Stingers

O

OldCorpse

Rockin the Boat
So, I never gave much thought to stingers, other than them fulfilling basic conditions of having the right plugs, ground, rating and flexibility: the longer it is, the higher gauge it should be, so f.ex. a 50' should not be less than a 12. I therefore thought that it didn't much matter if I bought general contractor ones that are rated 12/3 or 10/3 at 50', but maybe I'm wrong and there's a reason to buy specific stingers for film/video related gear like lights? I was looking at something like the following, which are all rated 10/3:

1) Husqvarna 10/3 x 50 feet vinyl outdoor extension cord

2) American Contractor

3) Ridgid Home Depot 50'

These are just examples. Are there any reasons why these are not good? Any reason to go with something made specific for film/video? What do you use/recommend?
 
Those types of cables have plastic outer jackets. They are less flexible, kink up, and don't hold up well to abuse. Rubber jackets are preferred. Look for cables that are listed without an E or T in the cable type.

For example, your second link is listed as SJEOW. You don't want to see a 'E' or 'T' after the SJ. That means it is plastic jacket. No E or T means it is rubber. E is better than T, but I prefer rubber.

Rubber holds up better and doesn't kink. You don't have to buy it from film/video supplies. Any good hardware store will carry rubber jacketed cord, which is normally black.

[edit] - Here's what the letters mean:
  • S = 600 Volt Service Cord
  • J = Junior Service - 300 Volt
  • T = Thermoplastic
  • E = Elastomer - thermoplastic that looks and feels like rubber
  • O = Oil Resistant Outer Jacket
  • OO = Oil Resistant Outer Jacket and Oil Resistant Insulation
  • V = Vacuum (typically used with vacuum cleaners and other portable cleaning equipment)
  • W = CSA Weather and Water Resistant (approved for indoor and outdoor use)
 
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Aah, thanks for that, Paul. I can only hope that all this is listed in the info on the cables, but sometimes I can't find it, which makes it hard to compare.
 
Yes, that is an issue. The first one states it is vinyl jacketed, but the 3rd one doesn't say what it is, so there is no telling what it might be. All cable should be stamped with the letter code above. You may have to go to the store to inspect it.
 
SJ and SJOOW are my preferred cable types. I hate the type S and SO stuff, way too thick/heavy and difficult to coil in lengths of over 25'. The SO ones that are 50' long take up about as much space when coiled as a 100' SJOOW. Also, since it's more thick it's less flexible, and therefore much more difficult to coil up to a small enough coil to fit into a milk crate. I would take SJEOOW over S or SO, I have one and it isn't so bad, but I have heard of them melting in high heat situations where rubber cables didn't melt.

As for the gauge, 12/3 is standard. For a 100' one, 10/3 would be nice if you're running 2k+ on them since it will mitigate line loss. But for anything shorter it's not really necessary since the plugs are only rated for 15 amps anyways (standard practice is to still use 15 amp plugs even on 2k's and M18's, which are well over 15 amps, but the point being that you have more of a bottleneck at the plugs than the cable). A 12/3 cable running at 20 amps won't heat up or cause too much line loss like a 14/3 cable will, so 10/3 really is pointless for 25' or 50'.
 
Heck guys, I knew I could learn a ton by asking you, even about stuff like cables. I had no idea that the plugs were so wimpy on the 10/3, which renders it pointless compared to a 12/3 - which is also interesting, because I thought that the 10/3 would guarantee a 20 amp rating since that's what I read, meanwhile I see 10/3 cables and they're all rated for 15 amps, which I didn't understand... now the plug explains it. I was looking for 20 amp rating because many lights demand it, so I wanted to make sure the cable could handle it at 50'. I'm a bit surprised that even construction grade is so poor, you'd think with heavy machinery they run, they'd be sure to use the best. You learn something new every day!
 
Moseph said:
... I hate the type S and SO stuff, way too thick/heavy and difficult to coil in lengths of over 25'.
Click to expand...

There's no real advantage to the S and SO unless you like to lift weights. I suppose it offers more protection from being stepped on, but it's not worth it to me.

Moseph said:
.. it's not really necessary since the plugs are only rated for 15 amps anyways (standard practice is to still use 15 amp plugs even on 2k's and M18's, which are well over 15 amps, but the point being that you have more of a bottleneck at the plugs than the cable).
Click to expand...


Just a side note - the physical construction of a 15 and 20 amp plug are the same except for the orientation of the pins. So they have the same capacity. A 15 amp plug will provide the same performance as a 20 amp plug.
 
I have a couple hundred feet of 12/3 600volt SJO and SOOW CSA and they can take a good beating specially for location work

You might as well make them yourself, its really easy. Order the cable for around 1.00-1.25$/foot and then the plugs you can usually find some used ones on ebay or get new ones at your local hardware store. You'll end up saving a couple of dollars.

I found this image a long time ago somewhere, but this helps to memorize in the future when you're assembling the male and female ends:

t4lDB.png
 
That diagram may be a bit confusing to some as it isn't consistent with the list for each pin.

Ground
Wire color is green
Screw color is green

Neutral
Wire color is white
Screw color is silver


Hot
Wire color is black
Screw color is gold/brass
 
RickyC said:
I have a couple hundred feet of 12/3 600volt SJO and SOOW CSA and they can take a good beating specially for location work
Click to expand...
A "J" in the code designates it as rated for 300v. Not like there's really a possibility of them being used at voltages even approaching that high for our application, just saying.
 
Moseph said:
A "J" in the code designates it as rated for 300v. Not like there's really a possibility of them being used at voltages even approaching that high for our application, just saying.
Click to expand...

Woops you're right, I meant to say 300v SJO and 600v SOOW
 
I did not find any rubber extension cords on Amazon or ebay. You will need to spend at least $70 (and likely much more) for a 50' 12 gauge rubber cord since the raw 12/3 cord itself is over $1/ft.

Agreed. Do not buy 16 gauge. 12 is what you should buy because it will handle 20 amps.

Check with a local hardware store.
 
I only use rubber coated cables, and I have hundreds. They are more durables, easier to train and are code compliant.

I have known gaffers who will literally throw vinyl coated cords of the set...but they are great for lawn tools.
 
I buy my cable bulk from a wholesaler and add my own plugs. Home Depot actually carries rubber coated wire but it ain't cheap when buying in small quantities.
 
Interesting, so there are literally no places to buy rubber coated 12-gauge stingers online, unless you want to build them yourself?

That kind of blows my mind. Why wouldn't B&H stock something like this? Or another pro video shop?

TW
 
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