I need to order some shorter poles for a Chimera SB. There is a choice between stainless steel and aluminum? The aluminum poles are almost double the cost. Are they more flexiable, or better for some other reason?
I have spent the last 15 years working with metals. Steel is always going to be better. No matter what kind of aluminum they use, it will never match steel in elasticity and springback.
Aluminum is far more expensive than steel. If you look around, thieves are stealing anything aluminum, and leaving the steel. The ease of working aluminum into useable shapes does little to offset its far higher raw cost. Also, it takes more aluminum (on a cubic inch basis) to equal the strength of steel. A 1 inch diameter steel bar is far stronger than a 1 inch aluminum bar.
Spring steel is a whole different thing. It is rarely used simply because it is so difficult to work with. It is almost always worked red hot because it is so hard.
The steel is basically a thin wire that has two pillshaped ends, the aluminum is a hollow rod thats straight across (more material is used making the aluminum rods, volume wise the aluminum rods are bigger). It's much lighter and has the same amount of flex needed to open up a softbox etc.. But the steel will be more durable..
I'm guessing you'd buy the aluminum ones for the weight difference (which BTW isn't much unless you get into 5ft and larger octaboxes).. Even then, thats just my best guess..
