Suggestions For Best Focusing Tool

[taylors]

I am a senior in high school and I am going to the University of North Carolina School of the Arts to study lighting design and have decided that now would be a good time to invest in a nice focusing tool. What are your suggestions? Which one is the best? Price is not really an issue.

My top three eye-catchers are:
ultimate ratcheting focus tool
Apollo's Little Focus 5 wrench
lightspeed wrench

Thanks!

 

[techieman33]

The ultimate focus tool is the cadillac of lighting wrenches. I really don't see much use for the ratcheting part myself. I always get them snug with my fingers than just give them a little turn with a wrench. Personally I just carry a mega combo wrench. It's small enough that it's just always in my pocket so it's always there if I need it. And since they only cost a few dollars I have 3 or 4 of them and so when one grows feet and walks away i'm not really out much.

 

[jglodeklights]

I personally love the $20 Flat Focus Tool from Stage Junk. Super light, feels nice in your hand, and has the essential bottle opener (although you won't need that for a couple years). Also has a hole to pass some form of safety line through. The only time in the past 6 months I've needed a standard adjustable wrench was for cheeseboros with odd metric bolts and a light that's clamp bolt was way overtightened in an odd position (I needed a 10" wrench to loosen it).

I'd otherwise go with the Ultimate Ratcheting Tool because it has that handy continuity tester to check lamps.

 

[Brandofhawk]

I own the ultimate focus tool (not the ratcheting one). I don't use the lamp tester all to often but I do use the pin splitter (as I don't want to prematurely dully my knife).
I think it's a great tool and has a place to attach your tool lanyard. It also works well with wing nuts when the situation arises. I find that if I am doing a large hang I end up needing my c-wrench still on my person because there will be one bolt that I will not be able to attack otherwise. So I'd say it isn't a replacement. And probably none of these will be either.

I have no experience with Apollo's wrench or the light speed wrench. I have used the ultimate flat focus which is similar to the Apollo wrench. I found that because it was open, when I went to tighten the bolt to the pipe, it would slide onto the clamp and I had to mess with it for a moment to get it to stay in the correct place. With my ultimate, I can do it one handed at arms length from my body.

I have friends who love the ratcheting tools, but you really don't need to be cranking the hell out of any bolt on an instrument. 1/4 - 1/2 turn after tight with a wrench and you are usually good to go.

I agree with Techieman, the mega combo is pretty cool. For me it doesn't quite have enough torque for a full light hang, but is nice to have on your person when you may need to touch up one or two lights. Great if you don't mind it on your key chain and cheap enough you can gift them!


I have heard good things about UNCSA so Congrats, Good Luck, and stick with it.

 

[jglodeklights]

Brand- Regarding the open side the the Ultimate Flat Focus Tool/Apollo 5; with use you learn how to place it, and by simply placing a finger over the open area you can feel when you have gotten it placed correctly. Agreed, ratcheting is overrated. In few situations does it make sense when a finger tight + short turn can get you there.

 

[gafftapegreenia]

I know @Footer will jump in on this eventually to say forget all that noise and just stick with the C wrench. He does have a point that if you don't have a high quality adjustable wrench ( I myself am partial to the Irega made ones from Channellock) then get that first. I'd make sure to have both a 6" and an 8".

That said, I have both the UFT and the RUFT now, because I'm a tool hoarder that likes wasting money. Ratcheting is very handy for side arms, yoking out and perching, as well as spaces with a lot of gunk or paint on their pipes. But I honestly find the regular UFT a bit more intuitive and easier to use because the orientation of the holes never changes. So if I could only keep one of my various and sundry lighting wrenches, it'd be the UFT.

 

[TheaterEd]

I am a big fan of my UFT, but after using mostly C wrenches for the last year, I'm looking at Apollo Design | Apollo BTS Wrench

 

[Grog12]

Footer isn't the only one who will say stick with the classics. I've bought many many different focus tools over the years and I always end up back with my Cwrench.

 

[DuckJordan]

+1 to the C-Wrench Party, I beat guys fairly often with my c-wrench vs their whatever have you fancy.

 

[josh88]

Don't mean to beat the dead horse but I agree. I've got a husky c wrench that I've managed to hold onto for years and it's always the first thing I grab.


