I am in love with AlienBees!

I love my Alien Bees studio flash units.  They are rugged and reliable, and they come in uber-groovy colors!  (I have three: one each in florescent pink, green & yellow.) They also come in white & black, if you're into a film noir studio look... :)

I have two B800's and one B400 that I use as a hair light/backdrop light, although it has plenty of power to use as a main light, too.  They adjust with a slide fader, located conveniently on the back, which means I can finetune my lighting to my heart's content.

Each unit recycles to full power in under one second, so I don't have to worry about waiting for my next shot.  It has a built-in cooling fan, so it never overheats, nor overheats my non-air-conditioned studio space.  

It features a modeling lamp, so I can see what I'm getting before I take the image. The lamp can also be set to full power or to off.

I love the fact that these have a built-in slave tripper, which means I have wireless firing whenever the units see a flash from another light source.  Like my on-camera flash, set to '0'...

These are light-weight units, and they come with carrying cases so they are easily transportable for on-location shoots.  They also have a quick-release faceplate that has a built-in hole for umbrellas.  It easily adapts to any light stand, and it's easy to add honeycomb grids.

One of my units developed a problem after 4 years of steady & tough use.  I called Alien Bees to ask if it would be more cost-effective to order a new unit, or to have the problematic unit repaired.  The response: they charge $40, which includes return shipping, to repair any unit.  The units are $279.95 new.  So, repair would be better, then. :)  They were FAST.  I had my unit back in under two weeks, and it's as good as new.

Have I mentioned that I love AlienBees? Check out their wide variety of lights and accessories here.