Rostronics-Britek Nobody Here Can Agree-Why?

I also can't be of help but I do appreciate you coming forward because it confirms my position of never spending any money on Briteks. In the long run I think the savings are not worth the potential problems. The failure rate of these lights just seem to be way to high in comparison to other products and actually seem like throwing money away.

I'm sorry that people are going through this. Maybe if the sales slow down and problems reported they may get the quality control issue addressed. Or maybe they just sell to people who give them a try and then don't bother following up because of the hassle and figure the cost was so low that it is not worth it.

Better to save up and put a little more into a more reliable light.
 
Standard inline fuse holders:

http://www.bussmann.com/products/FuseBlocks-Holders/Group9.asp

These are the bomb. I like the yelllow ones that crimp on.

They say 32V, but with fuses, below 480V, the AMPERAGE is what really matters. 220v (actual operating voltage... is the 2K a 220v light??) isn't going to ARC through the yellow holder, so you'll be fine. If you REALLY worry about it, you can get the 500v ones listed father down.

These holders use standard automotive fuses which are like a buck for a pack of 5 at any auto supply.

I for one am unable to imagine why the bulbs and fuses are blowing at the same time. If the fuse is blowing, the you should have a short somewhere, which would not blow the bulb, as it would drain power AWAY from the bulb.

I'm suspicious of the stability of the power supply you were using. Was a steady, and of the proper voltage? Try getting "fast blow" fuses at the next higher amperage (like 12 or 15a). And verify your source voltage.

A (tungsten) light is a very simple circuit. Without a short, there's no reason for these problems.
 
fleaguit said:
Well, after praising the briteks for their price, I gotta admit I was wrong. As of yesterday, every light in my kit was down with the exception of the 1k. If it wasn't for the lowell tota's we have (4 of them) we would not have been able to continue shooting. In every light, the fuse and bulb seemed to blow at the same time. Which seems to prove the pointlessness of the fuse.

My 2k I still cannot find a fuse for. I've been everywhere, and a 10 amp, 250v small fuse is impossible to find. I shoved a piece of copper wire in there, and the lamp turns on, but my DP is afraid to use it without the fuse. I don't see what the big deal is,worst case i figure is another bulb blows because the fuse isn't there to protect. But perhaps I'm wrong on this one, anyone want to chime in on whether this is a good idea or not?
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YES!!!!!! The 10 amp Fuse IS impossible to find. If you find one let me know..... Jeez.

Ive been using a 7 Amp, and only running a 500W bulb in a 1.2K light. Still not a slouch in terms of out put, but i want my FULL 1200 Watts G--Dammit.

Also, i wouldnt suggest the Copper wire. Lets say by chance the bulb is extra tough, you could get real hot real quick in that fuse housing. Fire is bad.
 
Why do these lights have fuses in them? I've worked with lots of tungsten lighting, including Arri, Mole-Richardson, De Sisti, Altman, Century, Lowell, etc. and I have never seen a fuse in any of them. Does anyone know the reason for this?
 
safety probably. BEcause they are cheap they are probaly made with materials that cant handle Heat generated by a short circuit. Normal operation they are probably fine, but a short would put extreme heat in the body, so to prevent the plastic handles fro mmelting and catching fire they put a fuse to protect it. ( at leas thats wha tseems right ot me)
 
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