Tried
Altman rentals?
Otherwise, In general, there is huge differences between beam projectors. The BP-2, the R&V for instance are way different than an
Altman version - than we get into the various R&V wattages - I know of a 1Kw and 500w version both low
voltage. How powerful an
intensity are you looking for? Remember at one
point prepping some
Altman units for a tour, this verses renting than buying some R&V 500w versions and turning them into follow spots with custom made color changes. Stuff bought "used" needed a total sevice
call. "You guys sent it out like that?"
Give anything you might find in rental a good inspection and provide a few days should replacent be needed. This and or the parts and labor you spend on something rented for a show should come off that rental fee or
send it back. Often where I work... it's like they
send us the worst of their gear so we will fix it for them - this for movers up to major last minute upgrade or repairs so it gets out the door, this or at least blow out the cob webs and clean the lenses before use at times... Inspect your rental gear - much of the lighting industry is years beyond what concepts for gear Bash in the 90's might have had for rental or sale. (Remember even some
Altman Rentals Scoops at one
point that needed work - beyond stuff from the Borg or local suppliers. It's
Altman renting their own gear and it needs work? Given this was few years ago and might have been an off day for them.) Could be good well maintained and prepped gear (there are companies that take pride in their gear rental or show), could be crap that's going to fail or have snowballs for lamps amongst other problems such as it don't work. Leave a few days to personally inspect and clean any rental gear as if your own in prepping it for a show - but that from the boneyard in needing work type time. Don't rely upon what you rent is up to your standards or what is show ready unless you have rented from them before and often, and it's to your standards. Hope for the best and many will be good, but some is really bad and needs time to work on or exchange. Advice is don't hold up your show by late arriving rental from a company you are not sure of.
Stock that isn't ready for use, expect it needs work and hope it don't often needs work. What work is needed or even if it's servicable gear is in the contract before
hand.
Than for rental contract comes up the question of who is supplying rental lamps which could become important if the lamps suplied fail too fast or were crap to start with. At what
point during the rental does the renter assume responsibility for lamps that need to be changed? Designer walks down the
line and says... replace that one, that one, that one
etc. easily often adds up to the over 20% of spare lamps provided. This assuming initial cleaning an inspection don't get 90% of them snowball lamps that would already before being plugged in, dark and dim, much less not last long after that. (This for some arc lamps obviously, and a
bit harder to tell for
filament types beyond some signs.)
Anyway
point is, inspect the rental gear (rented ready to use) upon getting it. Test it and inspect the lamps, reflectors, lenses
etc., as if your own and it has not been used in years. Test the fixtures also. What needs to be done to make what you got servicable can be negotiated by way of sending back or money off your rental which isn't up to your standards to fix at you pay rate. MR-16
cyc lights rented recently... sent back a half dozen that had bad bases, wiring and lamps thus didn't work and were not ready for use, yet were sent as rental gear. Cob webs you can deal with, bad
base or lamp even before the show leaves your area... that's different and is either going to cost you or the rental company money.
Rental of some
line voltage Selcon Lekos recently that are going
thru lamps left and right on tour. Is it a problem with
power at the places on the tour, a problem in say someone touching the lamps or too much
haze in the atmosphere, a bunch of old lamps, problem with bases
etc? Don't know, have not gotten back any of the bad lamps. At what
point and after how many hours is it my responsibility to replace the lamps as the end user for rented fixtures, verses the owner of the gear problem in causing the failures - light goes out during show problem as problem? My fixtures don't normally go out from other than natural causes - assuming a shop trained staff changing them and not putting a perfectly good lamp into a bad
base. Normally at least. Negotiatating with the renter on the
Leko's about the lamps... our problem, their's... the more it goes on the more it's mine - this especially given a free lance crew and I have not inspected for cause of failure any of the bad lamps.
Have a few year long world tour where I work, we discussed lamp replacement and refined it to say two to three months long for a rented lamp to last as a concept. Before that, it's the renter's responsibility, after that, it's mine. Obviously that's based on lamp hours and hours of operation of the lamp during the show. But assuming a norm of 750 hours per lamp at it's rated
voltage, that should be sufficient in concept. Given one is starting with snowball lamps for the rented fixtures... what kind of crap are these and they should be replaced before starting the show. After that, for the first few hundred hours or months of opertion, agreed upon, replacement lamps are provided by the rental company. After that, in assuming a long rental, the lamps used provided are approved of by the owner of the gear and provided by the renter. Also the
fixture should be maintained in good working order and given movers that run hot.. that especially with free lance crews not trained by me - is hard to get. This
fixture specifies that every three lamps at 750 hours, the
base should be changed. So if I'm shooting for 1,000 hour changes at least, them inspecting the ends of the lamp to see when it's got a bad
base, or perhaps be suspicious when you get an outer pinch failure before 750 hours in perhaps this toasted and tattooed
base is "bad" swap it out already. What caused this lamp to fail? Bad lamp... thanks. What caused the lamp to fail? Normally after a few hundred hours, and a few premiture lamps failing, the crew does change the lamp
base - once they have to pry a welded lamp to
base from it, or the wiring is melted down and has to replace it also. Just takes one or two perfectly good lamps installed into a bad
base before it gets too bad to keep throwing away money at. Lamp fails at 180 hours due to outer pinch failure... toss a new lamp in it and get it running again.
This from rental or even our gear - I mention free lancers working our shows - often don't care, but in general it's also a concept of training about lamp/fixtures in general and asking a basic question when removing a lamp? Why did this lamp fail? Why are the Selcon rental lamps failiing? I don't know given I have not been sent back any for anylisis as to their cause. Why are they failiing, the
road crew is not sufficiently trained for the gear they are using so as to figure out what the problem with the gear is when changing lamps. That's also an industry problem in training overall.
Concept perhaps to stipulate in your rental contracts. First approval of the lamps and gear - no more bucket of good verses bucket of bad lamps chosen for fixtures sent out as I'm told about for rented or small shows. (Really this does happen - bucket of good or bad lamps.) Upon arrival of the gear, you inspect and test it and it's lamps and approve of them in use. Than afterwards, an established lamp expectancy for the lamps pre-approved of. At such a specific date, you assume responsibility for re-lamping them might be good to add to any contract. Almost 20 years ago, I finger FU@&$# a bunch of lamps being used on a show. I was new and what do you want from a carpenter prepping the gear? Blew the budget for a few months in getting replacement lamps for the needed fixtures. Who's prepping the gear you are getting for rental - if they are prepping it at all first day person in not knowing better, some free lance person that didn't get trained with the company for policies they use? Cob webs in the
lens train? Perhaps if mover or
halogen lamp in general at least for a rental, re-clean the lamps if not all else. Cob webs - bad to find on rented gear.. beyond that in fully tested a world of problems. Leave extra time for rented gear.
This as with testing and prepping your rented gear well before the show in hoping it's good but expecting it needing a few days to exchange or fix. A note, get it on the contract the expected lamp hours so it won't hurt you if their problem in the end if a problem.