Soft Box facts to look for

Hi There Everybody-

I have a situation that I need help on. I am in the market for some medium to large soft boxes. I have two (2) Alien Bees' SB800's and love them. Now, I want to get some soft boxes and the like to accessorize them and give me more shooting options, but in my search, I have found so many, from top name brands to the cheaper ones on E-Bay, the sizes are the same but beyond the internal diffusion material and the silver reflective surface that is on the inside, is there anything else that I should be looking for that might make a difference in the light it produces???

Thanks for your tips and advice in advance, I really appreciate it. Please let me know if you have any questions of me.

Sincerely- Douglas

Learn what a light and reflector can do ( Rembrandt lighting - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia ) then get you a softbox...buy the cheapest one you can...spend your money on lenses!

Soft boxes do not produce any light....contrary to popular belief. It's the bulb that's used inside the soft box that produces the light. Now that we have that silly detail out of the way.... ........I would use bulbs that are specifically made for photography. I have one that is rated at 5500K and 85W. It's one of those curly bulbs. I have another curly bulb that is rated at 40W and is a Cool White. I use this as a hot light for fill. Another bulb I have is rated at 180W. This one is used in my studio flash/model light. For one of my soft boxes, I use a curly bulb that is rated at 5200K and is 28W. This is a True Daylight bulb. I hope this helps in some way.
I use this site for my studio equipment, including soft boxes. Great prices...great service. www.strobepro.com

Thanks guys for your information, it is very valuable and I am currently reading/studying the links that you both provided me. I really appreciate it.

Sincerely- Douglas