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[Steve Ferreira]

To keep on track with the other thread about inexpensive front wash, what's out there for cheapish moving lights. I have had Mac 250 Entours, Trackspots.... I currently have 4x Chauvet Intimidator 350irz and 3x Martin SCX 700s. Only 3 because 1 unit is dead. Looking to possibly buy a few more fixtures. My venues can be anything from low ceilings with 300 cap to 20x45 stage with 1200 cap. I have looked at the usual suspects:

Martin doesn't seem to have much except big lights like Vipers, Auras. The ERA 300 is $5000. Looks like the Rush line is done.
ADJ has come a long way but I have never purchased anything from them.
Chauvet DJ and Pro lines have. Looked at the 375ZX but the gobos are all the same as to what I have now in my discontinued units. The Pro line puts any fixture out of reach on price.

Looking for some movers and possibly Aura style wash lights for relatively cheaper price. I'm a weekend warrior, not looking to spend $5000 a fixture. Anyone have recommendations?

[Jeff Lelko]

Hi Steve,

In my opinion the Chauvet Rogue R1X and R2X are the industry's next Martin Mac 250 and Mac 550, respectively.  Performance, build quality, and universal applicability of the Rogues are all in-line with the former lower end of the Mac series.  Get some quotes from reputable dealers - you might be surprised on what you can get them for..

All that said, what is a realistic budget?  The number of quality moving lights worth owning under $1000/ea. is very few - especially post-inflation. 

[Don T. Williams]

To keep on track with the other thread about inexpensive front wash, what's out there for cheapish moving lights. I have had Mac 250 Entours, Trackspots.... I currently have 4x Chauvet Intimidator 350irz and 3x Martin SCX 700s. Only 3 because 1 unit is dead. Looking to possibly buy a few more fixtures. My venues can be anything from low ceilings with 300 cap to 20x45 stage with 1200 cap. I have looked at the usual suspects:

Martin doesn't seem to have much except big lights like Vipers, Auras. The ERA 300 is $5000. Looks like the Rush line is done.
ADJ has come a long way but I have never purchased anything from them.
Chauvet DJ and Pro lines have. Looked at the 375ZX but the gobos are all the same as to what I have now in my discontinued units. The Pro line puts any fixture out of reach on price.

Looking for some movers and possibly Aura style wash lights for relatively cheaper price. I'm a weekend warrior, not looking to spend $5000 a fixture. Anyone have recommendations?

This is not specifically a wash light, but you might look at the Volux Spectra 300.  We needed a CMY profile with a wide zoom range and compared these to the Chauvet Pro Maverick Force Spot and the Elation Fuze FSX.  All three met my criteria, but the Spectra stood out for several reason.  It has a blue filter in the color wheel that just gives a better blue that the CMY mixing does alone (in my opinion).  The Spectra is significantly lighter in weight and physically more compact.  The road cases are very compact and again less expensive that those for the other instruments.  I can't comment yet on reliability because I haven't used them enough, but I was sent new prisms and gobos at no cost to update and improve the light.  The original 3 facet prism on the Spectra was a weak point, but I liked how it looked better that the effect of the four facet prism on one of the other units.  The price is very competitive. 

Disclosure:  I am a dealer for all three brands but do not sell on line or ship products.  I am not soliciting business.  I'm just offering a opinion on this post.

[Tim Weaver]

Would be good to know what you consider "inexpensive" but I agree with Jeff. The Chauvet Rogue line is pretty much the hot ticket right now in the under 2k$ per fixture segment. I also llike the Elation Fuze series. The light they put out looks great, but is not as bright as the Chauvet. I love the fact that they are a giant single lens and don't have that egg carton look of the Chauvet and Mac Aura's.

I can say I had about half of my Elation power supplies die in under 5 years, but this was an install where they stayed powered up constantly even though DMX was removed so they went into sleep mode. None of my Chauvet or ETC lights suffered any damage due to this. Only the Elations.

[Steve Ferreira]

Budget would be in and around $1500 CDN. Not much in that segment to be honest and being a weekend warrior I can't justify spending $10k on 4 lights.

