Our Cool Lights LED 600 Spot (5600K) recently kicked the bucket. We really like these lights because they're "cool" and break down well/are very compact. They unfortunately are not made anymore.

What is the 2014 version of these? What do you guys like/recommend?

I would suggest the Dracast Led lights. I have both the 500 watt and 1000 watt led panels. These lights are very bright and well made and the light quality is excellent. Its been my favorite kit to date.

Thank you very much. Those seem very similar to what we had. Do they feel durable and have some weight to them? Obviously we like them light and compact, but we are looking for them to last too. Thanks!

Yes they appear to be very durable. I believe there may have been a change in the design within the last year or so, making the units even more durable. I have only had mines for a few months now and I use them at just about every shoot.

Do you know what failed on your light and if it could be repaired?

I would suggest the Dracast Led lights. I have both the 500 watt and 1000 watt led panels. These lights are very bright and well made and the light quality is excellent. Its been my favorite kit to date.

Will second this!
Have the same…500 and 1000. Very high quality light. (barn doors are a different story!)

My review of my Dracast LED lights, if you are interested:

Dracast 500 and 1000 LED Pro Series Light Panels | Road Dog Media (http://roaddogmedia.wordpress.com/2013/12/30/dracast-500-and-1000-led-pro-series-light-panels/)

Greg, i'm fairly certain that there was an upgrade subsequent to Shauns review, as I have not experienced any of those problems. This is a great high quality light.

Mine were purchased in July of 2013 if that helps put these on a timeline.

Shaun, I was looking at the pictures on your blog. I noiticed your version of the light has four separate banks. The newer version does not have separate banks. Just a dimmer to control the strengh of the overall light.

Interesting Kevin. I have just updated my Blog post to reflect your findings.

Appreciate the input.

So have the other issues I noted been addressed as well?

- is the 4-pin XLR still too short?
- does the transformer pack still get ridiculously hot?
- I don't suspect they have redesigned the barndoor system...
- are the plastic barn door retainer knobs more robust?

Oh... and thanks for the input!

Shaun: If your talking about the overall length of the cord itself, it has a good amount of length to it. I never noticed if the transformer gets unusually hot, which is probably a good sign. I cant address the barn door issue because I did not order them with my kit. I will soon be ordering another 1000 watt light to complete my kit.

I also use the Dracast 500 and 1000 lights. I've been very happy with them for almost 2 years now. I chose them over Litepanels because I thought they were sturdier. I modified the AC power packs by gluing Vmount wedges from old batteries onto the AC packs. That way I can mount the power pack where the battery goes on the back of the light. Yes, the barn doors do bind sometimes. I just remove them because barn doors on LED lights are useless anyway. The only time I use the barn doors is when I want to clip a gel to the light.