Hobo Lighting releases new parabolic umbrellas from £20
Gloucestershire, UK: Online photographic supplier CotswoldPhoto has released the first in a series of Hobo Lighting parabolic umbrellas. The 42″ (105cm) Silver/Black Parabolic Type Umbrella (right) is now available, to be followed by 64″ (162cm) and 85″ (215cm) versions.
Seen other ‘High Quality’ umbrellas from China? We have too, and we are not impressed. We had to go back to basics. The cloth? No factory in China was making this high a quality cloth. Users of the market leading parabolic light modification system umbrellas (a brand based in Nashville, Tennessee, USA) were asked to compare those to this umbrella and the feedback was positive. So we have had the cloth made specially for us. The ribs. 16 instead of the normal 8 gives a stronger design and a more round edge shape. Instead of metal ribs, we have used a white fibre. Again stronger, and less obvious in the catchlights in your images. The cloth panels are not single stitched as normal umbrellas are, but double-fold stitched instead, for strength, to minimize light leaks, and to leave only silver material facing and visible.
Features
- 42″ (105cm) reflective umbrella
- Parabolic design
- 16 translucent white fibre ribs
- 7.75mm diameter steel shaft (not suitable for Elinchrom lights)
- Double-fold stitched
- Carry bag included
More from Hobo Lighting
The 64″ reflective model (right) is coming in the next few weeks and front diffuser covers will be available “soon”. The 85″ version has not yet completed production. White parabolic shoot-through umbrellas are planned for later this year. Other Hobo Lighting products include the A600 monolight, CLS65 compact light stands and a planned pure sine wave battery pack.
Where to buy
The Hobo Lighting 42″ silver parabolic type umbrella is available for £19.99 from the Cotswold Photo eBay Store including a 1 year warranty. They also sell a bracket to optimise use of the umbrella with speedlights.
International customers: Pick a zone for the correct postage and VAT. More detailed shipping information can be found in the listings.
- United Kingdom, EEA, Switzerland
- Western EU and the rest of the world
- Eastern EU
- Eastern EU (business)
- Western EU (business)
At a retail price of £20 GBP and international shipping for £5 or less, the Hobo Lighting umbrellas are the cheapest parabolic light modifiers available. You can pre-order a Paul C. Buff 2nd generation 51″ PLM (with specialised speedring assembly) for £75.61.
13 Comments to “Hobo Lighting releases new parabolic umbrellas from £20”
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Let’s see.
First, using the PLM name, which is trademarked by Paul Buff: Real classy, Cotswald Photo.
Second, putting a bare speedlight into it in the promotional photo: Shows a pretty serious lack of understanding of how they even work. They need a bare tube light source.
Pass.
Hi Frankinator.
Let’s see.
Thanks for the positive comments.
The PLM ‘name’ is not used by us in our advertisements to refer to our products. We call our umbrellas ‘Parabolic Type’. The phrase ‘parabolic light modifier’ and ‘parabolic light modification’ are not trademarked.
Unlike other makers, we have not used the Paul Buff factory (and therefore have not sneaked them out of the back door), nor do ours have ‘Buff’ stamped in the metal. The photographs were indeed taken rough and ready, but the descriptions in the eBay listings clearly suggest you use a bare bulb modifier with speedlights. Indeed, we supply the YN560 flashlights we sell with just such a diffuser.
Can’t please everyone, but our regular customers know we always try to offer honest, good value service and products. Like anyone, we can and do make mistakes.
Hello Trevor from CotswoldPhoto,
Let’see…
The new umbrellas look very promising indeed.
The ultimate light modifier (for me) would be a set like this:
- 215cm/85″ White parabolic tranlucent umbrella
- Black outer cover with silver coating on the inside
- White front diffusion fabric
That would make a highly versatile modifier with a very soft light.
Are you going to offer a bundle like this?
Cheers, Eric
Hello Eric
Not right now for the translucent ones. Front cover diffuser, yes … soon as a separate purchase. We won’t do them as bundles. Juts buy one of each. Or buy an umbrella now and a diffuser later.
Fuckin thieves. What a bunch of losers.
@Jeff.
Thanks for that comment. Great to be anonymous isn’t it? This what is written (by an admin) on the Paul C Buff support forum:
“These Are illegally produced PLMV1 – complete with Buff name engraved on the slider, made by a crook . . . Neo Umbrella from molds we bought and paid for. Buy them if you like but they are nowhere near the performance and quality of our PLMV2 which is beginning to ship now. And don’t expect any customer support. The vendor is lying through his teeth and is also a crook.
Suing Chinese crooks and their cohorts is no picnic.”
So. Do they have the name BUFF on the slider? No.
Did we make our own molds? Yes
Are they made in the same factory as the Paul C Buff V1′s were made? No
Can’t comment on the performance of the PLMV2. I assume for the money that they are much better.
Customer support? Of course. We have a good reputation for exactly that. Our eBay feedback is public. Read it.
The vendor is lying through his teeth? Really? How so? About what?
I say good luck to Cotswold Photo and anyone else selling these.
After reading several forums that Paul C Buff has posted on, its clear that the guy has lost the plot and gone insane. In regards to the design, the chinese were using the exact same design 15 years ago to keep dry. All he did was take the bloody handle off. What a Lunatic.
I have several Parabolic umbrellas from several suppliers, and the quality is pretty consistant across all. Just waiting for someone to produce a 7mm shaft version. Fingers crossed…..
Hi Chinaman
Great to be as young as Paul is and be able to get away with having a hissy fit and throwing all your toys out of the cot.
I think you will find the basic design of an umbrella has been around an awful long time, and I have been unable to find any patents for any part of the V1 umbrella PCB made. I have read a post from him that admits as much. The new connection system on the V2 is patented. And complicated and fiddly.
Trevor
It would be interesting to see an independent side by side examination of of the product being sold by your company and the PLM Paul Buff designed.
I don’t know all the ins and outs of the PLM story but I have heard stuff that’s been going around. TBH, as a consumer, I couldn’t really care although no-one’s reputation is really going to be enhanced.
What I do know and care about is that, although I don’t know Trevor (Cotswold Photography) and have never spoken to him, I’ve bought stuff from him on several occasions via his e-bay shop. Customer service is second to none. The gear he sells is very high quality, particularly at the prices he charges (although I can’t make comparisons to Paul Buff gear as I haven’t tried it).
If the comment left by Jeff is aimed at Trevor, it’s absolutely ridiculous IMHO (not to mention libellous) and that other readers on here aren’t swayed by comments like that.
I’ve got one of the HoBo PLM’s. Good quality at a good price point. Excellent service from Cotswold photo too. I’m based in the UK, so PCB ‘gear’ (even with the new European store) is ridiculously overpriced, imho.
PS -Jeff, you’re an a**hole !
[...] condition, this gave me the option of using my new silver lined 59″ parabolic umbrella from Hobo Lighting. Using a 500w Bowens Gemini strobe running off a Travelpak it gave out a good amount of light [...]
i don’t personally care about company accusations. if these are sturdy enough, and much cheaper than the buff ones, i’ll buy here.
and let’s not be hypocrites, people. so many of the products that we buy under different brand names all came from the same factory. did you care before? didn’t think so – enjoy these parabolic umbrellas =)