Behind my back, I'm holding the most adorable COB light
you've probably ever seen.
Thankfully, it's more than just cute.
It's actually a pretty solid little light.
Let’s get undone.
[offbeat music]
♪ Gerald Undone ♪
♪ He's crazy ♪
What's happening, everybody?
I'm Gerald Undone, and pitter-patter,
let's get at ‘er. So, this is the Sokani X60.
Now, if you remember back before the influx
of mini RGB panels took over the market last year,
I recommended Sokani's X21 as a nice little
affordable mini LED light.
I was impressed by the quality and output
for the price point, and the same is true
for the X60 here.
This light is only $169,
but offers two-thirds of the output of Aputure’s 120d II,
so that's a pretty solid value proposition
for a lux-to-dollar ratio.
Now, don't get me wrong, this can't really compete
with the 120d for a few reasons,
but I definitely feel it could fill a need at a much
lower price point than the more premium competition.
But first, let's start with all the ways
it's not a 120d II killer.
First of all, it's louder.
The fan doesn't have the autocontrol function
that the Aputure has, and it's much smaller.
Smaller fans are louder,
and this one is always on and always loud.
It does move an impressive amount of air, though,
and the design of the chassis and heatsink is clever
and conducive to airflow despite its small form factor.
But you're not going to get it any quieter
unless you swap out that fan for a bigger one.
Secondly, out of the box, it's an AC mains light only.
So, no battery power for portability.
But I suppose if you're already in the middle
of modding out a new fan, you could probably
rig up a V-Mount plate for it.
The AC adapter is rated for 15 volts at 6 amps,
so that's doable for V-Mount,
and the light takes a standard DC plug,
so it would actually be pretty easy to adapt.
Speaking of that power brick, though,
I've got good and bad things to say about it.
First, I like that they used the ubiquitous
figure-eight style for the power cord,
and the one that they provide has a decent length
of about nine to ten feet, or right around three meters.
But they committed the increasingly common sin
of keeping the cable from the adapter to the light
too short so that it hangs off the ground.
I wish companies would stop doing this and make these
portions at least three to four meters long as well,
so we can use this on tall light stands
or C-stands without having a dirty dangler.
On the wall side, it uses an ungrounded connection
with a prong design I've never seen before.
Perhaps this is a common design from a different
part of the world, but to me, this looks like something
your Uncle Leroy whipped up in his workshop
when the Christmas lights wouldn't stay plugged in.
Despite my design complaints with the power cable,
however, the light works just fine.
It has a satisfying on/off switch,
nice tactile controls, and a sizable display.
You can adjust the brightness from 1% to 100%
in 1% increments, and you'll get a healthy 3,000 lux
at one meter without the reflector on.
For comparison, the Aputure 120 II gave me 5,800 lux
in the same scenario.
The 120d II did measure a bit closer
to its 5,600 Kelvin target at 5,830,
where the Sokani was coming in at around 6,000 Kelvin.
So it's a tad cooler, but it still produces nice,
accurate renditions with a CRI of 96.9,
versus the Aputure’s 95.8
These numbers are somewhat arbitrary though,
so I'll put it on as my key light in a moment
for you to look at my skin tone and temperature shifting.
One thing it has in common with the latest Aputure lights,
like the 300d II and the revised 120d II,
is the new reflector design
that gives a massive boost to output.
The Sokani seems to have taken notes from Aputure here,
and not only is the reflector well-made and rugged,
but it'll boost your output
at 1 meter from 3,000 lux to 15,500 lux.
And the integrity of that light seems solid.
I went through a range of frame rates, shutter speeds,
and brightness settings and found no flicker
or abnormalities, and I was able to sustain
long periods at 100% power.
It's not bi-colour and it doesn't have RGB,
but it does have a few standard effects:
paparazzi, faulty bulb, lightning, TV, and fireworks.
You can adjust the intensity and the frequency,
and they work fine. Nothing spectacular,
but they're there if you need them.
And I think we can all agree that
this is the cutest COB light available,
but the included remote, on the other hand,
is definitely not cute.
Why is it so big? I mean, seriously.
This is the Pixel 3 XL, and this is the Aputure remote.
Now look at this Sokani remote. It's hilarious!
It looks like the remote control from something
that plays both DVDs and VHS, but all it really does
is control the brightness and effects.
Because that's something you should know:
the only way to turn this light off
is by flicking this big power supply switch,
which, of course, completely kills the power
and renders the remote useless.
The most you can do with the remote
is to turn the light down to 1%,
but you can't turn it off completely.
So that makes you wonder what the on/off button
on the remote is for. It's for turning the remote on.
[laughing] The remote has its own power button!
But seriously, this thing is hilarious.
The contours on the back are straight out of 1991,
and the buttons are comically loud.
[clicking]
The screen on it is thoughtful, though.
