This post represents an initial start on a review of the new Retra Maxi strobe. I've had the strobes for just 1 week and wanted to provide some initial experience and images taken over my first three dives with the Maxi's. I'll be building up to a full review as I use in a wider range of environments over the next couple of months.

Introduction

 

Reta was very generous and agreed to provide me with a pair of their new Maxi strobes for evaluation. I’ve been shooting the Backscatter HF-1 for over a year now and have often made comparisons with Retra’s strobes. To be perfectly honest, I have been critical of Retra’s highest end Pro Max and Max II strobes due to their relatively high price compared to the HF-1, and their use of older AA battery technology. I consider AA power outdated in a lithium-ion era, resulting in limitations to core features like recycle time, video lighting, and run-time. The new Maxi strobe seems to have answers to each of these critiques. I appreciate their confidence in allowing me to consider their new product.

Retra included the required batteries, and two sets of their Reduction rings and Wide Angle / 4500k color diffusers. I am very happy to have these accessories as they match what I routinely use with my HF-1 strobes.

First Impressions

 

I was not able to do a proper unboxing unfortunately as my Maxi’s were provided in generic packing materials rather than Retail packaging. However, the hardware lives up to Retra’s familiar high level of refinement and precision in manufacturing. The Maxi’s silver-gray aluminum construction and controls are directly comparable to the Max II strobes despite being sold at nearly half the retail price.

I spent some time reading the manual and exploring the controls and features. I won’t regurgitate the specs in this preview, but I suggest reviewing Retra’s web site for details.

I am a Manual mode shooter, so I have not experimented with any of the TTL modes, and I don’t have a trigger capable of HSS. My Nauticam Z8 housing comes standard with a Nauticam manual mode flash trigger. Configuring the strobe in “M” mode, it shot perfectly in both single shot and rapid bursts at 1/8 to 1/4 power levels. I didn’t notice any loss of power in short 3 burst images.

The Spotting light is dead center of the strobe, making for easy and accurate aiming with a snoot or super-macro reduction rings. The spotting light is approximately 300-400 lumens with a 50% and 100% modes. I can’t find this documented in the specs or manual, so hopefully Retra will provide this detail in the future.

My Maxi’s include the optional Video Light, which is capable of an impressive 6000 lumens. Conveniently the Power Knob provides fine grained levels from 0 to 100% in its 17 positions. This is a very nice feature, but I suspect most users will just go to 100% if shooting occasional videos.

I don’t have enough time in the water with the strobes yet to comment on battery life. On the two macro focused dives conducted so far, I had one of the strobes running with the spotting light on for nearly a full 70 minutes. The battery indicator never left the green-zone of 100-75% power remaining. From my experience with earlier AA power Retra strobes, running the spotting light was sure way to drain the battery. This seems like a solid improvement so far.

Configuring my Rig

Before setting out on some initial test dives I swapped out my HF-1 strobes with the Maxi’s. My first dive would be limited to Macro shooting only as recent flooding in the Pacific Northwest have wreaked havoc on the usually excellent winter visibility. Rather than my usual Snooting setup for macro with the combo of an MF-2 + Snoot and HF-1, I used the two Maxi’s with reduction rings. I shot with a Nikon Z8, 105z lens, and double diopters MFO-1 and Subsee +10.

The first point of comparison is the weight of the entire rig in and out of the water. The Maxi strobes are just slightly heavier than the HF-1s using identical battery cells. (Nitecore 5300mah)

In the photo above, I have a custom ring float on the macro port that adds about 400 grams of buoyancy. I had to remove it after my initial dive with the Maxi’s as my rig became positively buoyant and wanted to go belly up! The in-water weight of the Maxi’s is essentially neutral while the HF-1 are about 250 grams negative, each.

The Maxi is a bit larger and 20 grams heavier than the HF-1. However, the additional volume seems to be quite deliberate in order to achieve near-neutral buoyancy.

Image - Bottom to top: Retra Maxi, Backscatter HF-1, Backscatter Atom

After removing the port float, I took the following measurements:

	Dry	Underwater
Maxi x 2	11.34 kg	0.1 kg
HF-1 x 2	11.30 kg	0.63 kg

Preview images

As of this writing I have done three dives in the last week with the Retra Maxi’s. Two macro dive, one set for Wide angle. The Wide Angle dive ending up being a challenge, so I only got a few usable photos. This was due to fairly poor and hazy water clarity and strong currents at the start of the dive, and worsening visibility at the end of the dive once the current slackened. I’ll get a better sample of photos in the next few weeks.

