Smith-Victor K63 3-Light 1800 Watt Quartz Portable Kit (120-240VAC)

Comments about Smith-Victor 401463 3 Light Quartz Kit (120-240VAC):

This was the first light kit (or an older equivalent) that I got when I started video production. I have had it for 5 years, and it is seeing the last of its days.

PROS:
cheep area illumination
fast cooldown times

CONS:
There is no quick/easy way to adjust the light. No focus knobs, no place to drop scrim or snoots, and only 2 barn doors that cannot be swivled along the housing for horrisontal focusing.

You can attempt to control this with cinefoil, subject distance, and ND/diffusion gels, but when time is money, and the subject/talent is standing by, this form of control gets old fast.

Minor complaints:
The the tilt lock knobs will sometimes overtighten themselves when heated, or if you ever tilt the light down without losening the knob.

this problem also persists in the barn doors (held to the housing by a screw and nuts). Eventually they will loosen themselves too much to hold, or overtighten and jam so keep a small wrench and screwdriver handy.

Comments about Smith-Victor 401463 3 Light Quartz Kit (120-240VAC):

Smart kit for the price. The case is very well designed and the stands are surprisingly well made. The fixtures are as advertised and worked well for me. I just completed a six day shoot in Iceland and the kit's ability to take 220 volts with the use of a plug adapter and proper voltage bulbs is a real plus. I would suggest this kit for anyone who needs to travel with the lights but can't pony up for litepanels etc... It would be good to purchase the diffuser holder and gels so you have a bit more control. My only complaint was that two of the GE bulbs that were included blew within a couple of hours, [...]