Paul C. Buff, Inc. Technical Forum

I read FR ABS as Fiber Reinforced ABS. :?:

Shouldn't have abbreviated. FR means Flame Retardant. Fiberglass in plastics actually lowers impact strength and will break easier if dropped, etc. So we use High Impact Strength ABS, which has about the same impact strength as Lexan but less high temperature resistance. Temperature is not an issue with Vagabond Mini Lithium as it simply doesn't get hot . . . about 130°F max.

Does the Einstein recycle faster w/ 230VAC?

We're getting the first 230V inverters in tomorrow for complete testing. Einstein itself is tuned to cycle at the same rate at 120 or 230V and this should also be true from the inverter. The inverter delivers a controlled amount of power and this is the same on 120V and 230V models.

Please make the New Lithium Vagabond all BLACK. It's OK to have PCB or LiVag on the case, but please no orange stripe.

TIA

No way! it's gonna be all pink just like the moon unit case, just wait and see!! :D

That's why black gaffer's tape comes in 60-yard rolls.

Actually, I find the orange stripe useful. I'm always using them on location and often strapped to the lightstand. The orange is an eye-catching warning for passersby, who somehow otherwise seem not to see the lightstand in front of them.

Looks like your wish came true!
http://www.alienbees.com/vmini.html

We felt safety orange was appropriate for Vagabond 2 because it's a high power potentially dangerous piece of gear that you don't want kids playing with. But some shooters think it's tacky. So, OK, you got black.

Another point . . . some have suggested we should do a dedicated battery flash unit because it's "more efficient" than DC to AC to Monolight. Sorry to burst any bubbles, but my very scientifically conducted tests indicate 69.7% of the battery's capacity is emitted as flash energy in Vagabond Mini Lithium plus AB1600 (510 640WS pops per charge) , VS 44.4% efficiency for Profoto Acute B2 (160 600WS pops per charge) , VS 43.4% efficiency for Elinchrom Ranger Quadra A @400WS (150 pops per charges).

The new Acute B2 Lithium achieves 200 600WS pops per charge for an efficiency of 55.5%.

Data for Acute and Quadra calculated from published specs.

Battery capacity for the three systems are:

Ranger Quadra A = 38.4 watt hours ($200 Adorama)
Acute B2 = 60 watt hours ($272 B&H)
Acute B2 Lithium = 60 watt hours (?)
Vagabond Mini Lithium - 130 watt hours ($89.95 Direct)