Smith-Victor KSB-1250 3-Light 1250 Watt Economy SoftBox Kit with Mini Boom (120V)

Comments about Smith-Victor Economy Softbox 3 Light Kit (120V):

The lights are easy to use and I haven't had any issues with them. They provide a nice even light on my subjects for in studio portraits. The soft-boxes were a little hard to put on but with some help you can get them on. With the boom, I suggest that you have one of the legs on the stand right under the light or it will start to fall and also an extra weight for the other side would help balance it out. The cords on the lights are a little short but other then that they work great and are easy to maneuver.

Comments about Smith-Victor Economy Softbox 3 Light Kit (120V):

The product works fine, but there were some missing parts. Screws were missing from the stand, also one of the lights blew the first time I turned the light on.

Comments about Smith-Victor Economy Softbox 3 Light Kit (120V):

Great, low cost lighting kit. We occasionally use (once or twice a week) for industry large electronics pictures.

The set up wasn't too difficult having read reviews and having a second person on hand to help.

Buy extra light bulbs. We broke one in the first week. Turn off the lights when moving them to save the bulbs. We also store the bulbs separate from the softbox to help preserve them.

Great light, works well.

Overall a great economy kit.

Comments about Smith-Victor Economy Softbox 3 Light Kit (120V):

Just like other reviewers already pointed out, you have to be careful with the hair light as it can be overextended and just crashing down on your subject, do pay attention on balancing all the lights.

I see some quality issues on the SBL-1 fixture as they may bend over time. But I can't complain too much for it as the price/result ratio you get from this set is really great.

Especially on my case I just added socket splitter and replace the bulb with two CFL bulbs instead. Now I just found a 1-to-4 socket splitter I can add 2 more CFL bulbs to it and it worked like a charm. So for both big softbox, I use 4 CFL-bulbs each and 2 CFL-bulbs for the hair light.

The 2 CFL-bulbs hair light is not quite as bright as the 250W original bulbs as I use only two 23W bulbs, but on the heat department, it is excellent. Even with the 4 CFL-bulbs, the box is just slightly warm to the touch and not to mention I only use 92W / box for the equivalent of 400W incandescent light. For non-professional like me, that makes a lot of difference!

Despite its shortcomings, I'd still highly recommend this product and solution to everyone.

Comments about Smith-Victor Economy Softbox 3 Light Kit (120V):

I had never used a softbox kit before this purchase. After 6 minutes of trial and error I figured out how to assemble the lights. They were really easy after the first one. I felt that they provided the right lightiing but, would opt for a brighter bulb. I don't know what I did but, the first bulb blew out. I would definately bring extra bulbs to a shoot. Overall a good kit.

Comments about Smith-Victor Economy Softbox 3 Light Kit (120V):

Unless you're really familiar with Soft Boxes and their overall concept and design, do NOT expect a very helpful response from Smith Victor's website or any instructions as to how to assemble them because there AREN'T any....

After an hour of wrestling and getting popped in the face, and after it became a two-person operation, we finally figured it out: pull the black softbox over the metal light base, then attach the steel rods to the white cloth fabric corners *FIRST* (look for little raises stitching notches in the corners of the fabric to slide the steel rods into. Then slide the steel rod into the metal light base. Repeat this process DIAGONALLY across the white fabric and then repeat two more times for the other diagonal....

Expect to take at least 10-15 minutes per light..

PROS: Big light box throws very nice soft light. Easy to figure out AFTER wrestling with it...

CONS: Lack of support and instructions for the product. The tall hair light WILL cause your light to teeter ... be prepared in advance to get you some weights so that the light doesn't crash down onto your subject. Lack of case is really bad too as there are three pieces for each light -- making it very encumbering to move from location to location.

BOTTOM LINE: For Softboxes that are cheap - this does really well. Just be prepared for additional setup time that you might not need from other lighting kits.

Last note: During use,.. DO NOT REPOSITION LIGHTS FOR SHOOT WHILE THE LIGHTS ARE ON!!! Turn light off. Move the light to the new spot that you want it, then turn the light back on. If you move the light, (even gently) the softbox bounces, and it blows the bulb. You'll need more bulbs to finish shoot.

Comments about Smith-Victor Economy Softbox 3 Light Kit (120V):

I bought this as a general purpose lighting option. It's my first and I am pleased with it. The lights provide great, clean light. Everything is very light weight. This is good for travel, but be careful that the lights don't tip over. Balance them well. Also the smaller light got so hot it burned through one of the diffusion cloths. That might be my error for not observing them more carefully. I'd buy another set for sure!