Mixing different strobes?

Hi all

I'm currently using a ys90dx with my 4040/pt010. I'm considering getting another strobe. Is it always to prefere getting an identical one or could it be a good idea getting for instance a ys90 auto, or one of the Inon ones? I should also say that I'm planning to go dSLR in a year or so.

Thankful for input, experiences etc.

I've used the 90dx and the Z220 and have a strong preference for the Z220. If you want to go SLR in the future, the Z220 is a better choice than the other two simply because of its power. Ordinarily, identical strobes is a good idea, but the Inon is enough of an upgrade that you'd be happy with the decision in the long run.

I now have 4 different strobes. In order of purchase:

- a S&S YS25DX (will not be used again),

- an Ikelite DS50 (with TTL & Manual controllers) (will not be used again),

- an Inon D180, and

- an Inon Z220s.

In each case I considered the new strobe to be a big improvement over the previous one, but not always for the same reasons.

I have only ever used 1 strobe at a time, until on the short trip to PG at the start of last week I tried using the D180 and the Z220 at the same time. I think there's quite a lot to learn about using 2 strobes together.

However, I think this was very much more complicated because of having 2 different strobes, because of the difficulty of figuring out what settings produce a balance between the two of them. It's not just figuring out what setting on the Z220s delivers the same power as the D180 at full power. There's also a bit of a challenge in figuring out how to keep them balanced at lower power settings, and in knowing how the power compares when the two are not balanced, and maintaining a given lighting ratio while reducing or increasing the overall power. I suspect this would all be harder with strobes of different brands.

After 2 dives, I went back to using just 1 strobe for the time being. I have decided to wait until my second Z220s (currently on back-order) arrives. Then I'll have another go with 2 strobes. I might have decided differently were I not feeling a little under the weather at the time.

I haven't used the YS90DX so I don't know how that would compare. But so far I love the Z220s. Only done 6 dives, though.

-David