A theater I work for recently bought a bunch of PAR Cans that are run with LEDs rather than traditional lamps.  It’s always fun to play with new technology, so play we have.  Here are some of my observations.

Energy Savings

Pro-  Extremely low energy usage.  There are a few different “strengths” available.  The more LEDs there are in the light, the brighter it can get.  The version that pulls 60 watts (and 0.2 amps) at full is about equal to a 400 watt standard PAR, and the version that pulls 100 watts at full is about equal to the traditional 1000 watt PAR when testing with a light meter at about 18-20 feet from the source.  The low energy use means we can plug more into the same circuit without fear.  It also makes these great for venues with limited numbers of circuits available.

Con-  The further you get from the LED the less it acts like the traditional PAR.  I recommend using these with no more than a 25 foot throw, and in the 15-20 foot range seems ideal.

Also, LED PARs are available even smaller than I have mentioned, but those are too small to be of use on stage, so use caution and buy the commercial strength.

DMX RGB Color Mixing

Pro-  If you have DMX you can control the color for these completely from your board.  RGB color mixing is built in.  (If you don’t have DMX capabilities, these will still light up in a few different modes controlled by dipswitches that DJs might enjoy, but nothing really useful for theater.)  With DMX controls, you’ll never need to buy or cut gel for these lights.

This feature also provides the smoothest color scrolling effect I’ve ever seen, which makes me really excited to make a sunset on a cyc someday soon.

Con-  If you’re in the habit of hanging and striking every show, the DMX cable adds quite a bit of time to the hanging process.  Also, when initially investing in these, you’ll need to buy a ton of DMX to get you started and it needs to be tied carefully around traditional instruments which can melt it quite quickly. 

Instrument Linking

Pro-  The ones we bought all have their own DMX address settings (dipswitches), so we can set it ourselves.  That means we can link them all together and control them all at the same time or separately, depending on how we set it up.

Con-  Setting DMX addresses is one more thing to keep track of during load in and then one more thing to program into the board.  Perhaps this is the trade off for not needing to cut gel.

Heat

Pro-  Because these make so much more efficient use of energy, they don’t heat up.  They can be focused easily after being on for a long time with no danger of burning yourself.  They also cut down on how much you make your performers sweat, especially during warmer times of year.

Con-  These lights don’t help dry wet paint on stage when I’m in a hurry because they don’t throw enough heat.  (I’m sure the lighting designer won’t mind, but in a pinch this is a method I have used from time to time… I am primarily a scenery person though.)

Lightweight

Pro-  I haven’t actually weighted them, but these are MUCH lighter than traditional fixtures.  I can easily dangle one on the tip of my pinky without any sort of pain or stress. 

Con-  Traditional PAR cans are the traditional workhorses of the rock and roll industry because you can almost hit them with a MAC truck and they’ll still work.  These have a lot of little computer parts inside and the outside seems thinner, so I’m guessing they need a little more tenderness when caring for them. 

Smaller Size

Pro-  Traditional PARs need a certain amount on length to get the lamp, reflector and lens working together correctly.  Since LED PARs do all that with their little LED lamps the unit is a bit shorter in size, which means it takes up less storage space.  (Hmmm is it an LED lamp or bulb? I’m not sure... probably lamp.)

Con-  Because these fixtures don’t use a lens, there is no way the alter the width of the beam.  They also don’t seem to come with the wider spreads that can be achieved with a wide-lens PAR, so plan on narrower beams and pay attention to what you buy.

Lamps (or whatever we call these) Last Forever

Pro-  The material says that these lamps should last 100,000 hours, which is considerably longer than a standard lamp.  If you left this on 24 hours a day this lamp would, in theory, last over eleven years.

Con-  Depending on the strength of the instrument at hand, the number of bulbs may vary, but the 60 watt lamp I’m looking at contains 59 red, 59 blue and 59 green LED lamps.  I don’t want to think about what it takes to replace all of those, nor can I find anywhere online that seems to sell them.  Perhaps I’m looking for the wrong thing.

Special Effects

Pro-  This lamp can strobe at any speed, scroll and do all sorts of undulating fun things.

Con-  Your lighting designer might be tempted to get carried away with all that fun available.

Bottom Line

This new toy is about to become a staple in the industry.  Its versatility and ability to overcome heat and electricity drain problems far outweigh the fact that you need a couple extra to get the same coverage.  Additionally, it’s one thing we theater folk can do to become a little more environmentally friendly, and anyone who works in this industry knows we very often are lacking in that respect.  So, go, see the light and have fun with it.

While the American DJ version is not quite the one I've used, just because Amazon provides such a pretty picture of this version, I'm including a link here: American DJ 64 P LED Pro Par Can

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