Cheap flashlight from ebay

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I've seen some cheap flashlights on eBay for around £30-£40 & wondered if anyone has had any experience with these.

I really don't want to spend hundreds on a flash just yet & thought I'd get one of these to tide me over as such.

I'm not expecting the best results from buying the cheapest but would just like to know the pros & cons.

Thanks
Rob
 
I've been using 2 YN-460 and a YN-468 for about 2 years now, mostly for dirty outdoor mountain bike stuff. The YN-460 have a problem with the buttons where they stop working very quickly. This can easily be fixed by dismantling the buttons and careful application of some tin foil. The YN-468 fried itself within about 2 weeks of purchase which is apparently a very common problem and easily fixed by replacing the problematic capacitor on these flashes. A mate of mine had the same problem with his YN-460 but like mine it was a easy fix. Now that I have ironed out the faults all 3 flashguns have been working faultlessly. I use them with wireless triggers in a fully manual setup. They often get soaked but seam to stand up to it. They are simple to adjust and don't have any silly features like standby after 30 seconds etc. Power and recharge time could be better but then they are 1/10th of the price of a 580ex.

Basically they are great for dirt cheap off camera wireless setups if you don't mind risking taking them apart and can solder.
 
I have a YN-467 and I'd describe it as adequate.

I don't use flash much so I don't need most features but the wide angle reflector has broken off* and the head has started to develop a wobble. It's also a bit short on power.

Next time I buy a flash I will probably save up and get a used SB-600/700. That said I don't really need a lot of flashes for OCF work. If I did and wasn't looking for system compatible wireless I'd probably get a few YN460IIs or maybe the 560 if I needed more power.

*Slipped on a stand and it swung down, diffuser popped out and onto the floor. Wasn't impressed given it wasn't even open when I let go.
 
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