Conventional Fixtures Strand Lekos- good deal?

[DMXpro]

Hi all,
I recently purchased two Strand Century lekos for $35 each on ebay. They came with 1000W FEL lamps, clamps, and a safety cable each, and they're the 6X16 units (pretty sure that's 19°, but correct me if I'm wrong). Was this a good deal? I jumped at it because it's hard to find good ERS's this cheap, even if they are a little old.

 

[Footer]

They Strand 2216 units? If so, 35 bucks is not a bad deal. We still have an inventory full of these things and they still work. With a FEL in them they do throw out a decent amount of light.

 

[DMXpro]

Yep, 2216. They work great, but they have these Harj-Lock connectors that I may swap out for Edison or Bates plugs. The locking kinda works, but they're "sticky" and it's enough to drive me nuts

 

[venuetech]

Yep, 2216. They work great, but they have these Harj-Lock connectors that I may swap out for Edison or Bates plugs. The locking kinda works, but they're "sticky" and it's enough to drive me nuts

I have a bunch of those connectors, most are in good shape but sometimes the "hook" breaks off, they still work fine but no longer have the locking function.

 

[techieman33]

They're not a source 4 or selecon pacific, but they are pretty solid units.

 

[DMXpro]

Another thought: I've been reading some articles on here that advise against using 1000W FELs for altman 360Qs. Since these are similar fixtures, should I get different lamps for fear of the 2216s not being able to take the heat, or just not worry about it?

 

[gafftapegreenia]

Another thought: I've been reading some articles on here that advise against using 1000W FELs for altman 360Qs. Since these are similar fixtures, should I get different lamps for fear of the 2216s not being able to take the heat, or just not worry about it?

The 360Q was never rated for use with a 1K lamp. It's a 750 watt max fixture. While I've been told that some rental shops once lamped 6x16s and 6x22 with FELs and been fine, putting a FEL in a model with a shorter focal length is a one way ticket to cracked lenses.

I haven't had the pleasure (?) of using 2216s, but a cursory Googling shows them to rated for 1000 watt lamps. Regardless of wether or not they can handle it, the FEL is a terribly inefficient lamp.

 

[derekleffew]

... should I get different lamps for fear of the 2216s not being able to take the heat, or just not worry about it?

Yes and no.

The reason other posts caution about using an FEL in the 360Q is that the fixture was never rated for 1000W. That didn't stop people from using the FEL, particularly in 6x22 and 6x16 units where there was more interior volume.
Your "black axial" Strand-Century Lekolite™ s were designed for the FEL lamp and have always been rated for 1000W. The heat from an FEL is particularly hard on shutter s, iris es, and gobo s, and may result in cracked lens es on shorter throw fixture s.
IF you require the intensity (27,500 initial lumen s), there's no brighter lamp available. However, if considering the 500W EHD or 750W EHG, one of the GLx family is more efficient and likely a better choice.

... I have a number of the same Colortrans (5/50 and 213s) and the Strand fixtures that you refer to in my inventory. I typically use the GLC lamp in them. I did a blind side by side test on four identical fixtures using four different lamps including the FEL and GLC and much to my surprise the fixture fitted with the FEL was picked by the judges as the fixture with the most "punch' - the GLC was a close second. I have not tried this but my suspicion is that the GLE lamp will outperform the FEL in these fixtures. ...

I suspect that the FEL will still be brighter (and there's a description of another shootout on here that I can't find at the moment). Church, did you ever try an FEL vs. a GLE?
.

 

[RonHebbard]

Another thought: I've been reading some articles on here that advise against using 1000W FELs for altman 360Qs. Since these are similar fixtures, should I get different lamps for fear of the 2216s not being able to take the heat, or just not worry about it?

Hello!

