On the subject.... Work is cleaning out the bone yard of lights not used for years. This included all 6' MR-16
Altman strips - TBA the shorter and Micro Strips. I don't get a news letter of what's going away or I will have had a lot of very good quality
strobe lights to give away also... gone now. Shorter versions of MR-16
cyc's are probably also on the table for gone. When I found out about the strips, I gave away as many as I could including adding (used for one show) 35w lamps for them. Don't know how many \ if any are still waiting for give away (+tax letter) = at least something of value work can use. Those getting rid of stuff are more considered with storage space than the end results of the lights scrapped. Those removing the lights from the inventory have no lighting background and could care less. (no not persay that, lots of background with some, just less interest in the end result.) Problem = you pick them up, or pay for shipping and that won't be fun. This assuming I think more than 50 still in
stock if they have not been recycled already. Scrapping perfectly good lights sucks - this especially given how much time I spent on them over the years. I would differ with the problems and difficulty with them specifically. A lot less problems I'm aware of overall though some.
Yea work sucks at times in that while I don't want strips for museum or I will have had a 1928 in it, I put a lot of work over the years into rigging and fixing the strobes just thrown out, and will have liked to at least have one.
Worse still the demise of the
DHA light curtions.... in a dumpster - multidudes of dozens of them. I know they were problematic as per the lamp buyer for them - in only a few years ago we bought a lot more fixtures for a tour, a shame. Based on when I was in school for literature about them, will have always liked to at least design with them. Gone now, and probably unique in what they would do. Some of the fixures bought for the last use even came with MFL lamps - that would be curious to see. Or at least.... in gear thrown away, some notice to the lamp buyer/stocker about what lamps are obsolete now would be nice. Year end inventory counted thousands of dollars worth of perfectly good new lamps in stobe, Light Curtain and other
fixture lamps. At some
point communication with what's obsolete for a lamp in
stock would be good for also creating shelf space for the next and brilliant light/lamp this year for storage.
I digress...
"The newer versions also have crappy sockets, I believe due to the huge popularity of the
MR16 lamp in the architectural market," I'm not buying that concept, I believe quality is the same or better dependant on
socket. Lamp sockets such as G-9.5 get improvements with active popular use (wish the SFc-10-4 would, but it's a good money reason not to.) Such lamp sockets with name brand fixtures don't go down in lamp
socket quality - at least since the 50's and late 70's I think in some craziness going on. If a
fixture maker is buying in bulk something they tested and designed around, wouldn't they be worried about changing source for parts without a large
play test of the lamp
socket? Yea... rock and
roll PAR 64 lamp sockets are crap and
etc. But I don't think on a MR-16 a maker would change to cheaper quality given they already have
OEM discount and the volume of sales is already going down due to
LED's for market.
R-40's are going away more so than
PAR 38's.. While really only 1/8" difference between the lamps, R-40 is something I would stay away from unless wanting to go low output
CFL or obsolete first generation
LED. That said, there is a concept that you might put into storage your various either R-40 or PAR-38
fixture if you have them and are upgrading. AT some
point LED PAR 38 lamps will and indeed are getting towards the output and
CRI of that classic 150w range for both to mount or designed around. R-40 strips will work fine wih
PAR 38 lamps. Closer every year, and dimmers to do the
LED PAR's are about there in being able to control them.
Won't be long until a R-40/PAR38 strip light will again work just fine given better lamps, in going
LED for them I think. Put such things away, sustain the lamps - such lamps they use are still available with some work, convert to or just put them away.