Hobolite is a subsidiary of AEC Lighting Solutions, a company who have over two decades of expertise and has won numerous design awards. And its in relation to design that the Hobolite range of LEDs stands out from the crowd when compared to the LEDs produced by other companies such as Godox and SmallRig. Many LEDs are designed to be functional - whereas the Hobolite range - with their retro curves and faux leather panels - are designed to be noticed and admired while they illuminate your subject. I’ll dwell more on their distinctive design looks in the Build and Handling section of this review.
I reviewed (and highly rated) the Hobolite Avant and the Hobolite Mini back in March 2023. In 2024 Hobolite revealed revised versions of the Avant and the Mini - The Avant Max and the Mini Max. The name ‘Mini Max’ makes me smile as it sounds like a contradiction in terms, but at 40W the Mini Max is twice as powerful as the older 20W version. The Avant Max can boost its intensity by 3.5 times when you magnetically attach the Avant Lens, converting its 80W to the equivalent of 280W. The Avant Lens is supplied in both the Standard and Creator kit versions of the Avant LED. The Creator Kit versions of both the Avant and Mini Max lights cost more than the Standard versions, but you get a host of extra accessories and modifiers as we’ll explain.
