Photoflex Heavy Duty Grip Swivel - 2.5" (6.4cm)

Comments about Photoflex Heavy Duty Grip Swivel - 2.5" (6.4cm):

I'm using the grip with an XL softbox with a Speedo Force 10, the grip functions beautifully! Solid!!!

Comments about Photoflex Heavy Duty Grip Swivel - 2.5" (6.4cm):

Seems very tough and durable, locks very tight. I'm knocking one star off, because it has a certain 'roughness' in the way it's made; it doesn't feel as 'beautifully made' as a product from Manfrotto, for example. But it seems to do what it's designed to do just fine, and seems to be made of solid, strong materials, so I'm quite happy with the purchase. And of course, if it were made by Manfrotto, the price would be much higher.

Comments about Photoflex Heavy Duty Grip Swivel - 2.5" (6.4cm):

I recently purchased two of these swivels. Here is a comparison to the Manfrotto 026 swivel...

1) The Manfrotto is made in Italy and uses much thicker metal castings. The Photoflex is made in China and uses relatively thin castings. The powder coat finish is nicer on the Manfrotto.

2) The openings on both ends of the Photoflex are too small for a 5/8" (15.9mm) diameter male adapter. If your adapters are slightly undersize (which many of them are), then they will just barely fit into the holes without binding. The Manfrotto has oversized holes (17.5mm) on both ends to accept a wider range of diameters. For example, the lightstand stud on my Illuminata II softbox is oversized and will not fit in the Photoflex swivel. However, it fits fine in the Manfrotto.

3) The main adjustment handle (and other hardware) on the Manfrotto is higher quality and operates much more smoothly.

Bottom line: The Photoflex swivel does what it's supposed to do, but the quality lags behind the Manfrotto. The undersized holes make it useless for some applications.

Comments about Photoflex Heavy Duty Grip Swivel - 2.5" (6.4cm):

The Manfrotto umbrella swivel is the industry standard for bulletproof, quick, solid operation. This swivel may be a bit better. That large grip area does seem to work better for me holding a large softbox than does the Manfrotto.

If for some reason you don't want the Manfrotto, get this one.

Comments about Photoflex Heavy Duty Grip Swivel - 2.5" (6.4cm):

I purchased this swivel grip to attach to my 7 foot Photoflex Octodome to be able to adjust the dome up and down. The grip secured easily to my stand and the Octodome with no wobbling. I can now roll my huge Octo around the studio with ease. I also purchased the Avenger A420 - Baby Roller Double Riser 9' 10" Light Stand to go with this set up and it works great. In fact I though that I would have to weight it down but this stand it so durable I did not have to.