Apollo Announces the new Clip Light

HEY, THEY ACTUALLY MADE MY IDEA!!!
Seriously! I sent Kelite a PM back in October saying, "what you guys need to do is design a gel frame that fits on a clip light". I was thinking some sort of universal mount that attaches to any fixture for about $10. I saw some pictures of early mock ups on Kelite's desk. Looks like they gave up on my universal frame idea and decided to throw in the fixture too. Yeah it's about twice the cost of a clip lamp at Home Depot but it's neat and clean to deal with. You could make one yourself with A 9" gel frame, but that would run you another $8 and then you've got to figure out how to attach it all together. Now you don't ever have to deal with removing crusty old gaff and trying to evenly bend a square cut of gel around a the round shade of the lamp. Remember that $75 for a 4 pack is the list price so you can probably get them for around $15 each. I'm so cool to think of this and you should all support me by buying them. I know half of you don't believe me but it's really true!


Alas, young Jedi lighting designer, you were indeed the inspiration behind the ClipLight and we thank you for your comments while we prototyped the unit! Apollo's own KC Hooper has also offered timely suggestions as we began producing the stainless steel gel frame and programing the PerfGel cutter for this fixture.

This product wasn't introduced to the market as a get-rich-quick scheme, but rather as an on the shelf option for those theater folk that haven't the time to bolt/rivet/tape their own lights for use backstage.
And yes it's true, various Apollo dealers sell below MSRP, making these lights less costly than one might consider a professional clip light to be. Whether 100 4-packs sell or 10,000 head out the door, we merely wanted to respond to a request from the theatrical lighting community for a cleaner product.

Please do respond with your thoughts and comments regarding the Cliplight's actual value/use gang, as your input is very important to us-

(Now- back to catching up with my trip report to Prolight + Sound, and the multiple other opportunities that have presented themselves during my absence!)
 
I almost wanted to call April Fools on this fixture when I looked at the release date...but it does seem like an interesting concept. I can certainly see the cost of wasted gel and gaff adding up to a point where the $75.00 is worth while. I would do the math now but I have a lighting call to get to....
 
Nice thing is you can use those faded-just-enough-to-no-longer-be correct cuts from your larger cyc lights.

It's a high end clip light, I think it will be successful. It's a clean, slick and professional looking product. Thank you Apollo.

Now, what other widgets do we need that we should have Apollo create?
 
i was wondering, who's clip lights are you using?
 
I almost wanted to call April Fools on this fixture when I looked at the release date...but it does seem like an interesting concept. I can certainly see the cost of wasted gel and gaff adding up to a point where the $75.00 is worth while. I would do the math now but I have a lighting call to get to....

Remember that's $75 MSRP for four fixtures... I bet you can get them for about $16 each on the street if you have a good relationship with your dealer. So we are only talking about $6 more than the standard fixture at home depot. It's worth that just for the frustration level plus you could even use gel scraps. You know that strip left over when you cut S4 gels... splice them together.

Now, what other widgets do we need that we should have Apollo create?

You know Gaff-brother that's exactly what inspired this product. I was at the theater and sick of removing nasty old gaff and dealing with trying to properly re-tape a clip light so I sent Kelite a message. Now sure it would have been great if I could have patented them and produced them myself but there's no realistic way for me to do that and make money. So I said why not send the idea to my friend at Apollo. They love to make widgits and they came up with a much better product than my original idea.

Keith I want one made out of gold when you sell the one millionth fixture... forget gold records I want a gold clip light! AND GOLD GUM TOO!!
 
It needs to come with a flat black finish. :cool:
 
evethe new Clip Light

Been one of my "special projects" over the years to each new (hotter than the next) yearly local Grainger rep. to quote me out on the parts so I could make a new fangled clip light that would survive more than a few shows. Never got them to give me that quote for parts. At some point I got a bunch of more heavy duty reflectors into stock and for like six years now, it's been a TBA project to create a clip light up to my specifications. Still TBA project in clip light that will become worthwhile to use.


Same concept with DF-50 squerrel fans forcing the haze out onto stage... ain't nothing designed for that purpose. Even the wire on a be it store bought or Grainger bought fan just isn't designed to cope with DF-50 fluid in projecting it out - this be it the oil breaking down the fan's whip or internal or even structural components. Than LeMaitrie came out with a fan designed to project fluid. Riggable, safe for the oils and DMX to boot. This granted extra price - a lot of extra price and for it's price in not seeing how much was invested into the stupid Power Cat Fans' over the years in parts, not deamed worthwhile.

Still, yet to have a LeMaitrie fan come back for service. Got a stack of them from CostCo and Grainger that are bad. The PowerCat fan from Grainger we can get parts from, the CostCo fan we can swipe parts from but not so lucky mostly in fixing.


I would say the industry possibly needs a Apollo clip light as an advancement and companies looking for ways to make more money these days in improving to them as I did but didn't get a chance for follow thru on, needs it's say and play test. Go back to my days as a designer or helper for one for a dance studio where they had store bought clip lights with R-40 lamps to light their stage and no way to gel them short of taping he gel to the clip light. If this Apollo clip light has a gel frame, sure fine, great improvement. Beyond that if more rugged or say not having to take a screw driver to bend in the screw threads so the reflector has the ability to mount back on the threads of the base it's good. If thicker metal used on the aluminum so it can be installed more than once, that's also good. Thicker so it don't ding as easy, that's a selling pint in otherwise me having to teach the saddle of the bench vise technique for pounding out reflectors.