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[gafftaper]

I've totally converted to the flat focus tool now. For educational theater work it's highly unlikely that you will need anything else. I can put it in my back pocket and forget that it's there. It's lighter than any of the other options and won't poke you in the rear like a C wrench can. I bet if you buy the UFT you will rarely use any of the features not on the flat focus tool... and it's much heavier and bulkier.

 

[techieman33]

+1 to the C-Wrench Party, I beat guys fairly often with my c-wrench vs their whatever have you fancy.

I'm a lot faster with my mega combo than with a c wrench because it can just live in the palm of my hand when I'm hanging lights. I still carry a c wrench though for touring shows that come through because there is always a couple bolts that you need a real wrench for.

 

[gafftapegreenia]

I've totally converted to the flat focus tool now. For educational theater work it's highly unlikely that you will need anything else. I can put it in my back pocket and forget that it's there. It's lighter than any of the other options and won't poke you in the rear like a C wrench can. I bet if you buy the UFT you will rarely use any of the features not on the flat focus tool... and it's much heavier and bulkier.

Just want to say I've got plenty of use from the pin splitter, lamp checker, wing nut slot and mega claw slot.


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[gafftaper]

Just want to say I've got plenty of use from the pin splitter, lamp checker, wing nut slot and mega claw slot.

And the rebuttal: I've used the flat focus tool to fake wing nuts and other odd latches. It's not always a perfect fit, but I can often find a way to make it work. As for the lamp check and pin splitter, those tools are available in the electrics cabinet. I would rather have a tool I can leave in my pocket all day and not care that it's there. Then occasionally make a trip over to the tool cabinet for a pin splitter. If you do a lot of work up on trusses where coming down to get a pinsplitter would be a huge problem, I totally get the UFT. But in my theater, comfortably having a wrench on me at all times is the most important thing.

 

[TheaterEd]

And the rebuttal: I've used the flat focus tool to fake wing nuts and other odd latches. It's not always a perfect fit, but I can often find a way to make it work. As for the lamp check and pin splitter, those tools are available in the electrics cabinet. I would rather have a tool I can leave in my pocket all day and not care that it's there. Then occasionally make a trip over to the tool cabinet for a pin splitter. If you do a lot of work up on trusses where coming down to get a pinsplitter would be a huge problem, I totally get the UFT. But in my theater, comfortably having a wrench on me at all times is the most important thing.

Agreed. Sitting with the UFT in your back pocket is not a pleasant experience. I keep mine on a tether up on the catwalk since I have an army of c-wrenches at my disposal when I'm on the ground.

 

[np18358]

I love the UFT (non-racheting). I got a flat for one of my teachers and he loves it, but i really like the Lamp Checker, and its nice to have the pin splitter. Since I have gotten the UFT, I have tried to split all the pins every time I focus a new instrument these days. I love the C Wrench (I've got the Crescent Oxidized 8"), and it's beautiful, however I rarely use it now that I have the UFT. I can't see a reason that one would need the rachet, and I know someone who finds it confusing to orient properly. I do like the option of the 3/8" adaptor however. Altman wrenches aren't bad either. I really like them as well.

 

[jglodeklights]

To add to what I said about the Flat Focus Tool earlier- it is so light that when I first got it, and hadn't tethered it yet as I hadn't gone above the ground with it, I ended up out all night after work. I didn't realize I had done this until the next day when I went to retrieve my wallet from the previous day's pants and found it still in my back pocket.

 

[Kelite]

This photo was taken recently at the PLASA Focus Baltimore event. The 'big daddy' 6 inch wrench and the Pipsqueak are the latest additions-

 

[Dionysus]

A huge +1 for the flat focus tool. I love it, can carry it around, it's light, I can even just tie it off to my wrist and be happy. Works on just about everything and is really handy for cheeseburgers.
I still always have a c-wrench near by. Always have a 6 and 10 not too far away.


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[sk8rsdad]

I like the UFT for initial load-in and the FFT for convenience. My FFT is an earlier model, before Rob started annealing them, so it flexes too much to be any good for loosening cheeseboroughs.

None of these all-in-one tools are particularly good for adjusting the pan bolt. Either the placement of the socket or the bulkiness of the tool make me long for a c-wrench.