensive, but I prefer Plume and Chimera if you want a long lasting soft box.

Jul 12, 2012 at 06:34 PM

RDKirk
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p.1 #4 · Is buying Westcott like shopping at Macy's

Michaelparris wrote:
I can get a Phottix easy folder 16x16 softbox for $65.00 or a 12x16 westcott for more than double the price. Am I paying for the name? Is the output from there modifiers so much better that it is really worth the extra money? Just curious as to what you all have to say about this.....I already have softboxes but have been watching Joel Grimes videos and noticed he endorses Westcott so I have been doing some research.

Someone has said Wescott is mid-level, that that's true. The quality of their products can vary a bit. Moreover, the ease of use of "twistoflex" designs can also vary enormously.

I have Westcott Apollo softboxes that I've been using day-in-day-out for years. But I have a couple of their twistoflex reflectors that potatochipped on me in a few weeks and are useless.

OTOH, my Photoflex twistoflex reflectors have been perfectly flat and only need to be folded over once to immediately collapse into a tight coil. A three-toed sloth could do it. I've not found any other make or model of twistoflex reflector that is as docile as the Photoflex when it comes to refolding them.

Jul 12, 2012 at 06:49 PM

Michaelparris
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p.1 #5 · Is buying Westcott like shopping at Macy's

jshalvorsen wrote:
There is a chance the phottix easy folder is just as good + solid, but are you willing to take the chance to save a few bucks? I'm not..

So....If it cost more it MUST be better, right?....I have some Phottix boxes they work great.

Jul 12, 2012 at 09:37 PM

Gregg Heckler
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p.1 #6 · Is buying Westcott like shopping at Macy's

There is certainly a difference in the quality and performance of softbox brands. There is thickness which improves durability and blocks light better from coming through, rod thickness and quality (breakage), and ease of set up, but one of the most important is the quality and color consistency in diffusers. Compare a cheap Chinese box to a good quality Westcott, Chimera, Profoto, Elinchrom, or Photoflex and you'll see what I mean. But if you need quality then it doesn't matter. At the very least I'd buy a Photoflex.

Jul 13, 2012 at 02:42 AM

kenyee
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p.1 #7 · Is buying Westcott like shopping at Macy's

Michaelparris wrote:
So....If it cost more it MUST be better, right?....I have some Phottix boxes they work great.

Westcott shows up at photo shows quite a bit. Even shows like Photoshop World.
Stop by their booth and look yourself and compare it w/ your Phottix...

Some of the inexpensive softboxes have diffusion panels that fluoresce so colors are a bit off as well. You might or might not notice depending on your work (I probably wouldn't because I don't shoot catalog)...

Jul 13, 2012 at 02:45 AM

Michaelparris
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p.1 #8 · Is buying Westcott like shopping at Macy's

Just because something isn't expensive does not mean it is not good quality.......Phottix is a VERY popular brand name, just not here in the good ole' USA

Jul 13, 2012 at 04:43 AM

rico
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p.1 #9 · Is buying Westcott like shopping at Macy's

Another aspect is safety. You don't want a rod to break, to come through the SB corner, to fly away from your fingers: it can instantly take out your eye. The Chimera Quick Release SR improves security further. You can also transport the SB with rods resident, like a big umbrella, allowing assembly/breakdown with amazing rapidity and ease.

Jul 13, 2012 at 05:05 AM

jshalvorsen
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p.1 #10 · Is buying Westcott like shopping at Macy's

Michaelparris wrote:

So....If it cost more it MUST be better, right?....I have some Phottix boxes they work great.

Thats not what I'm saying. But buying from a reputable brand is usually the "safer bet". Just like when you buy a lens, gamble on Sigma to focus, or get a canon. There are lemons in all camps, but you would expect a more reputable brand to put out better equipment.

I use Phottix Odin's for my flashes, and couldn't be more happy, so I have nothing against the brand. But When I buy something, I usually wanna get it right the first time so I don't have to spend additional money on the "right" gear.

Jul 13, 2012 at 06:01 AM

Michaelparris
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p.1 #11 · Is buying Westcott like shopping at Macy's

Phottix is VERY reputable and a very popular company.....They just dont have name recognition in the US. I will put there customer service up against anything you can find in the states......I have the Odins as well. People were begging them to put them out there response was "we will not put this out until we are certain it is ready"....Not sure Nikon or Canon can make those claims

Jul 13, 2012 at 07:12 AM

jshalvorsen
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p.1 #12 · Is buying Westcott like shopping at Macy's

Phottix have also made total rip-offs of the Apollo series and the Ezybox from Lastolite, if these are better, worse, or exactly the same I have no idea. But I personally feel more inclined to buy the original product.

