Yes Sir, The Metz line of flash equipment is indeed time-honored for quality and longevity. The classic 402 and 502 power pack portables were virtually indestructible- some are still in service since the 1970s. Currently, in the speedlight types their model 64AF-1 is there flagship unit, They are well constructed and a bit more powerful than the average speelight but the are by no means inexpensive. Up here in Canada they are listed at $569.99- perhas a bit less in the U.S. There may be a few less costly models but I am not familiar with the entire line. Generally, German made electronics are excellent- well engineered and made and are understandably, more costly but the value is there.

There are other manufactures (Q-Flash, Norman, Lumadyne) each with various incarnations of on-camera flash units and systems. Some go into the thousands of dollars and have more versatile features such as interchangeable reflectors, bare-bulb operation,higher power output and built in radio-slave/ exposure data transmitters. I suggested the ones in the moderate price category. I assumed that the OP is ready for a better quality flash unit, however, I didn't think he wants to go from $39. to $500+

When I suggest or recommend anything, here on this site, I always confine my recommendation to equipment that I have used, serviced or have first hand information about from colleagues and other photograhers that I have worked with and whose opinions I value.

Thank you for reminding me about the Metz gear. If you have used one, I would be interested to know about it's actual performance and how it is superior to some of the equivalent or similar Canon and Nikon speedlights. Let me know if you have a chance.

Incidentally,I don't sell any brand of flash gear, nor do I represent any of the aforementioned brands. I just use 'em and fix'em. The units I custom made, back in the day were 800 watt.seconds and up.

I have used several of their units - including my current one, which is the 64AF. What you get compared to the "nicanons" is a better build quality, A nice backlit touchscreen interface - rotating with the camera orientation, a bit faster recycling, a bit higher output, fully Nikon compatible incl TTL, HSS, front and back curtain synch, modeling light, USB port for updating the firmware, probably longer life - for a little less $$$ - I think I paid just under US$400. They do also have smaller units, which are obviously cheaper but same high quality. I think their leading role comes from having made top end on-camera flashes for a lot longer than nicanon

I have used several of their units - including my current one, which is the 64AF. What you get compared to the "nicanons" is a better build quality, A nice backlit touchscreen interface - rotating with the camera orientation, a bit faster recycling, a bit higher output, fully Nikon compatible incl TTL, HSS, front and back curtain synch, modeling light, USB port for updating the firmware, probably longer life - for a little less $$$ - I think I paid just under US$400. They do also have smaller units, which are obviously cheaper but same high quality. I think their leading role comes from having made top end on-camera flashes for a lot longer than nicanon