FINEX Full Aluminum OM-18 Pro Flash Hot Shoe Umbrella Holder Adapter Mount with Swivel/Tilt Bracket 3 Section U Shape for Nikon and Canon Speedlight

This umbrella mount is the best there is!! You see, I'm kind of a moose (6' 4", 320+lbs), and as such, I tend to under-estimate my torque capabilities. Needless to say, me and ANYTHING plastic don't get along well. And that bugs me a bit, because when I crank something down, it's because I want it to stay put; no wiggling, no nothing. It's not because I want to stress test it to failure.Yeah, me and plastic umbrella mounts aren't good buddies. But this one! THIS is the mount for me! ALL METAL! ALL THE TIME!! (Insert thrash jokes here!) I got this to replace a speedlight umbrella mount that I took to failure 2 days before a prom shoot. I was a bit stressed, so I paid for the 'next day' shipping. It arrived on time and I immediately put it through the wringer.Well, it's mostly metal. The knobs are plastic, but even I would have a hard time busting these, because once it stops turning, it's really tough to push it further. Nevertheless, this unit is superbly built! I used it outside, on prom night, with a bit of a stiff breeze and it didn't budge! I put it on one of my 10ft. heavy-duty PBL stands and was thoroughly impressed! I had the umbrella back to the wind and it barely moved at all!This unit is pricey, but the build quality is worth it. It's very 'configurable' and will stay in the position you place it with no problem at all. If you're using large softboxes or umbrellas, you NEED this mount! You won't be disappointed!

Great piece of equipment. I had been hesitant to pull the trigger on the Manfrotto 026 swivel for $45 when I saw this. Needless to say it is perfect for my use. I was adapting my Photoflex small litedome (great quality) and had to buy necessary hardward, connector, bracket and swivel to put the rig on the light stand. Got the connector new and the bracket used. With the Finex it turned out perfect. This swivel will not only let me use my soft box with a YN 600EX-rt , but by removing the sof tbox, I can also use the speedlite for a shoot through or reflective umbrella. I really do not know what anyone could fault this equipment, no doubt the Manfrotto is superb quality but so it this for $20 less. With a YN E3-rt as a controller on my Canon 6D and the YN 600EX-rt in the soft box, Happy as a clam with how it all went together as well as this purchase.Update June 18, 2015:Another interesting aspect of this swivel is it's ability to allow the centering of a flash to the umbrella's center in 2 different ways. This possible because of the extra section in the swivel and the fact that the top section can be adjusted while the section that holds the umbrella shaft is stationary. See the additional pictures included in this review. Also, the swivel sections when move click into the various positions which guarantees there will be no slippage.

This item is the real deal. Solid and very versatile. I debated going with another plastic type mount and although there are some that have a 10 degree hole for the umbrella shaft, if it does not, then you risk having your flash be off centre with inconsistent light spread because your umbrella will likely sag downward and the flash with be pointing at top half of the umbrella and not the centre. Also, if you use a mounted wireless trigger, then this problem becomes worse as the flash is elevated even further. These double articulating mounts make alignment very easy and they are rugged and super durable. They are sturdy enough to mount my softbox in an extreme downward position because of the double joints and I wished I had gotten these the first time around when I purchased my mounts for my light stands.Packaging was excellent and the product arrived in very good time, exactly as described. If you are hesitating between a $12-$17 flash mount and this one, please do yourself a favour and pick this one. I also see no reason why you would spend more to get the manfrotto mount since it is almost twice the price. This thing is legit and solid. They are basically symmetrical whichever way you position it (upside down or not) and they come with two types of inserts that are reversible as well. I am super happy with my final decision.

I really like this thing, it is sturdy and has no issues with holding umbrellas/softboxes in place. I am surprised however that the largest handles/knobs are used to lock down the mount to the light stand and for the double-sided piece at the top for the hot shoe. The two swivel sections that you use more frequently to adjust the angle are the smaller knobs, so I would like to have seen these swapped to make it easier to adjust.Also note that the thumbscrews for the umbrella shaft and to tighten your speedlight onto the hot shoe are really only securely tightened down using a screwdriver so throw one in your kit if you shoot on location. I didn't figure this out the first time around and nearly lost a speedlight since finger tightening isn't quite enough.

There's no denying this is the most flexible mount there is out there. ALL...ALL others, have only one pivot point. This one has two and this is critical to let you rotate the flash down but maintain its axial position inside an umbrella. It's incredibly versatile, you get a ton of adapters (male 3/8 to 1/4, female 3/8 to 1/4, flash cold shoe, dual pivot etc). I use mine differently (regularly with one pivot point), but as intended when I need two pivot points. The only "mod" I did was to remove the hand-screws with long handles and replace them with set screws (M8 for those who care) just to make it more compact (as I don't need to switch between 3/8 and 1/4 that often). It's powder coated, die-cast, thick and overall just great...especially for $20. Just bought another one to have spares forever...I'd hate to not be able to find another one 10 years down the road if I loose or break a piece.