The display on the light itself is on the back,
where you likely won't be able to see it
while filming yourself, so this screen here lets you know
what brightness you're set to while in front of the camera.
I appreciated this.
The light also has two mounting options for modifiers.
It's got a Bowens mount on the front,
and then the yoke-- which is solid metal, by the way-
also has an umbrella holder.
This is a great inclusion,
because if you're gonna go for a really budget setup,
you can get this light for just $169
and then pick up a cheap umbrella for way less
than your typical Bowens modifier,
and you can have a surprisingly powerful soft light
for under $200.
And you could even combine the reflector
with the umbrella if you wanted significantly more output
with a moderate amount of diffusion
without taking up a huge footprint.
There are two limitations of this, though,
that you should be aware of.
First, the umbrella can't be tilted,
since it's only the light that tilts and not the yoke.
So this won't work if you're shooting
from way up high, and is better suited for mid-level shots.
And secondly, while the yoke is quite sturdy,
just like the earlier Aputure lights, the tilt-lock is not.
It doesn't have the same strength of the newer
handbrakes the Aputure’s using on their lights now,
which means if you put a Light Dome II on here, it'll sag...
quite significantly, actually.
So that option only really works
if you want the light tilted down,
because it just can't support giant modifiers.
You do get a nice bump in lock strength
if you add a washer between the yoke and the light,
which should allow for anything mid-sized
and below to hold nicely, like the Light Dome Mini,
those GODOX Softboxes, or larger reflectors,
but you'll only be able to use large modifiers
like the Light Dome II
or the Aputure Lantern in a top-down configuration
unless you're OK with a massive downward tilt.
I do wish they had built in a stronger handbrake,
‘cause it would make this light even better value
than it currently is, but I suppose that's why
they included the umbrella holder
to compensate for that shortcoming.
Of course, an umbrella isn't gonna produce the same look
as a nice parabolic softbox, like Aputure’s Light Dome,
but it looks pretty darn good for a sub-$200 combo.
And for that money, you also get this bag,
which is well laid out and nicely padded.
Like most things I've tested from Sokani,
you're getting better quality here than you'd expect
for the price, and this bag is no exception.
All right, now give me a couple minutes to set up a few
different light configurations
so you can see some side-by-sides,
and then we'll wrap up this video.
[cheery music]
♪
Now, the obvious comparisons here would be
to the GODOX SL-60W and the GVM 80W,
both of which are cheaper.
All three of these lights are viable options,
but the GODOX isn't quite as powerful
and doesn't have quite as accurate colour,
while suffering from the same issues, like fan noise.
It also doesn't have as refined power adjustments.
It does have a larger handbrake, which is good,
but the yoke is plastic, which I don't like.
However, I do like that the umbrella holder
on the GODOX tilts with the light.
So it's a structurally weaker design,
but a more useful one, and it comes in at $134.
The GVM is pretty similar to the GODOX,
but in my experience, GVM lights
typically have quirks with their output.
I haven't used this light personally,
so I shouldn't comment much,
but I have used a lot of their other lights.
In fact, I'm using one of them right now,
and usually they have power jumps
and uneven distribution of output.
And most of the lights I've gotten from GVM
usually come packaged weirdly, with minor dings and scratches.
They're good for cheap, but I typically only buy them
when they're the best price available,
which in this case they are,
at only $120 for the 80 watt version.
The overall construction of the GVM is plastic, though,
so I'd worry about its longevity
if you need a light that can take a beating.
So, I think the best bang for the buck
might still be the Sokani X60.
I just wish it had a stronger handbrake
and tilting umbrella, but the all-metal construction,
outstanding reflector, as well as the quality
and integrity of its output, make it a winner.
This is a great option for somebody on a budget,
or if you're just looking to add another light
into your kit but don't need a premium light to fit that role.
The only real consideration you need to make
is if portability via battery power is important to you,
or if you'll be using it in a quiet environment
close to your microphone.
If you need either of those two things,
then none of these three lights I just compared
will be a good fit without modification,
because they all have those shortcomings.
But to give you a better sense of the fan noise,
in this shot here I have the mic placed just out of frame,
and the light is placed about six feet, or two meters, away
behind the Light Dome. And this is what it sounds like.
I'll turn the light on and off so you can pick out
which noise is coming from that fan.
[low whirring]
[whirring slows slightly]
[whirring speeds up]
So, if the mains power only and noisier than average
fan limitations aren't concerns for your purpose,
then I'd say the Sokani X60 is a great choice,
and one of the best value options available.
But that's gonna be it for me, I hope you found this video
entertaining, or at least helpful.
And if you did, make sure you leave it the old thumbs up
and consider subscribing if you haven't already.
But if you did not find this video helpful or entertaining,
then you must be friends with my Uncle Leroy.
Alright... I'm done.
[cheery music]
♪