Gaourss Brand Lights

[Brian Rose]

Lately on ebay there have been a TON of various cinema lights for sale, going by the brand name Gaourss, but strongly resembling Arri lights.

 

Here's an example:

 

Gaourss Lights Ebay Auction

 

That's just the tip of the iceberg. They sell everything from these to some pretty nice looking HMIs with ballast.

 

They look solidly built, and come with good accessories, and the prices are pretty enticing.

 

But these things are made in China, and god knows what THAT means for quality.

 

So has anyone actually worked with these lights or done business with these folks?

 

Thanks!

 

BR

[Michael Moghaddam]

I just bought one of the 650 fresnel lights. It had a weird plug that I think was Chinese and the bulb that came with it was 220 not 120, but after going to Home Depot to get an Edison plug and getting a 120 bulb it works just fine. It looks exactly like an Arri, it makes me think that Arri makes their lights in China and this is the factory that makes them. Little things are different like the switch isn't as nice as an Arri and the cable is much shorter, it's only about 8ft long, but other then that everything seems the same. The barn doors seem like Arri's too. I haven't used it on set yet so I can't tell you how long it will last, but I think it's worth the risk to at least buy one. Even if it doesn't last as long as an Arri it's still less then half after you buy barn doors. But I don't think I would buy an HMI or Fluorescent light from them considering the 220 issue, plus a tungsten light has very few electrical parts, so less to screw up. Hail to the Cheap!

Edited April 24, 2010 by Michael Moghaddam

[Saul Rodgar]

Gaourss? What kind of name is that anyway? I would hope that Arri has an exclusivity contract with any Chinese manufacturer that it may order parts from. To me it seems just a remarkably Arri-like knock off, but we all know looks can deceive, so as to the actual quality it seems only those who buy them will be able to tell in due time.

 

Personally, I am of the belief that ultimately it is expensive to be stingy when it comes to professional equipment -- broken equipment when I need it most is not something I particularly enjoy dealing with --so I stay away from the potentially "too good to be true" deals. To each his own tho, I certainly don't judge people who buy equipment that I pass up on.