I'm sure we can find a nice mover on sale for $5K as well. Still doesn't mean a $500 unit on sale for say $400 isn't a better option than one on eBay for $75.
NEW 60 Watt LED Moving Head for $172.99 OBO on Ebay
- Thread starter DJ Ricky B
- Start date
Will people rush in on that, probably not. Will they be purchased? Absolutely. People that bought the Martin MX fixtures paid ALOT of money for them when they came out - and they are still worth some nice coin. Martin Acrobats were also expensive new and still fetch some nice coin as well. Martin also has some of the nicest fixtures out - there is nothing like the Acrobat. In addition, Martin's fixtures are well supported - you can find lots of info on it and can contact the mfr directly if need be.
You could also go lower mid grade, yet still professional, supported and known with Chauvet and ADJ as they also have decent fixtures at decent prices.
Like vehicles, you can find lighting at all different spots on the price scale. All I'm saying is that you're trying to compare a Yugo to a Toyota .. and saying they're 'basically the same'. FWIW, Martin is not the most expensive there is - they are more 'middle of the road' in the big scheme of things - but one thing they are known for is quality.
Figuring out how to operate the light 'could' be problematic if you have to sink alot of time into it. Is your time not valuable? No support on a light 'could' be problematic if you have to try and solve your own issues and have no help. I wonder how pleased you would be with Alto speakers if you had issues with them and no support.
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I'd consider any of those options if I were looking for more lighting. Lighting isn't that important to me now days for several reasons. First, most of my gigs are in the summer and it doesn't get dark enough to use lighing until 9-10pm. Weddings are usually over by 10-11pm and I don't do a lot of venues without windows. I also don't get hardly any clients that want club style lighting.
I think lighting is more important in southern states because weddings aren't booked during the summer months very often.
I think lighting is more important in southern states because weddings aren't booked during the summer months very often.
Blizzard Fllury 5 on special at 2 for $350 ... $175 a piece
Blizzard Flurry 5 RGBAW LED Moving Head Wash Light
Blizzard Flurry 5 RGBAW LED Moving Head Wash Light
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I bought one off brand once. It was a Microch (they have increased in popularity here since). The first one I bought went on fire....They replaced it with one that was dead. By the third one they got it right. Their reliability has increased since to be on par with Chauvet and ADJ. There price has increased too to about par.
I must say they had incredible customer service. I had several calls from technicians and even one from the CEO of the company to ask if there was anything they could do for me. They wound up refunding a good portion of what I paid for the light without asking.
As far as the Chinese lights if I was getting them dirt cheap I might try them but to pay near the same for them or the Blizzard wouldn't make sense to me
I must say they had incredible customer service. I had several calls from technicians and even one from the CEO of the company to ask if there was anything they could do for me. They wound up refunding a good portion of what I paid for the light without asking.
As far as the Chinese lights if I was getting them dirt cheap I might try them but to pay near the same for them or the Blizzard wouldn't make sense to me
Chinese 15x7 wash light can be had for $64.80 on Ebay. Comes from a store in New Jersey who is apparently trying to sell a lot of these lights
Blizzard Flurry5 seems to be the same exactly like except it is RGBAW and the Chinese lights are RGBW. Same casing. same specs. As Steve posted, the Blizzard Flurry5 can be had for $349 get 1 free, so $175 each for 2.
At the top end, there is the Martin Rush which is only rated at 10 wattsx7. More programs...Better abilities. However, it's still a Wash effect. Cost is $1047.99. Sure the Martin is a better light than Blizzard, or Chinese off brand. However, is it 13X better than the Chinese, and 6x better than the Blizzard?
To me, someone who just wants a moving Wash Effect on the dance floor for small weddings or parties that can change colors...I don't see any reason to buy the Martin unit. The Blizzard unit is still more than double the price of the Chinese off brand. I could purchase 4 Chinese lights for price of 2 Blizzard. In case one of the Chinese no name lights are defective or don't last long, I still have 3 others. I don't see the benefit to pay more for a wash effect.
Someone doing a larger production would probably want to drop money on the Martin given the name and abilities (Then again I would think they would want brighter than 10 watt LEDs on there).
Also one of the potential questions - will it last 13x as long.
1st, Martin is not top of the line, they're really good but they're not top of the line. If you're going to be using Martin as a 'top of the line' example, then you missed a whole swath in the middle that is also pretty decent, such as ADJ and Chauvet (among others).
When someone buys a Martin fixture, they're not just paying for the name. They're paying for the engineering, the materials, the time, etc, etc. Martin probably pays their staff more than other vendors pay their staff as well.
And while you may buy 4 chinese fixtures for the price of 2 blizzards - if one is defective or doesn't last long, then sure you have 3 left - but what if you NEED 4. Then you're stuck with finding a replacement .. and perhaps quickly. If that day comes, that one purchase will cost you more than you would have paid if you bought the better ones in the first place.
