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ARRI M18 knockoff for 1/3 of the price


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  • 2 weeks later...
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Well it's a sorely tempting concept - all the output benefits of an M18 for roughly $4k (once you include a bulb and shipping). But it seems unlikely that the usual issues of clone HMIs (iffy electronics, shoddy build quality) have been overcome.

 

That said, this unit advertises power factor correction on the ballast - that's kind of a big deal and I've never seen that on a clone HMI before. Perhaps it suggests a level of design quality to this clone that we haven't seen in these cheap, copied fixtures before. Maybe. Maybe not. The only we'll really know is if someone bites the bullet and tries it out.

 

Personally, I find that although the fixture is incredibly cheap COMPARATIVELY, $4k is still a big gamble to take on an unknown quantity.

 

Anyone feeling ballsy?

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Ive used the 2.5/4k arrimax clone and that was awesome.

 

From the same seller? I've read somewhere else that he's selling the best clones out there but spending 4K on one is a blast movement as Mark suggested.

 

I do feel tempted to take the plunge though but if anyone out there already had some experience with these clones and could share the experience it would be a great.

Edited by Alexandre de Tolan
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No i dont know where it was from.

It was branded as a "Paparazzi".

 

Id only buy one if $4000 wasnt a massive deal to you. For the discount you have to be open to being completely stiffed or doing repairs often. But i reckon itd be fine, just wont last forever like an Arri.

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Not to play devil's advocate too obviously, but how d'you know? I mean, I suspect you're right, but let's not write them off out of hand.

 

On top of which, there's been many situations where I'd have crawled over broken glass for some sort of HMI, and I wouldn't have been too choosy if it'd been an Arri or a knockoff, so long as there weren't any totally egregious faults.

 

Horses, courses, etc. There's no point in just stamping your foot and insisting everyone either drives a Bentley or walks, because nobody'd ever get anywhere.

 

P

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Couldn't agree more Phil. That's why I think it's really very important that someone (who isn't me) spends $4,000 of their hard-earned and solves this mystery for us.

 

It's the only sensible course of action.

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On top of what's been said I can add that last year I've operated in a project where 2 Joker Bugs 800 have blown out running from a generator cabled by an expert Gaffer.

 

Luckily there was some Indian Fresnel Knock Offs around that the DOP and his Gaffer used to light the scene saving some serious money and a big hassle to that production.

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I'd be more than happy to pay $20 to get a clear appraisal of how well this thing is built and works.

 

Me too, but who gets to keep the light in the end? Some sort of draw?

 

 

We could send it to Guy Holt for his opinion.

 

P

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Well I doubt we'd get enough contributors to cover the whole cost, but if we got enough to entice someone to take a punt on paying whatever the remaining balance would be, then they'd get to keep it. Seems a fair trade to me.

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