SilverDome vs. Westcott 1K Soft Box

Here we have our two contenders, the Photoflex SilverDome (figure 1) and the Westcott 1K Soft Box (figure 2). Right off the bat, we can see that the SilverDome features side vents. When working in unpredictable or tightly controlled lighting environments, it is nice to have options. And as we will see here, Photoflex gives you more.

Venting the Soft Box from the Sides

Let's take a look at the Westcott vents. Here the vent is opened, but unless it is continually held up, the vent cover falls back to the closed position (figure 3). There are no design features to hold the vent flap open. There are Velcro® strips sewn on the soft box and the flap, but these are positioned to hold the flap closed, even though the flap will close on its own.

You will need an extra set of helping hands in the studio to remedy this problem.

The Photoflex system brings its own set of helping hands. Here, the top vent on the SilverDome is opened and stays that way with large Velcro® strips (figure 4).

But let's say that you are working in a room with a white ceiling, and you want to be able to control the ambient light, as well as the heat in the soft box. For this, Photoflex has added another long Velcro stay on the other side of the vent that holds the vent open in an arc, allowing hot air to escape while restricting annoying light leaks (figure 5).

Using these options (figures 6 and 7), we can create a "chimney" effect inside the soft box, allowing cool air to be drawn in the bottom and warm air to be easily exhausted out the top. And we've still only used two of the vents available.

The Photoflex SilverDome has heat vent flaps on all four sides. This means you can still get the chimney effect while using the soft box in either a vertical or a horizontal orientation.

In Westcott's system, the bottom flap stays open only with the aid of gravity, and without an assistant, the top flap closes automatically (figure 8). Air is not allowed to circulate or escape and we are left with no other side vent options.

Figure 11

Venting the Soft Box from the Rear

Another option on both soft boxes is the rear flaps that open to cool the lamp and fixture even more. These flaps also allow the photographer access to the lamp and the fixture. As we will see once again, Photoflex comes in on top.

Figures 9 and 10 show one flap open each. We can see the helping hands of the SilverDome holding the flap back. The Westcott hangs between all the way open and closed. Also, the distance from the back of the fixture to the edge of the flap is doubled on the SilverDome (6" vs. 3"), even when the Westcott is held open. This allows for easy access to the light fixture when you need to change a lamp.

In figure 11, again we see the the "chimney" method with greater air flow. And in figure 12, all four flaps are open, allowing maximum air circulation, as well as unrestricted access to the inside of the soft box and lamp. All flaps remain open until the photographer decides to close them.

When all back flaps are opened on the Westcott, we can see that once again only the bottom flap stays open due to gravity. There are no design features for holding the rear flaps open.

As you can see, "venting" here can only occur in the form of frustration!

Figure 16

Cornering the Market
In our next example, we continue to see that Photoflex incorporates ingenious design with rigorous manufacturing standards.

Let's take a closer look at the Westcott soft box. In figure 14, we see the corner of the soft box. Here is where much of the pressure resides, as the support poles push against the corners to maintain the shape of the box. We can see the seam being pushed out and strained by the pole. Because the pole sits on two seams that hold the box together, it will eventually break through the fabric, collapsing the structure of the soft box.

This is usually the first thing to go in a typical soft box. It used to be that if you visited any professional photography studio, you would no doubt find soft boxes with the corners mended with gaffer's tape, duct tape, etc. These days, more and more photographers are opting for the durability of Photoflex soft boxes.

The SilverDome's corners are constructed from large durable Velcro strips. Guided by the principles of physics, we know that pressure is equal at both ends of the pole. Rather than fight against this pressure, Photoflex used it to their advantage and created QRC or "Quick Release Corners" (figure 15). Once the pressure is relieved, the soft box can easily be collapsed and the light connector removed with no awkard pushing and pulling (figure 16).

Conversely, during setup, one can use the long Velcro strip to incrementaly raise the poles in the softbox. No overloaded seams, just superior design and durability.

If greater functionality and durability are important qualities for your studio gear, the Photoflex SilverDome stands out among its rivals.