Add to it that the chinese lights may be a one and done. In a year or 2, if you want more, how do you get more? Now you have a possibility of mismatched fixtures.
For me, it's not any one of these things, it's all of them together that would keep me from buying them.
1st, Martin is not top of the line, they're really good but they're not top of the line. If you're going to be using Martin as a 'top of the line' example, then you missed a whole swath in the middle that is also pretty decent, such as ADJ and Chauvet (among others).
When someone buys a Martin fixture, they're not just paying for the name. They're paying for the engineering, the materials, the time, etc, etc. Martin probably pays their staff more than other vendors pay their staff as well.
And while you may buy 4 chinese fixtures for the price of 2 blizzards - if one is defective or doesn't last long, then sure you have 3 left - but what if you NEED 4. Then you're stuck with finding a replacement .. and perhaps quickly. If that day comes, that one purchase will cost you more than you would have paid if you bought the better ones in the first place.
Add to it that the chinese lights may be a one and done. In a year or 2, if you want more, how do you get more? Now you have a possibility of mismatched fixtures.
For me, it's not any one of these things, it's all of them together that would keep me from buying them.
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Martin is pretty much top of the line for DJ applications! Sure, there's Elation, but Elation really is more for Big Night Clubs, and Concerts. Martin is for concerts/clubs etc. as well, but generally speaking the DJ Community sees Martin as top of the line. At least that is the rhetoric I am accustomed to hearing out of DJs. I personally don't buy that stuff because to me it's too expensive for what I do, and I don't see any ROI in those kind of lighting purchases.
As far as Chinese fixtures. I have some 10x4 watt Chinese up lights that were purchased from ProDJLights.com. They came with remotes and cost about $59 each. 2 of the lights were short on screws which I think is ProDJLights fault, not the factory because the boxes appeared to have been opened. Anyway, outside of that, the lights have been perfect. I also have 8 Blizzard Pucks Unplugged. One of the Blizzard Pucks is malfunctioning. The Menu doesn't hold the setting, and it goes back into sound active mode...plus some of the diodes have died in it.
So far, I've had better product reliability from the Chinese lights compared to the Blizzard lights.
Obviously YMMV.
FWIW, when I bought in to scanners, I bought 4 of the ADJ's (they were the cheapest of the intelligents) and 1 of them was returned for broken mirrors, 1 for failed electronics and 1 for a failed motor. What bothered me more than anything was that even this 'cheaper' NEW light, was still a decent amount of money - and here I am ferrying them back and forth (my time) to places to be fixed. I switched to Chauvet (which cost more and had slightly better optics) and haven't looked back.
Rule #1 eventually shows its ugly head - so beware.
FWIW, when I bought in to scanners, I bought 4 of the ADJ's (they were the cheapest of the intelligents) and 1 of them was returned for broken mirrors, 1 for failed electronics and 1 for a failed motor. What bothered me more than anything was that even this 'cheaper' NEW light, was still a decent amount of money - and here I am ferrying them back and forth (my time) to places to be fixed. I switched to Chauvet (which cost more and had slightly better optics) and haven't looked back.
Rule #1 eventually shows its ugly head - so beware.
And there are similar complaints about Chauvet fixtures. There are too many things that can go wrong. The more features, the more that can go wrong.
I also have an older blizzard puck that has a diode problem. I thought the entire fixture was dead for a while. I think it got a voltage spike when I was setting it up with DMX master/slave mode. The red diodes are very dim, while the others are fine.
I also have an older blizzard puck that has a diode problem. I thought the entire fixture was dead for a while. I think it got a voltage spike when I was setting it up with DMX master/slave mode. The red diodes are very dim, while the others are fine.
I've got a set of these Chinese fixtures, and one of the 2 can't hold its head up. Once passed the balance point, its too heavy, and drops. Just one failure among all of you guy's cheap lights I know, but sometimes you really do get what you paid for.
Plan to take it apart eventually, and see if it's something simple to repair, like a loose stepper clamp screw.
Plan to take it apart eventually, and see if it's something simple to repair, like a loose stepper clamp screw.
Agreed, the more features, the more that can go wrong. Yes, Chauvet's have had issues too, and I have experienced them as well - but mostly with the lower end priced fixtures (across all brands). This is no different than anything else (lower priced computers, lower priced microwaves, etc, etc, etc).
You pays your money and takes your chances.
I have had issues with chauvet gear - controllers and lights. They dont' even talk to each other, but software DMX will...failures, parts (lenses) falling off.
I had a par (venue brand) decide channel 16 wasn't going to work. In the middle of a show. At home I played around..channel 32, it's happy. 16? no. the other pars are OK on 16...why this ONE light? No friggn clue.
Generally you get what you pay for. But I'm VERY unimpressed with ALL the lighting I've bought and used so far. Makes me very skiddish to drop $500 on one light of any brand. I treat them nice and don't have failures in any other gear..
