Altman 1000q vs. Comet Buying New

[ccm1495]

Our high school currently owns a pair of Altman 1000Q follow spots from 1986. Over the 26 years in the school district they have taken a serious beating and kept working. Over there life time they have fallen out of a pickup truck (moving Don't Ask), one has been dropped down half a flite of stairs (recently), they have also endured use from incompetent middle and high school students, and transportation between school buildings for their entire life. Needles to say they are rugged. They have had an uncountable number of bulbs, 2 sets of cords, 2 sets of sockets, 2 sets of casters and one new lens (damaged in truck fall) and a random assortment of other parts. Also touch up painted. They are true survivors and have served us well, we are now looking into the purchase of some new follow spots. We want to keep these around so they will probably permanently go to our middle school. What we need is another rugged spot that will last us a good long time. Also looking for a brighter spot that can compete with our stage wash more effectively. We have been looking at the Altman comets and I have been reviewing the spec sheets and they seem to have a significantly higher light output. (not to mention cheeper bulbs) Not really a big plus. Just wondering what you would suggest and what some of your thoughts on the comet are. I plan to add more information about the space they are used in soon. We currently use the 1000w bulb in the 1000q's the lower wattage of the comet is very attractive. For it would be much easier to power them off one circuit. Also possibly considering the I marc 200 if budget would allow. Might post some pictures of the survivors. We use spots for mainly highlighting actors.

 

[Lambda]

We use two Comets in our theater. They've worked OK for us, but one complaint I have is that the tracking isn't always smooth (on ours, at least). You can move it smooth a few degrees in either direction, and then encounter a great deal more resistance which makes for a noticeably bumpy movement at that point, especially with amateur spot ops. I'm not sure if this is a design flaw, or just wear and tear on the mechanism due to age.

 

[JohnA]

I definitely recommend the Comet. I have used them for throws from 30-100ft. I have also had the misfortune of using the 1000Q in 30-50ft throws. In every case, the Comet seems brighter than the 1000Q. You are also correct that it is possible to put (2) Comets on the same circuit--depending on how much other load is on that circuit. With the 1000Q--no matter how many times you tell students AND teachers NOT to put them on the same circuit--they inevitably will. I have had no issues with uneven panning with the units I use.

I recommend the FXL lamps; at 410 watts they seem to be slightly brighter than the ENX. Note that they rated for ~40-75 hours of service, depending on the manufacturer. But they are inexpensive and do not cause catastrophic damage when they "go".

 

[techieman33]

We use two Comets in our theater. They've worked OK for us, but one complaint I have is that the tracking isn't always smooth (on ours, at least). You can move it smooth a few degrees in either direction, and then encounter a great deal more resistance which makes for a noticeably bumpy movement at that point, especially with amateur spot ops. I'm not sure if this is a design flaw, or just wear and tear on the mechanism due to age.

My guess is they just need to be lubricated.

I definitely recommend the Comet. I have used them for throws from 30-100ft. I have also had the misfortune of using the 1000Q in 30-50ft throws. In every case, the Comet seems brighter than the 1000Q. You are also correct that it is possible to put (2) Comets on the same circuit--depending on how much other load is on that circuit. With the 1000Q--no matter how many times you tell students AND teachers NOT to put them on the same circuit--they inevitably will. I have had no issues with uneven panning with the units I use.

I recommend the FXL lamps; at 410 watts they seem to be slightly brighter than the ENX. Note that they rated for ~40-75 hours of service, depending on the manufacturer. But they are inexpensive and do not cause catastrophic damage when they "go".

The 75 hour lamp is the long life lamp and has less output than the regular 35-40 lamp. While the FXL lamp is only $6-$7 the $12 FEL is still much cheaper when you look at lamp life. Your going to burn through about $45 in FXL lamps for every $12 you would spend on an FEL.

 

[ccm1495]

Here is a picture of one of the follow spots. It looks in good condition considering what it has been threw