PROLiGHTS Smart BatWash

The PROLiGHTS Smart BatWash is a high powered IP65 rated RGBWW battery powered washlight. It is best known for being very bright for a battery powered light. While it deserves this reputation, it deserves credit for much more.

This is a sturdy, well-constructed IP65 battery light with very good build quality. Although it does have a chunky, more robust look and feel to it, it also looks like some thought has been put into the styling of the fixture. It has hanging capabilities too, with a single omega bracket.

There are quite a few battery lights out there that are on the smaller side. This is great because they are easy to take and set up, however, they do have a knack for going missing. The Smart BatWash is bigger, at 9.8kg, while still being a one-person set up. Its a step up from the ShowPro Hercules and a heck of a lot brighter.

The Smart BatWash also have their own roadcase which they charge in (with the lid open); a very convenient accessory that really should be a must-have for any battery powered light.

Optics, Colour and Brightness

The Smart BatWash has 15 20W RGBWW (Red, Blue Green, Warm White) LEDs. It features a high quality white with a high CRI of more than 93, a dynamic array of true, saturated colours, and a 6,200 lumen output.

The CRI of more than 93 was unexpected in a good way. The higher CRI makes the SmartBat wash much more useable and versatile. It is also a good future-proofing move from PROLiGHTS as we are definitely trending more towards events for camera.

It has a fixed aperture of 10°, but there are a range of filters that can be added to shape the beam and widen it if required. It has a good long throw for a battery powered light. We had it easily uplighting a 7m drape and it could have gone for much longer.

The optics of the light are great. The only thing I will say is that it is not a single source LED, but instead an array of red, blue, green and warm white chips. It could be more of a personal preference thing than a performance and optics thing, but I feel that a single source LED not only looks better, but mixes much better at close range and a slow fade out or fade up doesn’t feature different colour dots fading at different rates.

Applications and Features

The defining feature set for this light is really the brightness, high quality colour rendering ability, and long battery life.

It takes five hours to charge and has a battery life of up to 18 hours, depending on the setting you choose. Each unit draws 180W of power.

With a CRI of higher than 93, you can spec this for camera. This could be used as a quick last-minute splash of colour on the background of a shot. You could fill in dead space in the corner of a room, or if you were creative enough, you could use it for back light or front light. A case or two of these on a film or TV shoot would be a good investment.

While the Smart BatWash is a great light, if you were after a bright static LED wash light, there are a lot of options out there. An equivalent light in terms of output and colour quality without the battery or wireless control function would cost a heck of a lot less. There is a saying that goes ‘if you can run copper, run copper’.

If you are looking to place lights where it is not possible to run cable, and you need brightness and battery life, this is a good choice. It would work well around the room, in a breakout space or in the foyer for an event. It would work just as well as part of a production company’s inventory.

Control and Programming

Although it is a battery powered light, it can be run with cables too. The same is true for control. It can be run with wired 5-pin DMX, or be controlled via wireless DMX. The Smart BatWash can be run on both battery power and mains power, however running it on mains power is brighter.

For anyone familiar with the PROLiGHTS range, it has the same look and feel as far as the onboard menu is concerned. That’s very handy, as the PROLiGHTS menu is one of the more user-friendly and intuitive onboard menus out there. The upside of this is that you don’t need a trained lighting person to set one of these up or make basic changes.

Verdict

We are seeing an ever increasing number of battery powered fixtures in today’s marketplace. While this is a good thing overall, they are definitely not without their detractors and detractions. Three of the main drawbacks relating to battery powered lights are lack of brightness, poor CRI or light quality, and inconsistent battery life. PROLiGHTS have turned these three perceived weaknesses into strengths, and are subsequently the main selling points of the Smart BatWash.

Product Information: www.prolights.it

Distributor Australia and New Zealand: www.showtech.com.au

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The Specs

• Source: 15 20W RGB + Warm White LED Luminous flux: 6,300 lm @full
• CRI: > 95 @3200K, > 93 @5600K
• Beam angle: 10°
• Colour mixing: RGBWW
• CCT control through DMX channel White presets: 2,800K – 10,000K Virtual colour wheel with macros
• Protocols: CRMX+W-DMX, DMX512, RDM
• Wireless control: included, LumenRadio Timo Fx DMX/RDM compatible with both CRMX (Lumen Radio) and W-DMX (Wireless DMX)
• RDM for remote monitoring and settings Infrared sensor controlled by remote
• Master/Slave for synchronised operation of more units linked in a chain
• Battery: 16.8V lithium
• Estimated battery life: Selectable 3h / 6h / 8h / 12h / 16h / 18h
• Re-charge directly from the mains power or magnetic fast-charge in case
• Re-charge time: 5h/max Battery status shown on display
• IP65 for temporary outdoor applications, not for fixed installations
• Passive cooling and fan-free
• Suspension and fixing in any position with quick-lock omega brackets
• Dimensions (W x H x D): 381 x 344 x 143mm. Weight: 9.8kg