So, here's the scoop- If you are willing to baby the cans or pack them in a fluffy
road case, they will work just fine. If you are going to toss them around, dump them in the back of a truck,
etc., then buy some real cans made out of thicker steel.
Now, before it comes off that I am simply trashing the Chinese cans, let me indicate that I retired in the 1990's and then started back up a few years back doing gigs as a hobby. My
current cans are Chinese. They all go in road-cases and are handled with care and work fine. They would have never survived my younger days when we did serious touring.
Here are the things to be aware of-
1) Thinner
gauge or aluminum so the dent and crush easy.
2) They uses a separate
line cord that connects to the
socket via a "
sugar cube."
3) The
line cord is usually plastic with a molded end, so don't cook them!
Ok, you are wondering what a "
sugar cube" is. Basically, it is a little
block that is about the size of a
sugar cube and is used to connect the
line cord to the high temprature wires that go to the
socket. Keep an eye on the screws on those because the wires often come loose.
Better cans use a lamp
socket that has the full length of
wire attached to it, and those wires go through a fiberglass sheeth all the way to the
plug. You can buy these "whips" and upgrade the fixtures should you chose.