When I am sent a light to review, I start by writing about my first impressions. The Hobolite Micro (Creator Kit) was the first product in a long, long time to make me immediately exclaim, “Wow!”

Note: Hobolite sent us the Hobolite Micro Creator Kit to review and keep. However, this is a completely independent review. All thoughts about this product are our own.

Hobolite Micro Creator Kit — A build like no other

From the moment you see this light, there is no doubt in your mind that it’s a premium product. The case that it arrives in is like no other, offering thorough protection and maximum style. The build quality feels a notch above the rest. It’s a retro work of art, which is a phrase I thought I’d never say in conjunction with small lighting gear. I’m not saying you should buy a product because of how it looks, but if you use this light, people will take notice.

The light is extremely sturdy. The knobs feel unbreakable. The body feels dense. Sure, other lights may have a relatively solid build. But if you threw this light at someone, you would certainly do some damage (Note: Not recommended!). You don’t get that kind of build quality in other mini lights.

It fits in the palm of your hand and weighs in at just over half a pound. This type of portability allows you to get creative with its usage.

Hobolite Micro Creator Kit — A lesson in simplicity

There’s nothing wrong with gear being simple and intuitive, and the Hobolite is just that. Changing the battery is easy. With just a push of the top-latch, one battery comes out and another can click right into place. And, they’re good-looking batteries too! You’ll get 50 minutes of runtime if operating at maximum brightness, and much more on lower brightness.

There are just two knobs, knurled for easy grip. The knob on the right powers the unit on and adjusts color temperature. The knob on the left adjusts brightness and provides access to the settings menu.

The LCD screen is crisp, clear, and well designed to easily see your adjustments. The menu allows you to toggle on/off Bluetooth connectivity and the fan. However, the fan is relatively quiet and operates via a smart thermal response system. The menu also houses a few effects, such as flash, flame, screen, and lightning, and allows you to switch brightness units to INT (a percentage) or LM.

Photo from Hobolite

Hobolite Micro Creator Kit — Awesome feature alert!

The accessories attach via a magnetic lens mount! I repeat, the accessories attach via a magnetic mount! This means your barndoors are secured on your light in a tenth of a second. Need a frosted dome for diffusion? It’s attached via magnet as well. Color filters from the Creator Kit? Slap them on the same way. Fresnel lens? Yup, magnetic attachment.

Better yet, the filters, Fresnel, and dome all stay together via magnetic attachment. No more rummaging around your kit to find attachments. If there are other lights out there with this feature, it would be hard to imagine they could be executed any better than Hobolite engineering did on this light.

Hobolite Micro Creator Kit — Bi-color performance

While everything I wrote so far seems great, a light still needs to be awesome at being a light. With daylight and tungsten color modes, Hobolite Micro has an even quality across the CCT range of 2700 to 6500K. At CRI 96, accuracy isn’t a problem. The dimming from 0-100% is smooth. The light provides illumination at 500 lumens at 6500K.

Hobolite Micro Creator Kit — But wait, there’s more

Hobolite Micro has a few more features worth noting. There’s an integrated V-mount and 1/4 ” mount for easy connection to other accessories. Easily charge batteries in the light via USB-C cable, or with extra batteries from the Creator Kit charger. Finally, there’s an app for added convenience.