“The Ayrton MagicBlade™-Rs that we have purchased from Ambersphere Solutions are undoubtedly the lighting fixture of Summer 2015.” This resounding and unequivocal endorsement comes from Rob Merrilees, Director of Dry Hire Lighting (DHL). DHL now have a substantial number of MagicBlades in stock although they very rarely actually see them.

“The Blades are constantly in demand,” continues Merrilees, “We’re grateful that their quality of build and excellent reliability factor means we can pretty much guarantee they can fly in and fly out of the warehouse in perfect working order. Even so, we are having to turn away requests for Ayrton Blades at the moment.” The now famous continuous rotation on both Pan and Tilt axes is the central characteristic of this 7 RGBW LED unit. Compact, light and economical, the MagicBlade-R offers the lighting designer imaginative and creative possibilities with an almost endless myriad of effect looks. The breadth of DHL’s client base is testament to their wide appeal. “TV productions, concerts and especially festivals at the moment: the Blades are all out there showing their extraordinary range of features.”

Is Merrilees surprised by their popularity? “As a dry hire company, we keep a very close eye on what production teams and designers are specifying and it appears to me that, since Ayrton have joined the Ambersphere family of manufacturers, their profile and popularity have increased dramatically. There’s no doubt in my mind that it is the Ambersphere team who are responsible for that. It is, without doubt, the fixture of the summer.” DHL’s rental catalogue also includes two of the most recent offerings from another manufacturer under the Ambersphere umbrella: Clay Paky. The Stormy CC and the Mythos are both present in significant numbers. “The Clay Paky Stormys have really come into their own since the spring,” explains Merrilees. “They are working just as hard as the MagicBlades; we struggle to keep up with demand on occasions.

They are becoming the unit of choice for a flexible strobe and, of course, their sophisticated electronics allow them to be used as a wash/cyc light as well – one of the reason we opted for the CC model which features RGBW LEDs that emit light in any colour. Great for use as a wash and also as a colour strobe without the need for noisy scrollers and their associated lose of light intensity. It is the nearest thing yet to a ‘classic’ strobe – almost old school in the way it performs with its parabolic reflector – but with all the advantages of LED and the digital control of frequency, duration and intensity that a Xenon bubble is unable to compete with.” The MagicBlades and the Stormys join the large number of Clay Paky Mythos at DHL.

Already a legendary luminaire in its own right, it is everything a truly hybrid fixture should be: versatile, fast, quiet, packed with effects and features, very, very bright and of course razor sharp all the way from lens to stage – however far that might be. “The popularity of the Mythos is reflected in the number of units we’ve purchased from Ambersphere, concludes Merrilees. “That is just as true for both the MagicBlade-R and the Stormy. As a dry hire company, our investment decisions are driven purely by demand and a quick glance at our purchasing spreadsheet will tell you that the products we have from Ambersphere Solutions are the ones that are most in demand.”