1200W Discharge Follow Spots

[paulears]

For around 9 years now I've been buying cheap Chinese follow spots - the reason really that use is minimal, and the placement is damp in the winter and cold. They actually do the job rather nicely because one regular op is left handed, and these things, based on the old Clay Paky Golden Scan shape works pretty well. However, we lost one when somebody forgot to shut a door in the tower immediately above it and a bird made a nest on it in the winter/spring and the droppings dropped through the fan vent and ate the ballast and supporting metalwork away. We lost another when a leak did similar damage, filling too with water. Doing this to a cheap one is liable with - doing to to a RJ or similar isn't.

 

So - the damage this time is actually to the latest one (bought from Thomann - 3 years ago). The older ones came direct from China. This time the ballast and control panel is the problem. No spares are available, and the old ones I kept have the same components bad, so they're no use.

 

Now the problem. Thanks to LEDs, Thomann don;t do them any more, and the only one I can find from China has a stupid control panel. It's also a pursue spot! Lost something in the translate I guess. So light wise - it's fine, but has an external ballast and a push up, push down button set - no good whatsoever for my needs.

 

I did find a 300W LED version - but the insides seem to be lots of heat sinks and little else. I'd obviously have to buy a pair, which is a pain, but I've not heard of anyone using these yet.

 

If anyone knows of a dealer with one of the older ones in stock, or some other solution - I'd welcome a shove. I realise they're not ideal, but frankly they do the job - just annoying they have been discontinued.

[Stuart91]

Would these be any use?

 

They look quite like the Shadows and have a 1200w discharge.

[Tom Baldwin]

There still seem to be a few clones available on aliexpress.com for a few hundred dollars each.

[paulears]

The isolution is fine, but double the cost of the previous ones. I could buy two of the old ones for this price, so while cheap compared to the other better quality ones, it loses the attractiveness of a 'disposable' one.

 

The ones on ali express all seem to have an external ballast and that horrible control panel - I can't find a manual fader/iris panel with a real fader on aliexpress. My favourite supplier is trying to find one but she's not coming up with anything yet.

 

For four grand, I can have a Clay Paky Basic, or not!