Electronic flash and light Modifiers makers some of us might not be aware of.

[Ellis Vener]

Sure there are the well known brands like:  Adorama Flashpoint, Balcar, Paul C. Buff, Inc (Alien Bees/Einstein/White Lightning/Zeus), Bowens/Calumet, Briese, Broncolor, Comet, Dynalite, Elinchrom, Hensel, Lumadyne, Metz, Multiblitz, Norman, Novatron, Quantum, Photogenic, Profoto, Speedotron, Sun Star Strobo, & Vistek,

but what other electronic flash manufacturers do you know of that most photographers in the USA haven't heard of but should know of?
 12/12/11 edit: I changed the title of the thread to better reflect ( no pun intended but accepted) the direction this thread has taken. 

[Rob C]

Probably don't make flash anymore, but the first unit I ever bought, back in the 50s, was a delightful, small, shoulder pack Braun. It was a bluish grey colour, more grey than blue, if blue at all, but it worked perfectly until many years later when I bought a much more powerful Metz; perhaps if just died of a broken heart, pique or simply old age?

Then there was/is? Courtney, from whom I bought two Sola studio units in the 60s, one of which I sold when I moved abroad and the other which I still have.

I wonder if any of the other, current, flash makers will now diversify into shavers, toasters, blenders etc... Braun sure ain't dead yet!

Rob C

[Steve Weldon]

What a great idea!

[UlfKrentz]

There used to be quite a few around many years ago, a lot of them faded away, at least I did not hear anything any more. It´s a pity that most of the smaller and very interesting companies don´t show their stuff at photokina anymore. As Rob said Braun and Rollei were quite popular also with studio equipment, there also was Godard (France), swiss company Bischoff and german Materzok+Kainz. Optex Aurasoft had a flash version of their stuff. I think well known in the states but not listed is Mola. Heared about Dedo and K5600? Still alive and recommended if you are looking for custom made lighting (which don´t has to travel) is Bläsing and Bacht, both based in Essen, Germany, and there is Richter who worked close with Hensel in the past. We found our home with broncolor, their top line packs also power a few other lamp bases of other brands and I won´t replace them by any other manufacturer.

We have a broad range of excellent equipment to choose from, I couldn´t be happier.

Cheers, Ulf

[Ellis Vener]

I think well known in the states but not listed is Mola.

Mola is a Canadian company and strictly makes Beauty Dish reflectors.

Heared about Dedo and K5600?

I know both companies but they make HMI constant lighting , not electronic flash.

I looked at Godard a long time ago but they have also been out of business for a long time as well.

When I was just getting started in this photography stuff the more powerful Braun units were popular - they were similar  in function to a Norman 200B  but with a simpler  head.

[UlfKrentz]

Ok, I was more focussed on the light shaping, not the electronics. That´s why I mentioned Mola, Dedo and K5600, they all offer a good base for development. E.g. Bläsing sells Dedolight flash heads, which can be nice for food work. Last Photokina I looked into some nice stuff at K5600 which they offered for use with off brand (flash)lamps.
The electronic side is state of the art these days, there are three basic designs and different levels of the maximum capacitor voltage, which helps them to excel in specific tasks, horses for courses (remember Ascor?) - what really sets them apart is the light shaping, YMVV.

Cheers, Ulf

[Ellis Vener]

K6500 makes an interesting  lightweight (in therms of weight and portability) fresnel light modifier called the "The Big Eye": http://www.k5600.com/products/bigeye/index.html which can be used with flash heads ( they seem to like Profoto but other bare tube design heads can be used)

[UlfKrentz]

yep, it is collapsible and that lens is acryl, see what I mean?

Cheers, Ulf

[Ellis Vener]

Since this thread is, by popular demand, going in the direction of light modifiers, along the lines of collapsible high quality light modifiers, if you are looking for a beauty dish you really need to look at the new Chimera 24" Octa 2 Beauty Dish. Works great with both big (1200 w-s / joules) and up flash systems as well as hot shoe mount flashes. Great light quality, can also work as an octagonal softbox, there's a grid coming for it, it is very portable as well as quick to set up and take down, light, and the price is good.

[K.C.]

There was a wonderful and very inventive gentleman who built the best pencil heads, offered several great modifiers for it and adapted it for several different brand power packs. The company was called Litelight. I see there's still a web site, but I'm afraid it looks like they're not really doing business any more. He was in Georgia if my memory serves me. I still use the heads I bought from him nearly 20 years ago.

[Ellis Vener]

I am not sure he still is making the LiteLight heads but last I checked he is still involved in his primary business, repairing electronic flash.

Before the LiteLight, Gary Regester co-founder and co-designer of Chimera Lighting and later Plume,Ltd. - designed a similar head called the Flashblox. The idea was that it would be a universal head design that was modular and could be used with just about any pack. You could even lock multiple heads together.

Another company which came and went is Luz. They made really rugged small 800 &1600 watt-second packs which worked with Balcar heads. Very successful till the owner ran off with the money for orders taken but unfilled.

[ixania2]

I wonder if any of the other, current, flash makers will now diversify into shavers, toasters, blenders etc... Braun sure ain't dead yet!

german, famous for their bauhaus-industry-design. today owned by procter & gamble.

[Rob C]

One of the reasons I love this site: you never know where it'll take you.

Rob C

[Ellis Vener]

I wrote Gary Regester of http://www.plumeltd about the Flashbox. as it turns out I was wrong about the name of the flash head he made. He called it the FlashStyx .His deceased partner i nthe project sold the project  to Photoflex and I think they base one of their Fluorescent light heads on it. Yo ualso see the basic idea i nthe Lowell Scandles. Anyway, I googled the correct name and came up with this: http://www.plumeltd.com/lightprojects.htm where there are several interesting light modifiers.  Did any of them make it into production? I don't know. But the ideas are worth checking out.  

I am also looking forward to reading some of the links at http://www.plumeltd.com/links.htm

[Slobodan Blagojevic]

... I wonder if any of the other, current, flash makers will now diversify into shavers, toasters, blenders etc... Braun sure ain't dead yet!

Ah, Braun! Not only shavers, etc. but also... lenses! Yes, my first 135mm lens for my Canon FTb/n was... Braun! Worked nice optically, but after a year the aperture-setting ring, made apparently of a too-soft metal, stop clicking at main f/stops and started rotating smoothly (not a good thing in this case).

[Ellis Vener]

I wonder if any of the other, current, flash makers will now diversify into shavers, toasters, blenders etc... Braun sure ain't dead yet! I think Braun was making those types of products all along. lovely stuff.

[K.C.]

I met Gary Register at a trade show and saw the Flastyx. I thought they were a brilliant idea.

One of the advantages I thought they could offer would be using multiple heads joined together for short flash duration and/or high output. That way you wouldn't need an expensive bi-tube head. Put one together when needed, separate the heads when you're done.

[Ellis Vener]

Gary is one of those real geniuses. He has had a string of brilliant ideas starting with the original Chimera design and the speedring, and the various Plume, Ltd lighting tools including but not limited to the Wafer softbox.

[Paul Wright]

Manufacturers come and go...that's life.

Right now I'm EXTREMELY satisfied with six Paul C Buff Einsteins. It's good American hardware.
These have replaced six Profoto Compact 600 heads. After the Einsteins proved themselves through a 12 month "tough-test", the Profotos seemed prehistoric and heavy and disappeared into eBay.

My very first flash was a hand me down shoulder pack Braun. I must say it had some punch, but it's hard to be nostalgic when the new hardware is just so darn fantastic.

Paul Wright