The Neewer 700W kit is the budget continuous favorite — a complete two-softbox setup for around $130 that creators repeatedly call the best travel softbox kit you can get for under $200. Multiple hands-on YouTube reviews praise its soft, even fill and dead-simple assembly, while flagging that the LED bulbs aren't as bright as real studio lights and a minority fail early.
Full review
Real-World Performance
The Neewer 700W kit is one of the most popular budget softbox kits on the market, and hands-on reviewers consistently rate it well for the money. A long-running YouTube review called it 'probably the best travel softbox light kit you'll find without spending more than $200,' and another framed its purpose plainly: it can 'transform your video with professional lighting' at a beginner price. The kit pairs two 24x24-inch softboxes with 35W 5700K LED bulbs rated at 3150 lumens each, producing the soft, diffused, daylight-balanced light that softboxes are prized for.
Reviewers are honest that this is fill-light territory rather than high-output key lighting. One noted the lights 'aren't super bright compared to actual studio lights, but they provide a nice even fill light.' For portraits, product shots, talking-head video and small-room setups, that even wash is exactly what most beginners need, and the daylight color temperature keeps skin tones neutral.
Build Quality and Design
The kit's biggest practical strength is how easy it is to live with. Reviewers repeatedly call it 'extremely easy to assemble' — the softboxes mount to the stands, the bulbs screw into the E26 sockets, and you are shooting in minutes. The 83-inch stands give plenty of height for full-length portraits, and the whole kit folds down into an included carry bag, which is why creators keep describing it as a 'travel' kit despite being a full two-light setup.
The components are budget-grade plastic and lightweight aluminum, appropriate to the price. One reviewer who had used the kit for two years reported it 'works just as well today as it did two years ago,' suggesting the build holds up with normal care, even if it does not feel as solid as a metal-bodied Bowens system.
Value at This Price
At around $130 for two softboxes, two LED bulbs, two tall stands and a bag, the Neewer 700W kit is hard to beat on pure cost-per-light. For someone setting up their first home studio, it removes the friction of buying lights, modifiers and stands separately, and the LED bulbs run cool and efficient compared to the old CFL or halogen bulbs these kits used to ship with.
The value pitch is specifically about getting two soft light sources cheaply. A single SL60IIBi COB light costs more and gives you one point of light; this kit gives you a key-and-fill pair for less. The trade-off, as every reviewer notes, is output and refinement — but for the price, the kit delivers the fundamentals.
What Reviewers Loved
Ease of use, soft even light and value are the consistent themes. Multiple YouTube reviewers walk through fast setups and come away recommending the kit for beginners, vloggers and product photographers on a budget. The two-softbox configuration is genuinely useful — you can run a classic two-light portrait setup straight out of the box — and the daylight bulbs keep color neutral.
The kit's longevity also earns praise from some long-term owners, and its packability makes it a favorite for creators who need to move a studio between rooms or locations. For a first lighting purchase, reviewers treat it as a low-risk, high-utility buy.
How It Compares to Alternatives
Compared to the Godox SL60IIBi, the Neewer 700W kit is cheaper and gives you two softboxes instead of one light, but it is dramatically less bright and less color-accurate — bulb-based LEDs cannot match a COB light's output or CRI. If you shoot serious video or need faithful color, the SL60IIBi is the upgrade; if you just need two soft fill lights cheaply, the Neewer wins on value.
Against the Neewer Photography Lighting Kit with Backdrops, this kit is more focused: it skips the backdrops and background support system, so it is the better choice if you already have a backdrop or only need the lights. And versus the strobe kits (Godox SK400II, DP1000III-V), it trades all of their power and motion-freezing ability for continuous simplicity and a much lower price.
Where It Falls Short
The main limitation is output. Reviewers are unanimous that the lights are not bright enough to act as a powerful key in a well-lit room — they shine as fill light or as the main light in a dim space. Photographers who need to shoot at small apertures for deep depth of field, or who want to overpower ambient light, will find the bulbs underpowered.
Reliability is the other concern: while many owners report years of trouble-free use, a minority report bulbs failing within weeks, so the bulb quality can be inconsistent. The E26 socket also limits your upgrade path — you can swap bulbs but not move to professional Bowens modifiers without changing the whole system. None of this is surprising at the price, but it explains why this is a starter kit rather than a long-term professional solution.
Who It's Best For
The Neewer 700W kit is for beginners, students, hobbyists and budget creators who want two soft light sources for portraits, product photography or video without spending much. It is an ideal first studio purchase and a handy secondary fill-light kit, especially for anyone who values easy setup and portability.
If you need real output and accurate color for professional video, step up to the Godox SL60IIBi; if you also need backdrops, the Neewer backdrop kit bundles them in; and if you shoot stills that demand power, a strobe kit is the better path. But as an affordable, do-the-basics softbox kit, reviewers consistently rate it a smart entry point.
Strengths
- +Complete two-softbox continuous kit for well under $200
- +Two 24x24-inch softboxes deliver soft, even fill light
- +UL-certified 5700K LED bulbs (3150 lumens each) run cool and efficient
- +Very easy to assemble, with umbrella-style softboxes and a carry bag
- +Lightweight and travel-friendly for a full studio kit
Watch-outs
- −Not as bright as true studio lights, better as fill than key
- −Some buyers report bulbs failing within weeks
- −E26-socket bulbs limit upgrade options compared to Bowens lights
How it compares
The Neewer 700W kit is cheaper and simpler than the Godox SL60IIBi COB light but far dimmer and less color-accurate, and it gives you two softboxes where the SL60IIBi base kit is a single light; it skips the backdrops the Neewer backdrop kit includes.
Who this is for
At a glance: Beginners and budget creators who want two soft fill lights for portraits, product or video.
Why you’d buy the Neewer 700W Softbox Lighting Kit
- Complete two-softbox continuous kit for well under $200.
- Two 24x24-inch softboxes deliver soft, even fill light.
- UL-certified 5700K LED bulbs (3150 lumens each) run cool and efficient.
Why you’d skip it
- Not as bright as true studio lights, better as fill than key.
- Some buyers report bulbs failing within weeks.
- E26-socket bulbs limit upgrade options compared to Bowens lights.
Rating sources
“Probably the best 'travel' softbox light kit you'll find without spending more than $200.”
“Bright and soft light, sturdy enough for the price.”
“Complete setup at an affordable price.”
Our 4.4 score is the average of these published ratings. Ratings marked * were derived from the reviewer’s written analysis or video transcript — the publisher didn’t print an explicit numeric score, so we inferred one from their own words. Click through to verify. More about methodology.