Gonna give that clip light a try before I decide on it, but I do welcome such a clip light improvement if it lasts more than a show or two in use. Got our lamp storage containers already in them traveling safely, just a question of the lights themselves.

This in being told about it, I would like to try. Aready am hesitant about the Z-Clip style clamp for it in it being problematic as opposed to a 3" lumber type spring clip but as long as it's not easily done, one loosens the metric wing nut to much it falls apart, I would try it before trashing it.

Post away on the forum your debate about this new clip light as long as you balance it with my own counterpoint I think in making it a fair discussion about details and perhaps why they came out with it.

Very good observation on this new product on your part but I think if improved one more useful than waste of money very possibly. I certainly will be getting a sample on Monday.
 
Re: evethe new Clip Light

Ah' I remember the days of making clip lights with gel glued to the reflecgtor in a way that allowed for gel replacement. Always confounded me how those changing a lamp or using it would screw up the clip mechanism or just rip off the gel in easy access but in appairently not a concept for half glued gel for getting at the lamp. This short of completely ripping off the gel or some form of while removing the spring clip, loosing it's concept or parts.


While this Apollo clip light is advanced in doing one, it's TBA the overall improvement or resistance to dings. Still an improvement that's one for the future given the appairent cost.
 
I don't want to rain on parades, but I believe Rosco rolled out a product awhile back (which I now can't seem to find; discontinued?) that was essentially a gel showercap to go over clip lights, etc.. Because of the low wattages of clip lights, they're hardly expendables. Looks like Rosco solved the same problem Apollo did for a fraction of the cost and hassle, don't need to entirely replace your cliplight inventory. I'm not sure this product is selling, unless it's somewhere that just got a surge of capital money.
 
I believe Rosco rolled out a product awhile back (which I now can't seem to find; discontinued?) that was essentially a gel showercap to go over clip lights, etc.. Because of the low wattages of clip lights, they're hardly expendables. Looks like Rosco solved the same problem Apollo did for a fraction of the cost and hassle, don't need to entirely replace your cliplight inventory. I'm not sure this product is selling, unless it's somewhere that just got a surge of capital money.

I've never seen or heard of the Roscolux Shower Cap.

As for if it's selling... it's so new I doubt it's even shipping yet.
 
Darn. I've always had this idea.

Improvements:

Black.

Ability to add in own, square gel.

Somwthing on the clamp so that it better stays attached to electrical conduit and mic stands, which I'm sure many other folks can relate to.
 
I don't think I would ever buy a nice clip light. We have half a dozen around the stage all with blue lamps so there is no need for gel.
I have always used blue lamps, is there an advantage to using gel with a n/c lamp?I already have 75 to 100 gel cuts on stage for our rep plot. I don't really want to have to worry about clip lights burning through gel also.
 
I'm on my phone so I can't edit my previous post. I didn't finish my thought.
We buy cheap clip lamps cause they like to get all bent out of shape or walk away.
Also what are the advantages of using gel, instead of a 25wt blue lamp?
 
I think the Apollo clip light:

- Is a step in the right direction
- Is a good improvement of the clip light design
- WILL sell
- Is not the final point in clip light development
- Should come painted black!

I am happy Apollo took this step, but I'd love for them to take it one step further. As has been identified the two main points of the clip light that need revision are:
- The reflector threading.
- The wing nut tension system.

Now honestly I'm not sure what to do with current parts to make that happen, it needs some creative thinking to make a new product, but that new product will cost more than this clip light does, as it will use special parts. Just wait! Soon we will see the City Theatrical Clip Light that WILL cost $40 per light!

You start talking about a heavier gauge reflector, and you start talking about a unit that becomes more top heavy, so then you need a beefier, heavier duty clap, but a heavier duty clamp, especially one with a bolt or screw, limits the "universal" nature of the current design.

I wonder if Apollo will sell just the reflector, since everyone is so worried about mashed reflectors.

If the classic clip light does bother you that much, no one said you couldn't buy these, as they are usually $10-$15 at ANY hardware store.
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Also, There IS a heavy duty clip light with locking clamp, made by Woods called the "Tight Grip", it also sells for around $20.
 
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Apollo is just trying to make something "new" by just adding the $60 color frame to the $8 clip lights you buy at the hardware store

Last time I checked, color frames were like $5. Also, since the Apollo clip lights come in packs of 4 for $75 that makes them $18.75. A little more than $8 hardware store version plus $5 color frame, but not a bad deal.
 
****UPDATE****


The R&D team has just announced the addition of the following features to the Apollo Clip Light for LDI 2009:


540* Pan
270* Tilt
20 Channels of DMX
8, 16, or 31 bit resolution
RDM ready
Wireless DMX superheterodyne transceiver
Full Color Mixing (CMY and RGB)
13*-38* Zoom
Optional 1200 lux LED light source or 266W Plasma Lamp Technology
Shiny silver finish (sorry, not available in black)

MSRP not to exceed $14.95 USD each
 

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