There Is No Such Thing as a Source Four Leko

There is no such thing as a Source Four Leko. Neither is there a Colortran Leko, a Selecon Pacific Leko, a Times Square Leko, or even an Altman Leko. There is only a Strand Leko. And if you have one, it is time to replace it. It has been called the SL for at least 10 years.

The Leko was an Ellipsoidal Reflector Spotlight (ERS) developed in 1933 by Century Lighting, which is now Strand Lighting, (which is now Genlyte-Thomas - but that is another blog). This hallmark fixture was named for its inventors, Joseph Levy and Edward Kook, and it revolutionized stage lighting. Although the Kleiglight, a competing ERS, was released the same year, the Leko quickly became the most prevalent theatrical lighting fixture and Leko became a household word. Strand Lighting has capitalized well on the Leko brand, and they are the only company who can truly claim to manufacture a Leko.

But branding isn't everything, and the most prevalent ERS in the American market today is the ETC Source Four. When these lights were released in 1992 they once again revolutionized the stage lighting industry with their compact filament lamp, improved reflector technology, and the rotating barrel. Even with ETC's enormous marketing budget and strong brand recognition, I still get people who call and ask for a Source Four Leko. It makes left eye twitch. But, I have about 100 in various degrees in stock. So call them whatever you like - as long as you order a dozen with lamps and connectors.