Scalyhead Sculpin (Artedius harringtoni) on a bit of frayed rope.   Redondo Beach Park, WA, USA   Nikon Z8 w/Nikkor 105mm lens, MFO-1 diopter, f13@1/200s iso200, Pair of Retra Maxi strobes
Pacific Red Octopus (Octopus rubescens) in a bottle   Redondo Beach Park, WA, USA   Nikon Z8 w/Nikkor 105mm lens, MFO-1 diopter, f10@1/200s iso320, Pair of Retra Maxi strobes
Diamond Back Nudibranch (Tritonia festiva)   Alki Beach, Seattle WA, USA   Nikon Z8 w/Nikkor 105mm lens, MFO-1 diopter, f5.6@1/200s iso64, Pair of Retra Maxi strobes
Sea Spider   Alki Beach, Seattle WA, USA   Nikon Z8 w/Nikkor 105mm lens, Subsee +10 diopter, f16@1/200s iso250, Pair of Retra Maxi strobes
Diamond Back Nudibranch (Tritonia festiva)   Alki Beach, Seattle WA, USA   Nikon Z8 w/Nikkor 105mm lens, MFO-1 diopter, f5.6@1/200s iso64, Pair of Retra Maxi strobes
Stubby Squid (Rossia pacifica)   Alki Beach, Seattle WA, USA   Nikon Z8 w/Nikkor 105mm lens, MFO-1 diopter, f14@1/200s iso160, Pair of Retra Maxi strobes
Female Wolf eel (Anarrhichthys ocellatus) collecting an urchin snack   Sunrise Beach Park, Gig Harbor WA, USA   Nikon Z8 w/Nikon 60mm lens, Kraken KRL09 WA,  f5.6@1/40s iso500, Pair of Retra Maxi strobes, Wide Angle 4500k dome filters
Pacific Red Octopus (Octopus rubescens) with fist-sized urchins   Sunrise Beach Park, Gig Harbor WA, USA   Nikon Z8 w/Nikon 60mm lens, Kraken KRL09 WA,  f11@1/80s iso500, Pair of Retra Maxi strobes, Wide Angle 4500k dome filters
Red Irish Lord (Hemilepidotus hemilepidotus)   Sunrise Beach Park, Gig Harbor WA, USA   Nikon Z8 w/Nikon 60mm lens, Kraken KRL09 WA,  f13@1/80s iso500, Pair of Retra Maxi strobes, Wide Angle 4500k dome filters
Hazy visibility with diver and Sea Lemon nudibranch   Sunrise Beach Park, Gig Harbor WA, USA   Nikon Z8 w/Nikon 60mm lens, Kraken KRL09 WA,  f6.3@1/40s iso1000, Pair of Retra Maxi strobes, Wide Angle 4500k dome filters

Please let me know what you'd like to see or hear more about as I continue to evaluate the new Retra Maxi strobes! Any questions, configurations, or test case suggestions would be greatly appreciated.

As an added note, I have the Backscatter HF-1, Backscatter Atom, Inon 330, and a buddies Retra v1 strobes available for comparison.

Hi @Dave_Hicks thanks for the initial thoughts.

The main reason I moved from the Inon Z-330 v2 to the HF-1 was for a more powerful light for wide scenes. When conditions improve, I am quite interested in the overall light quality of the new Maxi.

The Maxi is a cooler temp and smaller diameter tube. It seems the wide diffuser is needed to come close to the bare Pro Max strobe.

• When the diffuser is added to the Maxi, how does it compare to both the Pro Max and HF-1 in overall even spread and quality?

• With the diffuser added, is the light harsh or a bit softer such as the Pro Max is known to provide?

• With the diffuser added, how is the net output coverage compared to the HF-1 and bare Pro Max?

Thanks in advance!

Chip

On 1/5/2026 at 3:17 AM, Dave_Hicks said:

Please let me know what you'd like to see or hear more about as I continue to evaluate the new Retra Maxi strobes! Any questions, configurations, or test case suggestions would be greatly appreciated.

As an added note, I have the Backscatter HF-1, Backscatter Atom, Inon 330, and a buddies Retra v1 strobes available for comparison.

