Can i build a better softbox than the Neewer LED kit for the same price?

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jay
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Hi, Im new to the forum, Im not a film maker but i would like to get into it now I've got a new camera and lens, I currently record guitar videos for Youtube/Instagram, i recently upgraded my camera to the GH7 and i wanted to up my lighting game too, at the moment im using a tiny homemade softbox that doesn't really do the job (Literally has tissue paper for diffusion).

Im considering the "Neewer Bicolor 45W LED Softbox kit" which is only £65 on amazon (UK), however it comes with two soft boxes sets and i only need one, for the same money, could i buy the parts for a soft box individually and ender up with a better one, with a grid on the front? I would need it to be dimmable and preferably LED so it doesn't get too hot as i sit by it for a long time filming myself playing. If so, could you provide links to the parts?

Im looking on Amazon myself but with my level of experience im not sure about all the different mounting options etc. I'd prefer not to buy the kit of two soft boxes because i really only need/want one and it seems to me i could make one out of more durable parts than purchasing two for the same price.
I can't post links because im new here but its just called Neewer Bicolor 45W LED Softbox kit (£63.99) on Amazon.

Thank you and sorry if this is posted in the wrong category!
 
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I would think its possible but would have variables

Size , indoor or outdoor use , transportable of studio use

Professional look or amateur diy look

How good are you at diy skills , do you have the tools to do the job ,
it would also need PAT
testing if its 240 volt
 
I would think its possible but would have variables

Size , indoor or outdoor use , transportable of studio use

Professional look or amateur diy look

How good are you at diy skills , do you have the tools to do the job ,
it would also need PAT
testing if its 240 volt

It would be for indoor use only, and I'm enthusiastic with DIY. However when i say "build" i just mean purchase individual parts, the soft box, the light stand, the LED etc. For the same price (£65) could i buy the parts to make a single dimmable softbox with grid?
 
The offer looks like a good one. I doubt you could do better buying as separate parts / DIY. There is a lot of benefit having two lights vs one - probably you do "need" two to be well lit playing guitar one as key light one as fill.
 
Dimmable led drivers that will not flicker under video would blow most of your budget, getting the correct colour temp leds again not easy, and so on, I would say it’s not viable to build at that price, not impossible, but what you build will be pretty poor in comparison for the money.
 
I would think its possible but would have variables

Size , indoor or outdoor use , transportable of studio use

Professional look or amateur diy look

How good are you at diy skills , do you have the tools to do the job ,
it would also need PAT
testing if its 240 volt

Here we go...... why would it need PAT testing ?
 
If its for personal use, and not for any use as part of a business operation then it doesn't need to be tested.

OK I just hope the OP is a qualified electrician then
 
OK I just hope the OP is a qualified electrician then

There are hundreds of electrical tasks that a DIYer can undertake without the need for qualification and certification. In the hi-fi world, there is a massive community that builds amplifiers, DACS, Power Supplies etc and I don't expect any of them have formal qualifications, and then there are those who build computers, Raspberry Pi's etc.

As long as people are sensible then there is no harm in this kind of activity. You might perceive this hobbies and highly dangerous, but that doesn't make them against the law or require formal qualifications, etc to carry them out.

I assume on that basis that you have never wired a plug, and possibly not changed a light bulb!!
 
In post #3 the OP 'clarified' what he meant........................and it seems that he does not mean "build" but more a case of source the individual parts of the kit he identified to tailor a kit to his specific needs for a markedly lower cost of the advertised kit!"!!!

Yes, IMO PAT or not..................if he was indeed constructing a mains powered product at the very least it would be appropriate to get it tested for safe performance. Oh for the days when I built valve radios from scratch including cutting the chassis out, nostalgic days :) At one time I recall we even re-wound a mains transformer as part of one project ;)
 
OK , Then good luck " Flash " " Pop " Bang " to the OP :giggle::ty:
 
I think you'd struggle to assemble that yourself for £65 tbh. All the multiple delivery charges would add up. You'd need an LED light and some sort of clamp with a speedring on it, or a bulb holder with a speedring, and an LED bulb to go in it. The stands alone would be about £20 each, a small softbox, about £30, the light say £30.

Would it be better though? - probably - those lights in the Neewer package have a very low CRI at 85 - it will have band gaps in the light. The softboxes front surfaces are not recessed, so controlling the spread of the light will be hard, Not possible to add a fabric grid to these for the same reason. They are "bi-color" but you can't adjust the balance between the two extremes - it's one or the other. They are fan cooled - but no idea how noisy this is.

You will end up using two lights tbh - adding an edge light behind you lifts the whole thing immensely. Add a background or fill light for a total of 3 in most talking head video setups. I'd give it a go - at the very least you'll have 2 light stands for £65 :)
 
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To be honest while you probably could build it cheaper diy, it wont be easy, as someone already said dimable drivers are the issue cost wise and getting the ready made item saves time and effort. And the colour is sorted, theres led and leds, get the wrong ones and you'll be wasting money.
For me at that price it's a not brainer, full kit £65. I've seen home made ones, some are good other are constantly failing.
 
If its for personal use, and not for any use as part of a business operation then it doesn't need to be tested.
Not correct,

The Electricity at Work Regulations 1989 require that any electrical equipment that has the potential to cause injury is maintained in a safe condition. However, the Regulations do not specify what needs to be done, by whom or how frequently (ie they don't make inspection or testing of electrical appliances a legal requirement, nor do they make it a legal requirement to undertake this annually).
 
If its 240 Volt or has a 240 volt mains / charger

PAT testing never has been a legal requirement: even in the case of the kit that the OP has mentioned on AMAZON you will find it is double insulated and therefore PAT testing would be useless anyway.

The Electricity at Work Regulations 1989 require that any electrical equipment that has the potential to cause injury is maintained in a safe condition. However, the Regulations do not specify what needs to be done, by whom or how frequently (ie they don't make inspection or testing of electrical appliances a legal requirement, nor do they make it a legal requirement to undertake this annually).
 
Not correct,

The Electricity at Work Regulations 1989 require that any electrical equipment that has the potential to cause injury is maintained in a safe condition. However, the Regulations do not specify what needs to be done, by whom or how frequently (ie they don't make inspection or testing of electrical appliances a legal requirement, nor do they make it a legal requirement to undertake this annually).

Thanks for the clarification
 
Thanks for all the help guys, i'll purchase the kit, since i won't be transporting it and i have space to store them without needing to collapse them i think ill buy the grid fabric and DIY them onto the softboxes somehow. Again thank you, I learnt a lot!
 
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