i deciding between this two devices. Which one should be more on my list than the other? I can get the fs-4 hd for $709.

get the hard drive...I have seen the lite panels in action, really, the only awesome thing about them are the articulating arms that allow for the light to be off to the side of the camera instead of shooting directly into the subjects face. IDX X3 makes an awesome LED light, and it has a 35 watt throw, which is 10 more then the litepanels. Plus, with the hard drive you are saving the heads of your camera as well, so you are saving money on maintenance.

my .02

good luck!

I used FS-4HD so far so good on V1P. Both iLink capture SD-HD m2t files.

More info:
http://www.dvinfo.net/conf/forumdisplay.php?f=65

Which do you need more, HD or portable light? Both are handy to have.
Our experience when shooting with a Firestore, is to always shoot to tape at the same time as a backup.

i got the firestore just because i want to shoot weddings on tape/disk(redundancy). Otherwise, i would use the FS-4 alone on standard shoots to save the wear and tear of the tape head.

I will purchase the light panel later down the road. thanks for the inputs.

Now to look for an external power supply for it.