Westcott have redesigned their Rapid Box Switch softboxes so that they now fold completely flat, which sounds like a small change until you think about how much of a location shoot goes on building softboxes and then finding room for them afterwards. I'm a Westcott Top Pro, so I'm hardly neutral, but this is an update worth going through properly.
One second to open, one press to close
The original Rapid Box Switch was already quick, but these go a step further; Westcott say they're at full size in about a second and fold flat again when you're done, so they take up far less room in the bag.
It works like this. There are two handles on the back, you grip those and the softbox pops open, and they're handy for positioning it once it's on the stand too. When you've finished, you press the quick-release button once and it drops flat.
That's it. If you've ever wrestled rods into a speed ring at the end of a long day, you'll know why that matters.
What's in the bag
This is the part I think matters most, because it all comes in the one bag. With each softbox you get:
a 1-stop inner diffusion panel
a 1-stop outer diffusion panel
a 55° egg crate grid
a Bowens Switch Insert
a carry case
The grid is the one to notice. Normally it's a separate purchase and it's usually the thing people put off buying, but it does make a real difference, because a grid stops the light spilling onto the background and keeps flare out of the lens, which gives you a lot more say over where the light lands. Handily, the grid folds flat along with the softbox too.
Inside, the lining is reflective silver to keep the output up, and the two layers of diffusion do the softening. One thing to know if you're upgrading is that the grids and deflector plates from the original Rapid Box Switch softboxes won't fit the new ones.
The three I use
The ones I use are the 3x4, the 2x3 and the 1x3.
The 3x4 is the big one, the size for full-length portraits, couples or a small group. The 2x3 is the everyday size for one person, and the 1x3 is a strip, so the light stays narrow and controlled, which is what you want for a rim light.
The rest of the range
There are nine softboxes altogether, and these are the prices on Westcott's UK site at the time of writing:
1x3 strip, £85
2x3, £85
3x4, £119
1x4 strip, £102
1x6 strip, £119
3x3, £102
2' Octa, £85
3' Octa, £102
4' Octa, £119
If you like a rounder catchlight in the eyes, that's what the octas are for. There's also a deflector plate made for the fold-flat softboxes, which is sold separately at £17.
The Switch bit
The name comes from the insert system, and it's the reason these make sense even if you're not using Westcott lights. The mount is an all-metal insert that you can swap out, so the same softbox will go onto a strobe, a speedlight or a continuous LED.
The Bowens insert in the box fits Westcott's FJ800, the FJ400 series, the FJ250 and the L120-B, along with any other Bowens-mount light. There's a separate twist-lock insert for the FJ200, FJ100, FJ80 and L60-B at £26, and square-headed speedlights get their own at £55.
However, the bit I like most is what that means further down the line, because if you change your lights you change a £26 insert and keep the softboxes.