CHAUVET PRO ROGUE R1X SPOT LED MOVING HEAD is $2900+ tax
CHAUVET PRO ROGUE R2X SPOT LED MOVING HEAD is $4100+ tax
CHAUVET PRO ROGUE R2X WASH MOVING HEAD is $3200+ tax
CHAUVET PRO ROGUE R1X WASH LED MOVING HEAD is $2100+ tax

[Tim Weaver]

Budget would be in and around $1500 CDN. Not much in that segment to be honest and being a weekend warrior I can't justify spending $10k on 4 lights.

CHAUVET PRO ROGUE R1X SPOT LED MOVING HEAD is $2900+ tax
CHAUVET PRO ROGUE R2X SPOT LED MOVING HEAD is $4100+ tax
CHAUVET PRO ROGUE R2X WASH MOVING HEAD is $3200+ tax
CHAUVET PRO ROGUE R1X WASH LED MOVING HEAD is $2100+ tax

Are you looking more for spot/fx fixtures or moving washes?

[Tommy Nikiforov]

Budget would be in and around $1500 CDN. Not much in that segment to be honest and being a weekend warrior I can't justify spending $10k on 4 lights.

CHAUVET PRO ROGUE R1X SPOT LED MOVING HEAD is $2900+ tax
CHAUVET PRO ROGUE R2X SPOT LED MOVING HEAD is $4100+ tax
CHAUVET PRO ROGUE R2X WASH MOVING HEAD is $3200+ tax
CHAUVET PRO ROGUE R1X WASH LED MOVING HEAD is $2100+ tax

You should proboably hit up a dealer, i converted this to my currency and that isnt what any of those actually costs.
For something cheaper than the Rogues you will likely end up in some sort of "China Lights" , in the sub 1k range if you need a pretty great spot or beam , have a look at the Varytec Hero Spot 230 / Hero Beam 100 on Thomann.

[Jeff Lelko]

Budget would be in and around $1500 CDN. Not much in that segment to be honest and being a weekend warrior I can't justify spending $10k on 4 lights.

CHAUVET PRO ROGUE R1X SPOT LED MOVING HEAD is $2900+ tax
CHAUVET PRO ROGUE R2X SPOT LED MOVING HEAD is $4100+ tax
CHAUVET PRO ROGUE R2X WASH MOVING HEAD is $3200+ tax
CHAUVET PRO ROGUE R1X WASH LED MOVING HEAD is $2100+ tax

I agree that those numbers are absurdly high.  Though I can't speak for CDN exchange rates or going prices in Canada, the R1X Spot lists MSRP for a bit over $1700 USD but can be had through a good dealer for right around your $1500/unit budget, give or take.  The R1X Wash is a bit less. 

As mentioned above, the quality and consistency of moving lights really becomes hit or miss once you drop below this price point.  I can think of a few other moving lights around the $1500/ea worth owning but below that it's really a gamble, especially if you're used to the build quality of Martin.  The Chauvet Intimidator Series is generally "good enough" for occasional recreational use - and for a while the Intimidator Hybrid 140SR was my favorite moving head under $1k until the price hikes - but the Intimidator build quality is noticeably less than the Rogues.  Longevity is TBD as seen in your case of 1/4 units being inoperable.

[Steve Ferreira]

Are you looking more for spot/fx fixtures or moving washes?

Looking for moving wash, just added the price of the spots as well.

I agree that those numbers are absurdly high.  Though I can't speak for CDN exchange rates or going prices in Canada, the R1X Spot lists MSRP for a bit over $1700 USD but can be had through a good dealer for right around your $1500/unit budget, give or take.  The R1X Wash is a bit less. 

$1500USD is $2043CDN + 13% taxes = $2308.59 per fixture. For a weekend warrior I can't justify spending $9200 on 4 lights.

While looking around I realized ADJ has a new line of lighting called Eliminator Series. Has anyone used these yet? They definitely fit the price point and might be bright enough.

https://www.sweetwater.com/store/detail/StrykerWash--eliminator-stryker-wash-228-watt-moving-head-fixture

[Jeff Lelko]

While looking around I realized ADJ has a new line of lighting called Eliminator Series. Has anyone used these yet? They definitely fit the price point and might be bright enough.

Eliminator is just another branch of American DJ.  Elation, ADJ, and Eliminator are all the same company, similar to Chauvet Pro, Chauvet DJ, and Trusst.  It's been a while since I've read up on who owns who now a'days, but I seem to recall Global Truss also now being in the ADJ family of companies. 