Is there any Information about how many frames you can take in serial Mode per second with what power level / GN? Would be even nicer to have a comparison to backscatter (single blackouts/which one is brighter?!) Thx in advance

10 hours ago, Michi said:

Is there any Information about how many frames you can take in serial Mode per second with what power level / GN? Would be even nicer to have a comparison to backscatter (single blackouts/which one is brighter?!) Thx in advance

I spent today diving with the Maxi's at a dive site called Sund Rock about 90 minutes drive from Seattle. Good visibility today (5-10 meters) so I am hoping for a few good wide-angle shots.

I will do some test shots and comparison including recycle and power of 3-5 frame burst shots. I'll compare the Maxi, HF-1, and Atom strobes.

Hey Dave, what LED trigger do you use ? Is it still the Nauticam with the updated firmware ? I just tested the Maxi with my new Z8 and the Nauticam Trigger. Burst shooting just does not work (first shot fine, black frames after that). Retra were super helpful and we think the strobes are fine, but that most likely the Nauticam trigger is the problem here.

13 hours ago, Dave_Hicks said:

I spent today diving with the Maxi's at a dive site called Sund Rock about 90 minutes drive from Seattle. Good visibility today (5-10 meters) so I am hoping for a few good wide-angle shots.

I will do some test shots and comparison including recycle and power of 3-5 frame burst shots. I'll compare the Maxi, HF-1, and Atom strobes.

If you can please go for 10 and 15 frames a second. It would be very interesting how Long the strobes Can keep up / how many blackouts you have in between. I don’t need super high power Levels but a GN of around 20 would be nice. I struggle at the Moment when it comes to high burst Rates wir my A1 And Ikelite ds161 and behavior shots…Thank you in Advance!

The short answer is that the Maxi can shoot steady across 10 frames at 1/8th power (+1). At 1/4 (+2) there is a gradual drop off in power over 10 frames. At 1/2 the drop offs are significant and its a no go at Full. There are no blank or skipped frames.

I shots at 3 frames per second in these tests.

11 hours ago, Dave_Hicks said:

The short answer is that the Maxi can shoot steady across 10 frames at 1/8th power (+1). At 1/4 (+2) there is a gradual drop off in power over 10 frames. At 1/2 the drop offs are significant and its a no go at Full. There are no blank or skipped frames.

I shots at 3 frames per second in these tests.

Thx a lot! Do I get it right: 10 frames per second and after a drop? For me its often just 2-4 frames that are critical within 1/3 of a second to capture a certain behavior. I just need very fast recyce times but never more strobe fire than for around 10/15 shots… strobe bursts limit me at the moment and I am looking for a gear change :-( Would be interesting if backscatter hf is brighter / darker and has a fall off sooner/later or is faster at the beginning and have blackouts later… thx in Advance

No, please read it again. I tested with 3fps for 10 frames.

The Maxi works perfectly at 1/8th power. Any higher power and you lose start to reduce the exposure with each subsequent frame. It's a gradual drop off at 1/4, and more significant at 1/2 and Full power.

The Backscatter HF-1 and Atom are ramp up a bit higher in burst shooting. They never shoot an significantly underpowered frame. Instead they start skipping frames. Both work perfectly at 1/8 and 1/4. The Atom starts skipping every other frame at 1/2 power. The HF-1 starts skipping every other frame only at Full power, and the Atom skips two frames at Full.

Edited January 9Jan 9 by Dave_Hicks

From what I can see in testing of Burst shots and recycle time, I think that Retra has designed the Maxi to prioritize triggering the flash with each frame. The Maxi will continue to fire with each frame even if at a reduced the power level. This is probably a valid choice at 1/8th or 1/4 power. At 1/2 or Full power I think this breaks down as the subsequent shots in the sequence become so underexposed that they might not be useful.

The Backscatters seem to prioritize hitting the expected exposure with every flash, and will start dropping frames when they can't keep up anymore. At 1/2 and Full power the Atom still delivered useful exposures even if only every second or third frame. The HF-1 only skipped frames at Full power and then exposed every second frame.

I think this is a case where preferences will vary.

Edited January 9Jan 9 by Dave_Hicks

Sharing are a few more wide-angle shots with the Maxi's.

