Czech is good because it's almost ours!

I have a special fondness for the Robe brand. I think it's because of the fact that I'm a child of Pointe, and for almost a decade I've been unable to recover from this fixture. Recent years for the Czech manufacturer have been rather marked by the addition of the letter "i" to its luminaires, and not to be confused here with the popular smartphones.

The letter means nothing more than adding an IP65 rating and leaving only the name from the original luminaire... Last year finally brought for us the LEDPointe premiere, awaited for several years, about which I wrote more thickly here. However, that wasn't the only cool premiere.

SVB1

The luminaire seems to be a subtle response to the success of the Martin MAC ONE. I could be wrong, however, this baby is only 5cm taller and 2.5kg (net weight 7.2kg) heavier than the aforementioned competitor, which suggests quite strongly that there is a bit of right in my thinking - on the other hand, we know very well that it doesn't take a year to work on a device of this class, and the manufacturer here mentions more of a better brother for LedBEAM150.

The pan is quite interestingly composed, because in addition to 7 40W RGBW LEDs in the center we have placed a 20x10W multichip for strobe effect. Here we have to admit that this idea gives a lot if we think about the application in small rooms because we can dispense with large strobes saving space on the grid.

The control allows us to control colors in standard RGW or interchangeably in CMY + green correction. In the software variable CCT in the range of 1700K to 20000K, prepared 66 virtual color filters and emulation of the classic bulb including red transition and thermal delay.

Also worth mentioning is the 3.8° - 50° zoom range and infinite rotation in both axes.

SVOPATT

Since it was possible to make an interesting pan at SVB1 it would be a shame to waste it. I guess that's what the designers of the devices from Robe thought. The identical pan as in the small wash is carried over to the SVOPATTA, a "nod" to the iconic and well-known ADB Svoboda fixture.

When I say "identical pan" I mean vivid copy paste, including zoom. In my personal opinion, this gives us a super effect family that can make a definite ruckus on stage.

HolyPATT and MolyPATT

I don't know if you know, but the English phrase "Holy Moly" is such our "light thread" as we have the need to express emotions, but do not want to use words considered vulgar. I had this when I saw these devices just not because of their super looks, they look cool is a fact. It's more in my mind that I saw something similar at Artur Szyman's LightUp studio... I won't give my hand that it was identical, the mind can play tricks but....

What more is there to say, a nice scenographic device, equipped with an Edison-emitting LED bulb. The downside of the device is that they require an external dimmer. It's a bit old-fashioned for an LED device these days - but I understand that they would have to sacrifice shape. Available in two sizes - the aforementioned Holy and Moly.

iSpiiderX

The last setting I would focus on from last year is the successor to the iconic Spiider. Yes, the same one for which dimmers and shifters had to be swapped places in the original library in MA2. Let's hope that the brainy heads at Robe have embraced it this time....

The unit is equipped with 18 40W RGBW LEDs and, interestingly enough, in the middle we get a lone 60W diode. The zoom range is 4° - 50° so so classic for a washa of today.

We will classically post the individual lenses separately, the color functions exactly the same as in SVB1 - so you can go back to the paragraph before. The whole thing has been enclosed in a 50cm high, 19kg weight, IP65 rated housing. Here you have to admit that Robe managed to make a nice waterproof compact.

I, for one, am just curious how that one more powerful diode in the middle behaves in reality.

Summary

In my humble opinion, 2024 lacked nothing in terms of new device launches. We got everything and more that everyone was eagerly awaiting. Only a few questions remain unanswered for the time being. Will LEDPointe be a worthy replacement for Pointe? Will price-wise Robe be competitive with cheaper brands that are no longer standing out in quality?

All this will be verified in the near future by the market.