Quasar Science might have once been an unknown, but their LED lamps have been finding their way into old Kino fixtures for some time now. Due to the demand, they are now coming out with 240V capable versions of both their LED linear lamps and their smaller LED bulbs.
The nice thing about the Quasar Science LED tubes is that they replace all of the hardware that goes with the Kinos, including the ballast. These 95+ CRI LED lamps come in a few different sizes — 1, 2, 4, 6, and 8 foot versions, and can also be adapted to take D-Tap for batteries. You can get them in the scrolling color version, which goes from 2000K to 6000K, or the switch model which can do either 3000K or 5600K. The costs vary from $145 for the 1 foot version up to $500 for the most expensive 8 foot version.
Their small bulbs come in 12 and 6 Watt versions, with the $19 6 Watt available in 2000K, and 3000K, and the $25 12 Watt available in 2000K, 3000K, and 6000K. These bulbs are huge for a news/documentary situation where you really want to quickly control color temperature. By putting a few of these 12 Watt 3000K or 6000K bulbs in your bag, in a flash you can add 95+ CRI color and the ability to dim, which is especially important if they are too bright for the ambient light in the room.
As many of the old-style inefficient incandescent bulbs have been outlawed, more and more people are replacing them with compact fluorescent bulbs, not all of which are created equal, and not all of which can be dimmed. These might be a good solution for avoiding all of those headaches.
For more, be sure to check out the Quasar Science website.
