Backstage flashlights - white or blue

lightnix

Enlightened
Joined
Jan 2, 2003
Messages
249
Location
Kent, UK
I'm doing a little research into the flashlight market for people who work as crew in the entertainments industry. I was a full time lampie myself for 20 years and still keep my hand in here and there, to help pay for life's little luxuries.

Blue has always been the "classic" backstage working light colour (in the UK anyway). I would like to know whether people consider this to be the ideal colour for a backstage flashlight, whether they prefer white, or another colour.

So... Blue flashlights: Boon or Bane for show crew ? Let the CPF decide /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/grin.gif
 

PhotonWrangler

Flashaholic
Joined
Oct 19, 2003
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14,412
Location
In a handbasket
IMHO, white is better. With all of the weird stuff that could be strewn about on the floor backstage, some of it carrying electricity and/or pyro, one needs to see things in natural color lest one trip over something that's invisible under blue light. /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/ooo.gif
 

jtivat

Flashlight Enthusiast
Joined
Jun 14, 2002
Messages
2,375
Location
Grand Rapids
I see blue used a lot however I prefer white I think the A2 is the perfect backstage light. Little lite the company that make the gooseneck lights you see on most mixer and lighting consoles now makes LED lights also.
 

Tree

Flashlight Enthusiast
Joined
Oct 2, 2001
Messages
1,384
Location
Louisiana, USA, Earth
Most of the people I work with have white flashlights. I am turning them slowly onto LEDs!!! /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/naughty.gif I like white to tell colors apart if that's what I need to do. If it's just ushering people around blue would be fine, but you can't go wrong with white.

The Opalec Newbeam is a favorite around here. Bright enough to get around but dim enough not to attract attention from the audience, and lasts a long time with regulated output. I guess the A2 would be the same but with an additional high beam.

I personally use an Arc AAA, Infinity Ultra with a LS adaptor, and a L4 as my lights for work. The Infinity gets used the most followed closely by the L4.
 

Brock

Flashaholic
Joined
Aug 6, 2000
Messages
6,346
Location
Green Bay, WI USA
I also personally use an A2 (with white LED's). I usually hand out my opalec newbeam when someone asks and have a bunch of Arc AAA lying around. I prefer white and recommend it because with all the spike tape, looking in the back of racks and with all the colored stuff backstage it really helps to be able to distinguish colors.
 
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