I never thought that I’d type that title. As it is, I’m not a fan of LED lights. I think that they do too much of guiding my creativity rather than letting me be with my own thoughts and make something that truly speaks to my soul. But the Harlowe Avant Max Weather Resistant has to be truly the best LED light that I’ve ever tested. In fact, I haven’t wanted to use a monolight at all since 2011 when Photogenic used to put products out. But this one is pretty special. First off, it’s weather resistant — and that not only means that I can shoot in the rain, but it will last. Lots of LED lights I’ve found to pale in comparison to Profoto lights. But I’ve used the Avant Max Weather Resistant on shoots and truly loved what it can do.
Not Replacing a Strobe
I want to be very honest here, the Harlowe Avant Max Weather Resistant isn’t going to replace my flashes or my strobes. It’s simply just not there in terms of the user experience, the power when shooting at low ISO settings, etc. But it’s still an incredibly capable light if not the single most capable continuous light that I’ve worked with.
So why can’t it replace a strobe? It still can’t overpower the sun at lower ISO settings. It also still can’t deliver the signature pop that a strobe can due to how the laws of physics work. That means that I have to do more post-production. And frankly, I don’t want to be caught in the endless loop of working with RAW files for the rest of my life. I want to sometimes just be done shooting when I’m putting my camera away.
True Creative Freedom
To recap what I’ve said before, the best thing about the Harlowe Avant Max Weather Resistant are that they’re weather resistant. But I don’t always plan on shooting with these in the rain. What that translates to more is the fact that they’re going to last a whole lot longer and that they’re that much more durable. I’ve had Harlowe and Hobolite lights fail on me in the past and it never feels good. But because of this, they’re so much more durable and guaranteed to work.
Of course, I’d be really dumb to not do a test with these in the rain. And lucky for me, NYC is currently going through spring and a ton of rain showers. It’s not the hardest we’ve had — those come in the summer when we experience near monsoons and hurricanes. But the rain I tested this is is worse than I would’ve tested any strobe in previously.
I didn’t end up testing the Harlowe Avant Max Weather Resistant in just the rain though. Several months ago, I ended up shooting photos for the yoga studio I attend often. So I used the Harlowe in combination with my Profoto Lights.
The thing about these images is that you can’t really tell that there’s an LED or a strobe being used. And that’s because of how I creatively integrated them into the scenes. The scenes have a specific constant light with a gel shining on the women. Those give just a bit of accent lighting and the rest is ambient light and the Profoto light. I combined these with lens filters to make the image quality that much more unique.
As a standard constant light, the Harlowe Avant Max Weather Resistant did a great job. And they continue to work very well. I’ve had the lights for a few months now, and I’m very happy with what they’re doing to the point where I now incorporate them into my regular shoots.
These lights are kind of pricey, and if I didn’t know how to use a strobe, I’d totally get them. But as a strobist, I’d also get these to work as a fill light with ease. Harlowe allows us to keep the gear that they send to us, and often we end up donating it. But we’re keeping these, they’re too good to not want to keep.
These lights deserve a five star review all around, and for the price, they’d sure better be getting one.
Key Features
The following has been taken from Harlowe’s Website
- Extreme Weather Conditions – IP54 water resistant and withstands both extreme cold and heat (-30°C~40°C / -22°F~104°F).
- Detachable Avant Max Lens – The lens is accompanied with the focus function that provides nearly 3.5 times the illumination in an instant. With just one COB, it can replace the brightness of multiple lights.
- Integrated Design – The detachable 99Wh battery pack and AC adapter are integrated with the COB LED design, which are optimized and designed for portability to increase the ease of transport, set up and overall on-location mobility
- Exceptional Color Accuracy – Avant Max-X offers an excellent color range of 2700K to 6500K. Each light is individually calibrated to achieve high and accurate CRI (96+) and TLCI (96+) metrics.
- Magnetic Mount Modifiers – Features a distinctive magnetic mount design that enables a single handed, quick and effortless attachment or detachment of light modifiers in under a second. Magnet mount accessories include a barndoor, frosted dome and color gels, making it the ultimate all-in-one solution for your everyday creative needs.
- IP65-Rated Versatile Battery Pack – The type-C and DC interfaces on the 99Wh Max-X Battery Pack offer multiple options. In addition to supplying power to the lamp body, they can also supply power to other electronic devices, such as smartphones, tablets, and laptops. The pack is compatible with the type-C 65W PD charging feature.
The Best LED Light for Photography We’ve Tested
As a standard constant light, the Harlowe Avant Max Weather Resistant did a great job. And they continue to work very well. I’ve had the lights for a few months now, and I’m very happy with what they’re doing to the point where I now incorporate them into my regular shoots.
