I was wondering if you guys knew some good sturdy hotshoe adapters for triggering flashes off camera. I'm using some Nikon SB28's and Canon 580's and triggering via PW plus II transceivers. Right now I have some flashzebra hotshoes. Now these work well, but I don't feel like they're that sturdy. They mount on the lightstand and then the flash mounts on top, and I feel like with just a bit of force or if the lightstand falls over, it can not only break the small adapters, but break the flash as well. On top of that, I have to buy the male-male cables to connect the PW's to the adapters. I bought these 2 years ago, so I was wondering if you guys knew any new solutions that might be a bit more stable on top of a lightstand, works well, less wires to deal with, and affordable.
If it seems to be working well for you, consider just getting a spare FlashZebra adapter to have on hand. And if in the future you accidently kill the foot on a 580EX flash, you might consider the FlashZebra replacement foot for the flash that has the connector built in to it.
Sahid Limon wrote:
... I feel like with just a bit of force or if the lightstand falls over, it can not only break the small adapters, but break the flash as well....
I can't imagine anything other than some form of protective casing with cushion if it falls over. That really has nothing to do with the hotshoe adapters. The key is making sure you have sturdy stands or C-stands that are held in place (sandbagged or otherwise).
Something to be aware of is that what hold a Canon flash in place in the hot shoe is a retractable pin in the base. The camera hot shoe and OC-E3 cord have matching holes. So does the stand which comes with the flash. Without the matching hole to seat the pin the flash can slip out of the shoe. So when shopping for shoes, look for that feature.
I have been searching for the best one too...I have had 2 600ex's fall to the ground and I thought they were secure I would love to find one like the OC-E3 I might have to just cut the cord on it
If you are just trying to mount a Canon flash on a stand or other bracket, and do not need to access the sync connection like the original poster does, then I can highly recomend the Crane shoe mount adapter for Canon. It has the recess hole for the pin to go in to, and it is made of very strong plastic. It has 1/4 inch threads on the bottom which can easily be adapted to stands or brackets. The only catch besides cost is that it is so strong that if you have an oops the flash foot will likely be what breaks and not this adapter. Here is a link: http://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/product/540457-REG/Crane_CCSLS_SLSC_Locking_Shoe_Mount.html
The Frio cold shoe is an OK product, but the free ones I got I never decided to seriously use. If you need to pay for a Frio at $15 each, then I still highly recomend you pay the little extra and get the Crane adapter, which makes use of the Canon locking system, and is very well built.
I have both Cranes and Frios. I've busted two Frios, but never a Crane. Both Frio casualties occurred in the plastic side "rail" that the flash foot slips into. Neither one was the result of a fall or over-torque; they just chipped off for no apparent reason. I really wanted to like them; the design and theory behind them are cool. As for the Cranes, they're very straightforward and indestructible.
I used the Stroboframe cold shoes at first, but they do not use the Canon pin locking system. They depend on tightening down the side screw on the cold shoe, which clamps the foot in to the shoe, and it may come loose if you are not checking it. Just a little loose on the side screw may have your flash slide out. Tightening down the side screw too tight also can possibly damage the foot on your flash. Once I discovered the Crane cold shoes, I never use the Stroboframes any longer, but the Cranes are indeed expensive. It is great to have a choice, so thanks for the mention of the Stroboframes.
The Canon pin locking system still stays engaged to prevent a slide out even if the ring on the Canon foot is a little loose. You will notice and feel the flash wobble around a bit and be able to firm it back down before any chance of the flash sliding out occurs. Not a perfect system, but as long as you have it on your flash, you may as well take advantage of it. As a side note, be sure to loosen the ring on your Canon flash foot all the way before sliding the flash out, or you may damage the locking pin.
Just to give an update I bought a couple http://www.friocoldshoe.com too and yesterday one broke and my 600ex hit the ground from about 5 feet high...it broke just like Steve said his did back to using Cranes only.
I would love to find one like the OC-E3 I might have to just cut the cord on it 
