Is cheaper better? || Colbor vs Amaran 60x bi-color lights

Which batteries exactly did you buy to power the amaran, wirelessly?

Amaran all the way. Why? Because Aperture is a more established company with a international presence, so when something inevitably goes wrong because that's how technology goes, your return/repair process is going to be far less painful than it will be with the Colbor.

I'm experiencing this the hard way currently. I bought a iFootage Shark Nano slider about 2 years ago. Honestly awesome slider with impressive build and features, that is, when it works. Barely used it. Updated the firmware a few weeks ago, which totally bricked it. Now it just hangs on the load screen into infinity. Unusable now.

After contacting iFootage I would have to send it to China just to get the device factory reset. Guess how much the shipping to China is ? Roughly between 400-$600. The slider cost $800. Protection plans don't reimburse for shipping, and iFootage will not cover shipping past their own warranty period. This doesn't even take into account the months of shipping/customs/repair queue it would take just for a factory reset of the software, nor the language barriers and miscommunications.

Outcome? Allstate cashed me out for the loss minus the deductible, which was generous on their end. Had they not I would have eaten an $800 loss, with no functional slider to speak of.

Conclusion: It's not that the Colbor is a "bad" light. It's probably a great light. The issue with brands from China that are relatively new to the industry is their repair/return process. You have to factor that cost into the total cost of the light. Unless you're comfortable with the idea of eating costs when things go south. For some ppl, the low cost of the product might be worth that exchange, but for me it's a major headache.

I'm going with Aperture. Worth the extra $30-50 imo.

I just bought the 60xs. Very happy with it. You’re right, the case isn’t much to write home about, but the little light is a powerhouse for my tiny studio. I went with the Amaran since I already own the Aperture MC light and I can control both from the same app.

thanks! IMHO, the USB is the most important aspect (beside the awful CB60 bag) . I love the idea of power-bank. a set of 4 V- mount NP F790 8800mAh batteries with a charger costs about 100$. Power-Banks are smaller, cheaper, stronger and you can charge them anywhere and faster. I think all the big lights brands will start to deliver USB options very soon.

for how long can last the coolbor with a external usb battery with 30000mha 100w at max power?

I have the Colborcl60 and 220- WOW these are my fav buget non rental brand now -

I just picked up the colbor light because it is smaller and seems more versatile. Also USB-C is a bigger bonus than I think people realize. If you don't have a lot of legacy batteries lying around, it is a huge cost saver to just use a power bank for your phone/tablet. It also means less overall gear when travelling since I usually pack a power bank and usb wall plug anyways.
Also I may replace that cheap plastic cover with a 3d printed one just to make sure the chip is protected.

Colbor now comes with a rubber cap, instead of that condiment plastic you received.

GReat review!

how long does it run on a usb power bank at 100%? if I had a 65w 20000mah pd bank

Just got my colbor cl60. The issues are already addressed. It now has a soft rubber cap and the led itself has now a plastic protection. The only gripe I have is it wont pair via nluetooth no matter what device i use.

Fantastic review/comparison. Exactly what I needed. Thank you SO very much for this!!😊

What brightness settings are you using in your studio? Thanks!

If you're willing to answer a little more, What modifiers are you using? What is your final lux reading on your face and on the wall? What exposure settings?

Do you have any suggestions for options less than $100?

it's it possible to just glue a little bit of glass in front of the colbor yourself?
over here it differs €60. and if not for that exposed led I would definitely buy that one

I already have some bigger lights, I'm looking for a little light like these who would works out of batteries, I have a V-mount batt. and some big USB banks. Can't decide between both of these for power. V-Mount or USB? what do you think? thanks

What an awesome review! I subscribed. Keep up the great work, FF!

Great Video

Weird your Colbor CL60 came like that. Mine came with a really nice protective bag and the cob LED came with a thick black soft rubber protection instead of the cheap transparent plastic one you got (also seems to be heat resilient as I mistakenly turned the light with the cap on for like 15 seconds and luckily nothing bad happened). Maybe they made some changes to the new batch? Got mine a couple of days ago. Also the USB-C power adapter looks different than the one I received. Great video btw, thanks!

Hi, thanks for the review,
you can actually use NPF battery in the Colbor but you have to purchase the module separately, it is called COLBOR VAP1+VC50 .
It is around 30 dollars so it makes it about the same price as the amaran.