I have had issues with chauvet gear - controllers and lights. They dont' even talk to each other, but software DMX will...failures, parts (lenses) falling off.
I had a par (venue brand) decide channel 16 wasn't going to work. In the middle of a show. At home I played around..channel 32, it's happy. 16? no. the other pars are OK on 16...why this ONE light? No friggn clue.
Generally you get what you pay for. But I'm VERY unimpressed with ALL the lighting I've bought and used so far. Makes me very skiddish to drop $500 on one light of any brand. I treat them nice and don't have failures in any other gear..
I've had 0 problems with the Venue PAR's. I bought a pair to play with to see how well they work. I've had them for about a year now, so far no issues (knock wood).
I used to feel the same way that many of you do. I had to find out for myself.
I purchased a Chauvet Freedom Par uplight and a Chinese clone. They were EXACTLY the same. Same parts, same LED's, same batteries.
I ordered 10 more Clones and have not had a single problem. Oh, I also saved my self about $1800.
Buy what you want but if you don't do your homework, THEN you get what you paid for. Do your proper homework, then your purchase will be worth it.
So many people are so quick to say that Chinese lighting is bad but those same people fail to do their homework and buy from a reputable dealer and buy reputable lights. Buy the cheapest light, that is exactly what you get. Buy the best light for the best money, that is what you get.
I did an extensive review on my china uplights on one of the facebook pages I have, "dj lighting from China". Feel free to stop over and read it.
I purchased a Chauvet Freedom Par uplight and a Chinese clone. They were EXACTLY the same. Same parts, same LED's, same batteries.
I ordered 10 more Clones and have not had a single problem. Oh, I also saved my self about $1800.
Buy what you want but if you don't do your homework, THEN you get what you paid for. Do your proper homework, then your purchase will be worth it.
So many people are so quick to say that Chinese lighting is bad but those same people fail to do their homework and buy from a reputable dealer and buy reputable lights. Buy the cheapest light, that is exactly what you get. Buy the best light for the best money, that is what you get.
I did an extensive review on my china uplights on one of the facebook pages I have, "dj lighting from China". Feel free to stop over and read it.
I will say this:
I NEVER had a problem with the old school Par Cans with Halogen Bulbs and throwing gel covers on top!
When it comes to reliability, and simplicity of use...the older style up lights have a much better track record!
I NEVER had a problem with the old school Par Cans with Halogen Bulbs and throwing gel covers on top!
When it comes to reliability, and simplicity of use...the older style up lights have a much better track record!
The problem with Chinese lights is there is no one "Chinese" standard .. you'll find everything from highest quality to crap .. and it's up to you to determine what you get.
If you look at the Blizzard Fllury 5 vs the imitation, the biggest difference externally is the lack of certifications on the imitation .. might not matter to some, but if one of those should catch fire (and it's happened) .. YOU will bear the responsibility and I'm sure your insurance carrier will fight you. Also, if you need 16 of them, you'll need to inventory 20-24 of them, since getting replacements quick may just not happen.
The engineer in me says that the Blizzard priced at $175 seems low .. so having a clone priced at $69 just seems fraught with potential issues. You can't get a non-clone fixed 7x15w LED for that money .. let alone a mover .. some corner is cut (or many) to get to that price point.
If you look at the Blizzard Fllury 5 vs the imitation, the biggest difference externally is the lack of certifications on the imitation .. might not matter to some, but if one of those should catch fire (and it's happened) .. YOU will bear the responsibility and I'm sure your insurance carrier will fight you. Also, if you need 16 of them, you'll need to inventory 20-24 of them, since getting replacements quick may just not happen.
The engineer in me says that the Blizzard priced at $175 seems low .. so having a clone priced at $69 just seems fraught with potential issues. You can't get a non-clone fixed 7x15w LED for that money .. let alone a mover .. some corner is cut (or many) to get to that price point.
I've owner the Blizzard Flurry 5's since the week they were released and back then they cost over $500 per light. Even at that price point they were worth every penny. Those lights did and continue to impress and i constantly get compliments on how great they are and how amazingly bright they are especially for such tiny fixtures. Buy these up , you will NOT regret it. In fact, i might buy myself a few more at that price
Damn you .. you made me buy a pair with that endorsement ...
BTW, it also comes with a free DMX dongle (I assume similar to the Sushi-DMX ones I have or the similar ADJ DMX Buddy) ... USB to DMX Interface with Lighting Software
Damn you .. you made me buy a pair with that endorsement ...
BTW, it also comes with a free DMX dongle (I assume similar to the Sushi-DMX ones I have or the similar ADJ DMX Buddy) ... USB to DMX Interface with Lighting Software
Wow a DMX dongle also, what a great deal! These little Flurry 5's really do come in handy. You'll find lots of excuses to use that pair you just picked up. a lot of my weddings too i'll simply hang a pair of these and a pair of small Intimidator Spot 150's on t-stand together and it makes for a VERY powerful compact light show. Enjoy!