Smith-Victor - KT500U 500-Watt Thrifty Photoflood Kit

I'm not exactly sure what everyone is complaining about when they speak of no instructions ... my lights came fully assembled. Well the stands did ... all you need to do is connect the clamps (which was pretty easily done by looking at the pictures on the box).I haven't tried the lights yet but just wanted to let everyone know that now they come nearly fully assembled.Also there was no mention of the actual bulbs being included (so I was concerned) but they did indeed come with light bulbs FTW!!

The umbrellas are cheap with plastic components that melt under heat. I had to replace the umbrellas of this set with more robust umbrellas which use metal parts instead of plastic, and I threw the original umbrellas in the trash.Do NOT buy the 500W bulb that Amazon says often ships with this set. The 500W bulb will melt these cheap umbrellas parts. The stands are okay, but I use these stands with other types of lighting.

I don't know why people are saying there were instructions; there was. It's a pamphlet. My husband put the set together for me without even looking at the instructions. The clamps for mine are NOT weak or cheap, they hold the set perfectly. The bulbs are bright. I used one of them in my great room and from upstairs walking into the room it looks like it's the middle of summer in the room when it was 10pm at night! I have no clue why they say it's not bright enough.. if anything I might have issues diffusing the light.The set does heat up pretty fast so watch your hands!The set is also light so it's easy to transport as well. I really don't have any complaints. I think it makes for a perfect beginners set and is a recommended brand by my college teacher for our lighting class.

Not the greatest quality. It feels a little cheap and getting the light head to stay where you want it to is kind of hard. You really have to tighten everything down a lot. I haven't used them a ton so I can't comment on the bulbs that come with the lights.

Not sturdy enough for me.

I have been looking for some worklights as I get older my eyesight bothers me when working on job more than anything. I have lights clip on drop lights and are never where you need them these iights can be adjusted and set and they stay there.I purchased two LED bulbs and they don't get hot anymore.Just what I was looking for.

I second the above comments. This kit is difficult to figure out how to put together, difficult to put together, and doesn't fit well or work well when it is put together. The single nut that both adjusts the clamp that holds the reflector to the stand and the umbrella is poorly designed and barely functions. I could not tighten it enough to get the reflector to stay pointed above the horizontal even without the umbrella.Maybe some salvagable parts, and maybe useful for some tabletop photos destined for eBay. Maybe.

These lights were originally purchased so I could shoot more indoors, especially for a church directory project. I have been very happy with the quality. The only downside is that the instructions are terrible. I'd recommend watching some of the youtube videos out there that explain how to put these together. They're great once you get them up and working.