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Cheap and half decent LED par recommendations

Charlieg

By Charlieg
in Lighting

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Charlieg Casual

Charlieg

Posted
Posted

I'm looking for some inexpensive LED Pars to replace a set in one of my venues which are all starting to fail.

Does anyone know of any good places to look for a decent LED par which won't break the bank?

Think the horrible cheap, plastic, three pin DMX ones you hate to use. I don't need anything nice, as these are just for a room wash in a bar, and they will live rigged in one place until the day they also die. 

Also not looking for any extended features. The simpler the better. 4ch RGB'DIM? 3ch RGB? I'll make it work!

 

Any suggestions?

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TomHoward Production Manager

TomHoward

Posted
Posted (edited)

Thomann is usually the go-to for anything really inexpensive but not Ali-express cheap and has 3yr warranty which is good for cheap stuff which inevitably breaks.

The ADJ Dotz Par we have also bought a number of, is about £110 and is a nice compact spot with the lens on but only 36W led, you'd need a few of them or a very small stage. Without the narrow lens on it's too wide to have any output in all except the darkest of spaces - that's about the cheapest branded fixture I could recommend but only if the space is v small

Edited by TomHoward
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kgallen Supervisor

kgallen

Posted
Posted

Depends what beam angle you want.

I've had Showtec Power Spot 9Q5 for a fair few years and they have been good (for what they are) and are still widely available so presumably they've been a good seller and reliable in the general wilderness. I've got older LEDJ stuff which is also reliable but not had such a good experience with "newer" LEDJ stuff.

As Tom says, Thomann is going to be your best friend with the 3 year warranty...

https://www.thomann.de/gb/showtec_power_spot_9_q5.htm

https://www.stage-electrics.co.uk/View/21935/showtec-42575-power-spot-9-q5-rgbwa-led-DMX-25deg

 

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Steve Matthew Apprentice

Steve Matthew

Posted
Posted

I'd like to suggest the ADJ (American DJ) Mega Flat Pak Plus for your consideration:

ADJ has built a reputation for delivering cost-effective lighting solutions, and the Mega Flat Pak Plus is no exception. This compact package comprises four slim par lights, a convenient soft case, and a basic foot controller. With its user-friendly design, this lighting kit offers straightforward RGB color mixing, making it an excellent choice for those seeking an affordable yet reliable lighting solution.

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timsabre Production Manager

timsabre

Posted
Posted

They look like they use an array of 10mm LEDs which is poor for beam control and brightness so don't look great to me. Also appear to be only available in the US.

 

I have some LEDJ 7Q5 (square flat things) which are good as uplighters but not mega bright and some LEDJ Performer 18 Quad which are quite poky and have a useful beam angle. Both fairly bomb proof, had one PSU module failure and was able to get a spare module from Prolight Concepts UK to fix it.

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kgallen Supervisor

kgallen

Posted
Posted
36 minutes ago, timsabre said:

I have some LEDJ 7Q5 (square flat things) which are good as uplighters but not mega bright and some LEDJ Performer 18 Quad which are quite poky and have a useful beam angle.

Concur! These are the "older" LEDJ I have had for years. I use the 7Q5 a lot and they have indeed been reliable.

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Robin D Supervisor

Robin D

Posted
Posted
5 hours ago, kgallen said:

Concur! These are the "older" LEDJ I have had for years. I use the 7Q5 a lot and they have indeed been reliable.

I have some LEDJ 9hex10 that have been faultless. (Fingers crossed). 

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sunray Production Manager

sunray

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Posted
12 hours ago, Steve Matthew said:

I'd like to suggest the ADJ (American DJ) Mega Flat Pak Plus for your consideration:

ADJ has built a reputation for delivering cost-effective lighting solutions, and the Mega Flat Pak Plus is no exception. This compact package comprises four slim par lights, a convenient soft case, and a basic foot controller. With its user-friendly design, this lighting kit offers straightforward RGB color mixing, making it an excellent choice for those seeking an affordable yet reliable lighting solution.

Hah! What happened to their 'we only use multicolor cobs' blurb from only a few years back?

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dbuckley Production Manager

dbuckley

Posted
Posted

Back in the dark ages of 2016, the Blue Room recommended cheap LED PAR was the QTX 6x6, which several of us bought, and ours (in community use theatre, so not hammered) are still going well.  QTX still make this sort of thing.

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marktownend Deputy Chief

marktownend

Posted
Posted

Sales people hey?

The OP specifically said "Also not looking for any extended features. The simpler the better.". You seem to be attempting to sell them something that has "over 10 key features not found on other led pars" (by which I assume you mean 11 so presumbly they have more amazing features than the ones you list). And they also wanted "inexpensive" and "horrible cheap, plastic, three pin DMX ones you hate to use. I don't need anything nice" yet you're trying to sell them something for £224.39 (or sub £200 as you advertise it?!).

Out of interest, where in the UK are these manufactured?

I wish sales people would listen to what their potential customers actually want rather than trying to sell them something they retail. Anyone else feel the same?

Sorry mods if this sounds grumpy.

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david.elsbury Production Manager

david.elsbury

Posted
Posted
1 hour ago, marktownend said:

Sales people hey?

The OP specifically said "Also not looking for any extended features. The simpler the better.". You seem to be attempting to sell them something that has "over 10 key features not found on other led pars" (by which I assume you mean 11 so presumbly they have more amazing features than the ones you list). And they also wanted "inexpensive" and "horrible cheap, plastic, three pin DMX ones you hate to use. I don't need anything nice" yet you're trying to sell them something for £224.39 (or sub £200 as you advertise it?!).

Out of interest, where in the UK are these manufactured?

I wish sales people would listen to what their potential customers actually want rather than trying to sell them something they retail. Anyone else feel the same?

Sorry mods if this sounds grumpy.

Agreed. Pure spam

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