Starlite vs. Westcott® Spiderlite

Starlite™ vs. Spiderlite™

The Starlite and the Spiderlite are both continuous, 3200 degrees Kelvin light sources. They are both designed for use in still and video production and work very well with digital and film applications. Each light head uses available lamp wattages of 500 and 1000.

This where the similarities end. The Spiderlite features an integrated light and connector assembly which may seem convenient on the surface, but it does not allow for easy, quick changes of the soft box. Only rectangular light soft boxes can be used with the Spiderlite. Westcott's own Octabank and Strip Bank soft boxes do not fit the Spiderlite.

The Starlite comes with a separate connector assembly that accepts both 4 and 8 rods, so you can use rectangular and octagonal soft boxes. In addition, because the connector is removable, you can easily and quickly change the light modifier without waiting for the lamp to cool.

Because the connector is separate from the light head, storage and transporting is often easier.

Figure 1 shows the Spiderlite and figure 2 shows the Starlite.

The power connection on the Spiderlite is hard-wired into the unit (figure 3). This does not allow for easy disconnection from the power source at the head.

It is highly recommended that the power be disconnected when you change out the lamp or replace the soft box on the light head. To safely accomplish this with the Spiderlite, you must unplug at the wall power outlet or take the risk and leave the light head plugged in. The danger of this will become apparent later in this comparison.

On the other hand the Starlite has a removable power cord (figure 4) making lamp changing and soft box replacement very safe and easy. And because this part can be coiled and packed separately, the Starlite stores compactly.

The placement of the switch on the Spiderlite's power cord is much too close to the light head (figure 5). While this is convenient when the light is in low working setups, when you raise the light up high you must then lower the light to switch it off or climb a ladder.

The Starlite on the other hand places the switch about at the mid point on the power cord making access to the switch much more convenient whether the light is set low or high.

Both the Spiderlite and the Starlite have the ability to rotate the soft box independently from the light head. The drawback on the Spiderlite is that this rotation is not a full 360 degrees due to the placement of the control handle on the back of the light (figures 6 and 7).

The Starlite's connector can independently rotate the soft box in any position with no restrictions (figure 8).

Here we see the unrestricted rotation of the Starlite connector.

Connecting the Spiderlite to the stand can be difficult because the riser to attach the light to the stand is made of three separate parts that first must be assembled and could easily be lost rendering the light useless (figures 9 and 10).

The Starlite has an integrated swivel that easily slides into the channels on the light head and locks down with a set knob securing the head and the swivel together (figures 11 and 12). This design also allows for precise positioning of the light on the swivel.

Internal heat build-up can be a problem when shooting with hot lights and soft boxes. Heat accumulation can make a portrait session quite uncomfortable for the subject. Some still life or product shoots, such as shooting closely with foods, can be troublesome due to a light source that is too hot.

The Spiderlite's massive metal head is not vented to allow heat to escape. The overall design of the Spiderlite head and close-fitting soft box assembly traps heat inside the soft box.

The Starlite QL features a cooling channel for heat venting and an outer shell with a large surface area for efficient heat dissipation (figure 13).

The Starlite connector also has venting holes to provide even more heat venting.

Perhaps the biggest point of concern of the Spiderlite is the how the lamp connects to the head, when the lamp is installed, a section of the lamp base is exposed and live when the lamp is on (figure 14).

The base of the Starlite lamp is recessed in its protective custom socket, greatly decreasing any shock potential.

When Photoflex was developing the Starlite, the risk of an exposed live lamp base was apparent to the designers and steps were taken to protect the users by designing a custom socket for the Starlite that completely covered the lamp base removing any potential risks to the users (figure 15).

While the Spiderlite is less expensive to purchase, it's design lags behind the design and refined features of the Starlite QL.

The Starlite QL is a proven, easy-to-use, reliable light head that offers great results for years.