Amazingly my Eliminator Hulk 150 moving heads bought in 2007 still run despite being long-ago swapped out for Martin units, but otherwise Eliminator is generally considered a step below ADJ.  Mileage will vary but at that point you might as well be buying house brand from Guitar Center, Musician's Friend, etc. 

[Tim Weaver]

For "real" moving washes for 1500 each My vote would be to buy used Mac Aura's. They are widely available, industry standard, parts are available so they are easy to fix, and they will be between 1000 and 1500 each depending on condition.

Or if you have to have new, You might be able to buy a package of R2x's for close to 1500 each. But don't expect that price just buying them one at a time. R1x's would meet your budget but if you are using these on a large stage they might not cut it. Talking about a 40x60 festival size stage. For clubs and hotel ballrooms the R1x would likely be fine.

[James Feenstra]

For "real" moving washes for 1500 each My vote would be to buy used Mac Aura's. They are widely available, industry standard, parts are available so they are easy to fix, and they will be between 1000 and 1500 each depending on condition.

I'd agree with this for sure....I know a couple other Toronto area companies are looking to move their stock and they can be had in the $1300-1400 CAD range + tax w/o cases pretty easily. I'm looking to pick up a bunch myself.

One of the venues I work for has R1X washes. They're ok, but four of them barely light a 16x8 stage. Four auras would be significantly better.

[Brian Jojade]

If you're looking to work on an extremely tight budget, older used lights are next to nothing.  Yes, the trade off is that they are bigger and heavier, and may require more power than new LED stuff, but they can get the job done.  $5000 lights from 20 years ago can still work and can be found for almost free.

Another option, for the weekend warrior type show is to get cheap china movers.  Yeah, they may not be as reliable, and getting exact replacements might prove to be impossible. However, it's amazing what $400 can get you these days.

[Tim Weaver]

I'd agree with this for sure....I know a couple other Toronto area companies are looking to move their stock and they can be had in the $1300-1400 CAD range + tax w/o cases pretty easily. I'm looking to pick up a bunch myself.

One of the venues I work for has R1X washes. They're ok, but four of them barely light a 16x8 stage. Four auras would be significantly better.

I could see that. I personally would want 6 to 8 R1x on a 16-20 foot wide stage. That seems more appropriate, but as you've just said half the number of a more expensive light would also do a better job, so really, are you saving any money by going with the smaller light?

It all depends on the size of the gig you typically do.

[Jeff Lelko]

If you're looking to work on an extremely tight budget, older used lights are next to nothing.  Yes, the trade off is that they are bigger and heavier, and may require more power than new LED stuff, but they can get the job done.  $5000 lights from 20 years ago can still work and can be found for almost free.

I second this, along with the vote of used Auras being an excellent choice.  With the newish Aura PXL and even newer Aura XIP many folks are selling off the older non-mapping Auras and Aura XBs which can make for a great deal.  With patience even the Aura XBs can be had in decent shape for under $2K/fixture. 

I still have about 4 cases of High End Studio Beams that see the occasional odd job.  While it's hard to argue with an MSR 700w short-arc lamp with CMY mixing in a package under 50 pounds that runs fine on 120v, I'm not sure that's the route I'd go today now that higher output LED sources are more affordable.  They were the right choice 10 years ago when I bought them though! 

Another option, for the weekend warrior type show is to get cheap china movers.  Yeah, they may not be as reliable, and getting exact replacements might prove to be impossible. However, it's amazing what $400 can get you these days.

I don't disagree, but it's the China-Import race to the bottom garbage fixtures that got the market where it is today.  Sure I can get a 7R Beam for $355 when a legit Philips 7R lamp costs more than half that alone, but they're "good enough" for the hobbyist DJ/band and other trunk slammers that brands like Martin won't even try competing, and even other established players like Chauvet are offering less than ever in the entry-level tier. 

I know many businesses (including some run by users here) have capitalized on the direct-import fixtures and to each our own, but I'll gladly pay more for the added quality and ability to buy parts and service from established brands like Martin, ETC, Chauvet, and Elation, not to mention it's entities like these that actually R&D the equipment that moves this industry forward.  Rant over.

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