Back in 1990 I served as the first Head LX in a newly built producing theatre; talent and raw materials in, shows and garbage out. We had 230 of Strand's 2000 series, this was just before the S4 hit. Strand told us we were free to operate all of our 2,000 series with FEL's. I stayed with the theatre for its first 2-1/2 years and the longer fixtures ran problem free, problem free as far as running FEL's goes that is.
With FEL's we found we couldn't keep rear lenses in the 4.5 x 6.5 units.
For more than a year Strand kept sending us replacement rear lenses gratis.
We only had 12 of the 2204's and cracked the rear lenses in all of them at least once.
I kept asking Strand if I should lamp them down to 750's, Strand kept saying the entire series were designed for FEL's.
Eventually Strand tired of supplying free lenses, we lamped the 2204's down to 750's and quit cracking lenses.

In my two plus years we probably cracked the rear lens in two or three of the 2209's.
I don't recall ever having to replace a lens in the 2212's, 2216's or our 2112's.
2112's, referred to as 'single lens 6 x 12's' were the longest of the series almost as narrow as other manufacturer's 6 x 22's.

Our initial 2,000 series inventory upon opening:
- 12 - 2204
- 50 - 2209
- 50 - 2212
- 70 - 2216 Standard fixtures in our 1st FOH + near and mid FOH boom positions.
- 48 - 2112 Standard fixtures in our 2nd FOH + furthest FOH boom positions.
- 230 in total.
For their day they weren't bad fixtures.
They shared a few mechanical problems in common across the series but ran for pretty much 20 years before being sold off and replaced with S4's. Many of the original 230 are still in our area in various amateur theatre venues.

As with any similar fixtures, be sure lamps are fully seated in sockets to minimize arcing and burning.
Maintenance is not a dirty word.

Toodleoo!
Ron

 

[DELO72]

Yes and no.

The reason other posts caution about using an FEL in the 360Q is that the fixture was never rated for 1000W. That didn't stop people from using the FEL, particularly in 6x22 and 6x16 units where there was more interior volume.
Your "black axial" Strand-Century Lekolite™ s were designed for the FEL lamp and have always been rated for 1000W. The heat from an FEL is particularly hard on shutter s, iris es, and gobo s, and may result in cracked lens es on shorter throw fixture s.
IF you require the intensity (27,500 initial lumen s), there's no brighter lamp available. However, if considering the 500W EHD or 750W EHG, one of the GLx family is more efficient and likely a better choice.


I suspect that the FEL will still be brighter (and there's a description of another shootout on here that I can't find at the moment). Church, did you ever try an FEL vs. a GLE?
.

I suggest changing from FELs to GLDs. GLDs are 750W 115V with the same life (300hrs) as the FEL, but since the wattage is less the heat is less, so you are less likely to fry the socket and reflector. Also-- the GLE has a smaller, more compact coil design which might collect better in the reflector-- meaning you could get almost the same (or more) usable, collected light out of the front of the fixture that you get using the long coil of the FEL, all while saving 250watts of energy. GLE is a long life lamp, and almost half the lumens of the FEL, so I don't think that will be a close comparrison-- unless you want the longer life and don't mind the lower output and color temp.

 

[church]

Yes and no.

The reason other posts caution about using an FEL in the 360Q is that the fixture was never rated for 1000W. That didn't stop people from using the FEL, particularly in 6x22 and 6x16 units where there was more interior volume.
Your "black axial" Strand-Century Lekolite™ s were designed for the FEL lamp and have always been rated for 1000W. The heat from an FEL is particularly hard on shutter s, iris es, and gobo s, and may result in cracked lens es on shorter throw fixture s.
IF you require the intensity (27,500 initial lumen s), there's no brighter lamp available. However, if considering the 500W EHD or 750W EHG, one of the GLx family is more efficient and likely a better choice.


I suspect that the FEL will still be brighter (and there's a description of another shootout on here that I can't find at the moment). Church, did you ever try an FEL vs. a GLE?
.

Unfortunately I never got around to trying the GLE lamp in these fixtures.

 

[venuetech]

I have compared the two (FEL&GLE) in these fixtures, the FEL is brighter and gives a very nice field. The GLE gives very good results but does not have the same punch that the FEL gives. That being said I lamp my 100 + fixtures with the GLE, as it is easier on the socket, lens and cabling