The water conditions around the PNW tend to be fairly particulate at the best of times, so I normally like to use reductions rings. The Maxi strobes (and my HF-1) are pretty cold around 6200-6500k so I also like to use a warming filter. Retra's wide angle 4500k warming dome is not compatible with reduction rings however. I ended up fabricating custom reduction rings a with 5500k --> 4500k gel filter installed. I think it all worked out really nicely and I was satisfied with the results.

A note on battery life - Using 5300mah batteries, I took about 330 photos across two dives on this outing. At the end of the day the battery indicator light was still Green, meaning they still had greater than 75% state of charge. I only used the spotting lights a little bit to illuminate the GPO in its den. Battery life of the Maxi's seems to be great. I'm looking forward to some three-dive-days in the future to really stress them out.

The photos below were not edited for white balance, this is how the colors came out of the camera set to auto white balance with using the 4500k filters:

Nikon Z8 w/24-50mm, WWL-C, Pair Retra Maxi strobes

Custom Reduction Ring and filter:

Those pictures look great Dave, my last dive in Washington I could barely see my fins 😅

1 minute ago, Grantmac said:

Those pictures look great Dave, my last dive in Washington I could barely see my fins 😅

Thanks! We had some major floods last month that put so much silt in Puget Sound that I could only see one of my two fins. :) It's a lot better now.

4 hours ago, Dave_Hicks said:

Thanks! We had some major floods last month that put so much silt in Puget Sound that I could only see one of my two fins. :) It's a lot better now.

Guess I need to get back in tomorrow then!

@Dave_Hicks great frames! You win the Gold for making photoing in low viz look easy.

What do you think about the quality of light between the HF-1s and Maxis in your home water, both with 4500 diffusers?

About the same? Or is one better than another?

@Dave_Hicks Thanks for that. Nice frames Dave!

15 hours ago, ChipBPhoto said:

@Dave_Hicks great frames! You win the Gold for making photoing in low viz look easy.

What do you think about the quality of light between the HF-1s and Maxis in your home water, both with 4500 diffusers?

About the same? Or is one better than another?

To be determined!

Hi everyone,

I just did a pretty extensive review of the Retra Maxis compared to several other top of the line strobes, using quantitative methods in a studio. I reckon it's a good counterpart to Dave's review in the field here.

https://blog.kiliii.com/underwater-strobe-shootout-marelux-apollo-iii-2-0-retra-maxi-seacam-160d-retra-pro-ii/

All of Dave's findings are echoed in my results as well, although I did come up with some big surprises when I did my controlled tests. The Retra Maxi is essentially a burst-shooting beast with a vastly better light quality than the Marelux Apollo III. And it does it at high power. Take a look!

4 hours ago, Kiliii Yuyan said:

Hi everyone,

I just did a pretty extensive review of the Retra Maxis compared to several other top of the line strobes, using quantitative methods in a studio. I reckon it's a good counterpart to Dave's review in the field here.

https://blog.kiliii.com/underwater-strobe-shootout-marelux-apollo-iii-2-0-retra-maxi-seacam-160d-retra-pro-ii/

All of Dave's findings are echoed in my results as well, although I did come up with some big surprises when I did my controlled tests. The Retra Maxi is essentially a burst-shooting beast with a vastly better light quality than the Marelux Apollo III. And it does it at high power. Take a look!

Great review Kiliii! I think we are in sync on a lot of the details. I especially appreciate that the strobes you are comparing to are completely different than what I am using. I have Retra Maxi, Backscatter HF-1, Backscatter Atom. I don't have a Retra Pro Max-II, and I think that is an important point of comparison.

Retra Maxi Control Ergonomics:

I'll add one note here on the Retra ergonomics. The responsiveness and precision of the Retra Maxi controls are superb. Better than the Backscatter strobes for sure. The HF-1 power level knob is a crime against cold water divers. The Atom is better in that it's not simple round knob but a flat paddle, allowing your fingers to feel the position. However, it is smaller than I would like.

While the Retra Maxi control precision is excellent, I don't like that the Mode Switch and Power Level look identical to each other. The power level is longer, but I found it hard to discern which was which. This is exacerbated when the strobes are in different orientations, resulting in mirrored positions. As seen below. I often shoot with one strobe up and one out on long arms. I can't see the backs of the strobes when in an inward position and my fingers have to do the all the work. Both control knobs fell the same resulting in mistakes that screw up settings.