Great review! I wanted to buy the Colbor Cl60r, but I think I'll choose the Amaran 60xs because of the mounting bracket. I want to mount the light on a ball head :/

The Amaran also has much lower output at 1% , which gives more control and flexibility.

that would have been cool if you had examples

Thanks! This was solid info! Someone knows what they are talking about! :)

Having been a stills photographer for over 35 years (recently moved away from it) and investing in shooting iphone filmmaking content, I'm struggling with how compact to go with at most a 2 light setup. My #1 need is sufficient light output for shooting interviews with a sufficient sized softbox/light modifier for softer light while at the same time maintaining portability/remote location flexibility (literally no wall power available so battery power is a must have). Budget is a concern of course. I do have several different sized Chimera photo softboxes already with bowens mount speedrings that I used with my old Buff monolights. Given the limitations of shooting content on mobile devices (typically shooting interviews in 24p/30p on either the native iPhone camera app in cinematic mode, Blackmagic Camera app or Moment App) I'm unsure if the 60 watt output is sufficient for shooting interviews given I've always shot interviews with traditional hot lights on hybrid type cameras. I do have a variable ND for shooting content with the iphone - any suggestions???

thank you for the feed back.. but I think you are team Amaran! lol

Threaded mounts should be banned.

Thanks for answering most of my questions.

I have owned 2 Colbor both broke. The rocker switches always break on these.

For those who work with makeup, iPhone film, I would like a powerful light, I have two yongnoo 600 LEDs, my room is small, can you help me?

Can you buy a dc to usb c Cable and use the amaran also with powerbank pd?

Amazing review, but how is the luminance value completely different from the colborlight website that is 22540Lux (at 1m 5600K, With Reflector)? your measurement shows 43000 LUX

Really wished the Colbor had a proper power input. I really don't like relying on a USB connector on a set.
It has an aluminium body, which is great as most smaller lights are plastic. But then fails on the connector side.

Amaran is like a copy of yungnuo which was released a year ago.

After I found out that Amaran suddenly stops working after 30 minutes and that the Aputure app "steals" your data, I opted for Colbor. And I'm quite happy with it.Mine came with a silicone led's protector

Hi, Just a question. Currently owned a colbor cl60 and update the firmware using colbor edgemax but stuck in 0%

Very good comparison. But I'm surprised that you never talk about the temperature that the projector reaches. In the years when we used projectors with overvoltage halogen lamps we knew that the duration normally did not exceed 100 hours, and the projector worked at temperatures of more than 200ºC, although with mercury vapor lamps the duration is longer. LEDs cannot exceed a working temperature Tj of 110ºC, significantly reducing their average life. It is normal to keep them below 70ºC. If the size of the radiator or ventilation (low noise fan) is small, the life of the LEDs will be reduced, as will the electronic components and the LCD display itself. What duration do manufacturers guarantee?

always useful your input 👍

i fall in love with u 😭😭😭 how cute u are 😭

Very nice review!
I just switched from the Amaran 60X S the the Colbor CL60.
What I like about the Colbor vs the Amaran: quieter fan operation, lighter, aluminium body, extension capabilities with the rails, nicer travel bag (the Amaran case is a nightmare to pack everything back) and the price obviously.
What I will miss from the Amaran: native Bowen mount, secure power plug, nicer Sidus Link app, protected LED with glass, better quality wheel control, faster responsiveness to light changes.

Hey! :) Have you tried the Inkee 60w lights ? they are amazing !

I think you failed to call out the Amaran on a couple of flaws
I've owned one and wound up selling it
While I loved the concept, there are two flaws with the design

The first floor is that threaded adaptor spins loose under normal use there's no locking pin and the way the plastic slopes near the mount makes it almost impossible to find a quick release plate that will fit

The other flaw is the V adaptor plate that built-in unfortunately Amaran would've done better to put the controls on the side of the unit and have the vmount on the back of the unit for better balance when using with batteries.

One other incident I had when travelling with the unit ..
Packed in a separate case with other camera gear airport security repacked it wrong and the glass window for the LCD screen broke.

What they have right about that unit is the way it's designed for airflow helps keep the unit cool when using compact light modifiers
I was going to say the app was a flaw because it's far too complicated for a simple run and gun content creator that doesn't want the app to phone every fucking time you open it
But as I understand it, they've released a new app that I haven't looked at yet, so I'll reserve judgement

If I had this in a studio mounted to a ceiling and always on, could I power and control it completely remote?

Great review

Do you know how this light compares to the colbor W100. Also considering the fan noise or light indexes? Hard to find any info on why to pick one over the other. I hope you can help.

Can I use the Colbor a key light or the Godox ml100bi (versatility, portability & price; under $200)??

Interesting. Everyone else complained about the Colbor's fan noise.