Jul 13, 2012 at 10:39 AM

DanBrown
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p.1 #13 · Is buying Westcott like shopping at Macy's

jshalvorsen wrote:
Phottix have also made total rip-offs of the Apollo series and the Ezybox from Lastolite, if these are better, worse, or exactly the same I have no idea. But I personally feel more inclined to buy the original product.

The marketing of knock-offs is not restricted to Phottix, however. See David Hobby's recent post.

Jul 13, 2012 at 01:32 PM

Michaelparris
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p.1 #14 · Is buying Westcott like shopping at Macy's

I read that awhile back......As a company would you rather sell 1 to make twenty bucks or 10 to make twenty bucks. Me I shop at Walmart. Read between the lines....

Jul 13, 2012 at 09:40 PM

Michaelparris
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p.1 #15 · Is buying Westcott like shopping at Macy's

jshalvorsen wrote:
Phottix have also made total rip-offs of the Apollo series and the Ezybox from Lastolite, if these are better, worse, or exactly the same I have no idea. But I personally feel more inclined to buy the original product.

Do you honestly think the Apollo series and the EZbox were original ideas?.....Hey it's your money....

Jul 13, 2012 at 09:43 PM

unknown_photog
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p.1 #16 · Is buying Westcott like shopping at Macy's

I just received my Phottix Easy-Up softbox from HK. First I'll clear the air by saying that I came here looking to see what people where saying about the softbox.
I was a huge supporter of Westcott gear until I went to HK and played with the Phottix. I know there is a lot of issue about who is knocking who off, but to be completely honest, they are both "knockoff's" of other products anyway.
I'm looking at it from what will benefit my photography better and to be frank, the quality of the Westcott (even if they where the first to put a zipper at the bottom of a softbox, this would be the only thing unique to it) the quality is not worth the $150.00 price tag. It falls it breaks, I know this because I have gone through 9 Apollos in the past 2 years.
The phottix is basically the same thing only less expensive. So if you care about your cash, then buy the phottix.
Don't believe everything you hear and let some marketing pride make you spend more. If the Apollo quality was heads over tails above the Phottix I would say buy it in a heartbeat, but it's not. They are 99% identical as far as quality goes.
The word "knockoff" is subjective, do you consider IS a clone of VR? Or what about Sigma lenses?
There are very few products in the photo industry that you can truly say are unique and supporting the cloning is not my forte, but that only applies to truly unique products..not a clone of a clone!

Just my humble .02

Jul 18, 2012 at 01:38 AM

Michaelparris
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p.1 #17 · Is buying Westcott like shopping at Macy's

unknown_photog wrote:
I just received my Phottix Easy-Up softbox from HK. First I'll clear the air by saying that I came here looking to see what people where saying about the softbox.
I was a huge supporter of Westcott gear until I went to HK and played with the Phottix. I know there is a lot of issue about who is knocking who off, but to be completely honest, they are both "knockoff's" of other products anyway.
I'm looking at it from what will benefit my photography better and to be frank, the quality of the Westcott (even if they where the first to put a zipper at the bottom of a softbox, this would be the only thing unique to it) the quality is not worth the $150.00 price tag. It falls it breaks, I know this because I have gone through 9 Apollos in the past 2 years.
The phottix is basically the same thing only less expensive. So if you care about your cash, then buy the phottix.
Don't believe everything you hear and let some marketing pride make you spend more. If the Apollo quality was heads over tails above the Phottix I would say buy it in a heartbeat, but it's not. They are 99% identical as far as quality goes.
The word "knockoff" is subjective, do you consider IS a clone of VR? Or what about Sigma lenses?
There are very few products in the photo industry that you can truly say are unique and supporting the cloning is not my forte, but that only applies to truly unique products..not a clone of a clone!

Just my humble .02

I have been using Phottix for a few years now, they make a great product. I mentioned it before but it is worth noting again, customer service for me has been top notch.

Jul 18, 2012 at 05:02 AM

tedwca
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p.1 #18 · Is buying Westcott like shopping at Macy's

unknown_photog wrote:
The word "knockoff" is subjective, do you consider IS a clone of VR?
There are very few products in the photo industry that you can truly say are unique and supporting the cloning is not my forte, but that only applies to truly unique products..not a clone of a clone!

Just my humble .02

I don't consider IS a clone of VR since IS came out first by a wide margin. ;-)

Jul 18, 2012 at 06:58 AM

unknown_photog
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p.1 #19 · Is buying Westcott like shopping at Macy's

@tedwca, sorry got them mixed up but you get the point!

Jul 18, 2012 at 04:48 PM

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