Cactus KF36

It appears to be exactly the same flash, I assume GI are just getting them made in the factory that used to make the 285HV. Hopefully the build quality will be a bit better now though.....
 
I've been looking out for some second hand Vivitar 285's also with no luck. I see these are going for about £75 from Hong Kong.
I would be interested to hear if anyone is using them?
 
I bit the bullet and bought one. Seems fine so far although i need to put it through its paces. All research shows that it's identical to the Vivitar 285.
Recycle times at full power are a bit slow but tonight i used it as main light light at 1/16th and it recycled fast enough for me.
I took this self portrait (excuse the pose) using the Cactus as main light through an umbrella and my 430EXII behind me to bleach the wall.
 
I bought two of these a few weeks ago and have just built some Lead acid power packs for them. They seem very powerful and the power packs have reduced th recycle time from full discharge ( which used to be 9 secs with Duracells) down to about 4 seconds. the plastic doesnt feel quite as strong as the original 285s but I dont chuck them around much. anyway, ( its not good for photo gear ya know) They are strong enough. There is a site that offers to supply or replace the plastic shoe fitting which I suppose implies that there is an inherent weakness there. Total cost for two of them was £138 which is half what my Canon 430ex cost...
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top