I love to customize the gear I use, so I addressed this with a custom made Retra Maxi mode switch knob. I find this design works a lot better for my style of shooting. It also fixes another issue with the Retra Knobs - salt deposits. The Retra knobs are completely flush to the back of the strobe and they have a internal voids that retain water. Even after a long soak and air blow dry, I will find salt encrusting the base of the knobs a day or two later. My design is essentially solid and leaves about a 1mm gap from the base, allowing the trapped salt water to be flushed out. I will probably make a custom Power Level knob that looks identical to the stock knob but leaves a gap to allow proper flushing of the salt deposits.

(If you look closely, you can see salt around the base of Retra's power level knob even after I wiped most of it off)

2 hours ago, Dave_Hicks said:

I love to customize the gear I use, so I addressed this with a custom made Retra Maxi mode switch knob. I find this design works a lot better for my style of shooting. It also fixes another issue with the Retra Knobs - salt deposits. The Retra knobs are completely flush to the back of the strobe and they have a internal voids that retain water. Even after a long soak and air blow dry, I will find salt encrusting the base of the knobs a day or two later. My design is essentially solid and leaves about a 1mm gap from the base, allowing the trapped salt water to be flushed out. I will probably make a custom Power Level knob that looks identical to the stock knob but leaves a gap to allow proper flushing of the salt deposits.

(If you look closely, you can see salt around the base of Retra's power level knob even after I wiped most of it off)

Firstly thanks to Dave and Kiliii for the comprehensive reviews.

On the question of salt, it seems to me it is very difficult to get rid of this salt in crevices etc. Just soaking won't do it, there's very little driving force to exchange fresh and salt water. On my previous Z240 strobes I would find salt crystals between in the space between the o-ring and the edge of the cap. Capillary forces hold the water in there and even after a 2hour soak or longer there's still salt there. If I change the batteries I can taste it, if I don't salt crystals eventually form. This is a problem on any small crevice, the gap between the two halves of the housing, buttons and control knobs, below caps like vacuum caps etc.

At least with housing buttons you can press the button a few times to get salt water to leave, you can turn the knobs - but this doesn't do a lot I don't think. I have taken to blasting each control with with a blower bulb ( I use a Giotto rocket blower, surprisingly effective) , you can get a squirt of water out on all the housing buttons. I have Retra pure strobes, I aim the the nozzle at the base of each knob and the light button and blast till no more water comes out. I've just ordered a rechargeable air duster which I'll try out after next dive.

11 minutes ago, Chris Ross said:

Firstly thanks to Dave and Kiliii for the comprehensive reviews.

On the question of salt, it seems to me it is very difficult to get rid of this salt in crevices etc. Just soaking won't do it, there's very little driving force to exchange fresh and salt water. On my previous Z240 strobes I would find salt crystals between in the space between the o-ring and the edge of the cap. Capillary forces hold the water in there and even after a 2hour soak or longer there's still salt there. If I change the batteries I can taste it, if I don't salt crystals eventually form. This is a problem on any small crevice, the gap between the two halves of the housing, buttons and control knobs, below caps like vacuum caps etc.

At least with housing buttons you can press the button a few times to get salt water to leave, you can turn the knobs - but this doesn't do a lot I don't think. I have taken to blasting each control with with a blower bulb ( I use a Giotto rocket blower, surprisingly effective) , you can get a squirt of water out on all the housing buttons. I have Retra pure strobes, I aim the the nozzle at the base of each knob and the light button and blast till no more water comes out. I've just ordered a rechargeable air duster which I'll try out after next dive.

Likely won't work if your strobe is like this one. Zero gap under the knob and i use a powerful electric blower after a some hours in the sink. The knob ought to have a little space to drain, even if a small hole or slot at the bottom. There is a considerable hollow under the knob that retains a CC or two of water.

5 hours ago, Dave_Hicks said:

Great review Kiliii! I think we are in sync on a lot of the details. I especially appreciate that the strobes you are comparing to are completely different than what I am using. I have Retra Maxi, Backscatter HF-1, Backscatter Atom. I don't have a Retra Pro Max-II, and I think that is an important point of comparison.

Retra Maxi Control Ergonomics:

I'll add one note here on the Retra ergonomics. The responsiveness and precision of the Retra Maxi controls are superb. Better than the Backscatter strobes for sure. The HF-1 power level knob is a crime against cold water divers. The Atom is better in that it's not simple round knob but a flat paddle, allowing your fingers to feel the position. However, it is smaller than I would like.

