I was looking forward to getting the Frio coldshoe adapter as I've heard so many good things about it from others (including from David Hobby over at Strobist) and because I shoot Speedlight's pretty much exclusively I figured it would be a pretty handy accessory to have in my "bag-o-light".
And even though I was expecting something good, I was still pleasantly surprised just how good they were the moment I pulled them out of the box.
It may be small and made of plastic but as soon as the Frio hits your hand you know it's not just some cheap "do-hicky", it has substance. To ensure a secure fit and longer more durable life the connecting thread is all metal construction.
The Frio is the ONLY hotshoe adapter with a dual-locking mechanism so you can be secure in the knowledge that whatever you attach to it is staying in place. And it's pretty darn universal too, not only will it hold you flash, it will hold an LED panel, a microphone, a monitor, and almost anything else that has a hotshoe mount.
Not only is it designed to live a long life (under normal conditions) it's also designed to break, yes... to break, let me explain: if exposed to extreme shock because something hit your lightstand (or your lightstand hit something) the Frio is designed to break away before the shoe of whatever you have mounted breaks. This little feature could easily save you big bucks in repairs (or replacing) whatever was mounted on your Frio. Ingenious.
My only disappointment? I only got 3.
;)
You get all this for under $14, and shipping won't cost you a penny either, it's free free free.
Below is a quickie Frio demonstration video, for those of you who receive our posts via email can return to the blog to to watch it or head directly over to our YouTube channel to give it a gander.