The Problems:

Not all is ideal, though. I would be remiss if I didn't share some of the negatives of the modifier.

1. It is not lightweight. It's a few ounces on the porky side. This makes for the entire rig to be more top-heavy than what you may be comfortable with. In fact, one problem I've encountered on several occasions is the swinging weight. As you move around, if the flash head does not have an interlock to hold it in the vertical bounce position, the flash head will move. For stand mounted portable lights where there is limited movement, the FlashBender's weight is most likely not a concern. This is only a problem with the largest FlashBender. The two smaller ones are less than half the weight and do not cause this problem. If weight is an issue, choose the smaller version.

2. The Velcro strap design is by far the weakest aspect of the FlashBender. I really don't like it and without a doubt it will be the first, if not the only, thing to fail. For a product which is built to such a high quality standard, the Velcro strap is a glaring design weakness. The Velcro is not of industrial strength and repeated use will wear it out to the point where the strap no longer holds. To counter the weight of the FlashBender, you may have to cinch the straps down tight enough the Velcro is just on the edge of holding. If the Velcro itself had twice the surface area, the strain would be spread out over the greater area and they should last longer. The straps are also elastic. Elastic bands have a nasty trait of becoming stretched with use. Again, this is likely to contribute to a premature failure of the entire attachment mechanism. To relieve the strain and to provide enough grip to the flash, I've wrapped a second Velcro strap around it.

4. It's either one inch too small or one inch too large. Seriously!  I know I'm opening myself up to criticism for being too picky, but the FlashBender is just at that awkward size where it's too large to balance well, but too small for the desired diffused light look. Not really a flaw or mis-design, just a preference. Which leads to the next point.

5. The white surface is very reflective. It has a glossy sheen to it. This is a good thing from the aspect that there is not much fall-off, like you get with most modifiers. Many modifiers eat an entire stop without batting an eye and most reflectors eat two. Depending on how you curve this thing, it loses very little light, but the light is more specular. If you've ever built a reflector out of white hobby foam, you know that the entire foam surface lights up pretty evenly. That's not the case with the FlashBender. Unless you have it bent perfectly, you end up with a much smaller area where the light is actually reflecting towards your subject. A Lumiquest scoop modifer will give better quality light on the subject, with about a half-stop of additional light loss than the more reflective FlashBender. A homemade reflector made out of hobby foam, even when dimensionally smaller will have smoother shadows than the FlashBender. If the surface was less glossy, it would act more like a diffuser and less like a mirror, but with a greater light-loss. The benefit of the glossy surface may outweigh the drawbacks, but it does occasionally force you to spend more time carefully shaping it.