While the Retra Maxi control precision is excellent, I don't like that the Mode Switch and Power Level look identical to each other. The power level is longer, but I found it hard to discern which was which. This is exacerbated when the strobes are in different orientations, resulting in mirrored positions. As seen below. I often shoot with one strobe up and one out on long arms. I can't see the backs of the strobes when in an inward position and my fingers have to do the all the work. Both control knobs fell the same resulting in mistakes that screw up settings.

I love to customize the gear I use, so I addressed this with a custom made Retra Maxi mode switch knob. I find this design works a lot better for my style of shooting. It also fixes another issue with the Retra Knobs - salt deposits. The Retra knobs are completely flush to the back of the strobe and they have a internal voids that retain water. Even after a long soak and air blow dry, I will find salt encrusting the base of the knobs a day or two later. My design is essentially solid and leaves about a 1mm gap from the base, allowing the trapped salt water to be flushed out. I will probably make a custom Power Level knob that looks identical to the stock knob but leaves a gap to allow proper flushing of the salt deposits.

(If you look closely, you can see salt around the base of Retra's power level knob even after I wiped most of it off)

Hi Dave,

would you share the 3D/CAD files of the knobs. I also sometimes mix up the power and mode knob due to almost same design (only length is differnt). I was thinking to design a clip-on knop. But if your design solves also the "salt problem"👍😃. To be honest, I hadn't figured out the salt problem until today. Will later remove a knop on my strobe to get an idea how much salt stuck there.

Br Markus

10 hours ago, Kiliii Yuyan said:

I just did a pretty extensive review of the Retra Maxis compared to several other top of the line strobes, ...

Hi @Kiliii Yuyan

- “Retra the best… f*** the rest?” 😄

Seriously though: what did the poor Apollo III ever do to you to get roasted that hard?

Jokes aside, I’m trying to reconcile your January 2026 conclusions with a couple of practical, quantitative questions:

1. Apollo version / light quality

   Your post is Jan 2026 and you sourced the latest Retra Maxi — why not bench-test the current Apollo III revision as well (the one with the micro-peened dome glas update that’s supposed to improve beam/“quality of light” and reduce the need for the dome diffuser)?

   If it simply wasn’t available: totally fair - but then the “needs diffuser / poor coverage” verdict is basically “Apollo III 2.0 as tested”, not necessarily “Apollo III today”, right?

2. Missing HF-1 = missing power anchor

   No HF-1 in the lineup means there’s no obvious power/price reference point. Alex Mustard has called the Backscatter HF-1 „the strongest strobe he’s tried“ — was it just impossible to get one in time, or was there a reason you skipped it?

3. Retra Maxi burst: what’s the real ceiling without drama?

   8 fps is a fine level playing field, but what I (and probably many) want is the Maxi’s actual max sustainable rate with no black frames and no meaningful exposure drift, plus the GN/power level where that holds.

   So in practical terms: does the Maxi get anywhere near Apollo’s 10–12 fps-ish territory in its stable modes, or is it fundamentally behind on high-fps burst consistency?

Context: I already own HF-1 (brightest) + Apollo III 2.0 (fastest). I’m trying to figure out whether the Maxi adds a new capability or mostly overlaps.

Thanks in advance — genuinely curious, and I appreciate the effort you put into measuring this stuff.

PS: I’m not allergic to Retra winning - I just want any comparison to include the actual monsters in the room.

First, let me thank heartfelt all the testers, who do this thankless task of thoroughly testing and comparing strobes - so that we consumers have a clearer picture before acquiring the expensive equipment...

Just my uninvolved remarks on strobe comparison:

I fully agree that in any comparison with the new Retra Maxi, the HF-1 is very important to include. This is the reference strobe that Maxi was made to compete with...

Another important strobe to compare with is the recent Retra top strobe (I think it is called the MaxII), since this is the strobe that top UW-photographers rate as the very best ones with respect to quality of the light (even distribution and color temperature). Not a direct competitor of Maxi or HF-1, but one would like to know what one is giving up, when acquiring the power models...

Maybe also the new AOI P1 strobes is a strong competitor, it seems to be something in the middle between HF-1 and Retra Maxi (some people here wrote that the backscatter strobes are made by AOI; indeed the chassis looks very similar, but it has a circular tube like the maxi)...

(I think that comparison of the Maxi with e.g. Z330 or even MF-3 does not make much sense - these strobes are in different niches)