I am looking to purchase my first studio flash and I'm considering a White
Lightning X800 or an AlienBees B800. Judging by specs alone, they are both
very similar. Does anyone have experience with one or both units to suggest
I go one way or another?

I have a very small area in my home that I intend to use (about 12'L 12'W
10'H). I live in Hawaii so I will also do a lot of shooting outdoors so I
need something relatively portable also. Indoors, I'll do mostly portraiture
and black-n-white figure poses. Outdoors, I'll do a lot of bikini beach
shots as well as darker mountain and rainforest-type areas. In an earlier
post, I asked if I should purchase a Canon 550EX and 420EX instead of studio
flashes but most people advised against that. My camera is a Canon EOS 10D
if that makes a difference. Thanks in advance for the help and advice.