Tener

Overview

In English film lighting jargon, a Tener refers to a 10,000-watt (10K) spotlight. The name derives from "ten" (ten thousand watts) and belongs to the traditional wattage nomenclature of incandescent Fresnel lights (e.g., Baby, Junior, Senior, Tener). In this class, the Tener is among the most powerful classic tungsten-based plano-convex lens spotlights.

The term was coined and established as a brand name by Mole-Richardson, a US manufacturer of studio lighting. Mole-Richardson's "Tener" series includes both classic tungsten-halogen Fresnels and a modern LED variant.

Construction and Technical Specifications

Mole-Richardson offers several Tener models. The following data is from manufacturer specifications or dealer listings:

The tungsten models operate with a color temperature of around 3200 K (tungsten). The Tener Solarspot (Type 4371), with its included "Hot Lens," offers a beam angle of approximately 17° to 43°, and with an optional "Cold Lens," approximately 28° to 54°. Both classic heads are massive, heavy studio units with rear focusing via a hand crank.

Mole-Richardson officially calls the LED-Tener the "1600W Tener LED" and it actually consumes around 1,600 W. It is available in a tungsten version (Type 9361, approx. 3200 K) and a daylight or "Daylite" version (Type 9371, approx. 5600 K). Both heads are specified for 90–250 V AC and a maximum of 14.5 A, making them operable on standard mains power. The beam angle is variable from approximately 10° to 55° (spot to flood). The official Mole-Richardson specification page only mentions a "proprietary LED"; dealer listings (e.g., AC-ET) identify the light source as a Quantum Dot LED. Despite its comparatively low actual power consumption, the LED-Tener is marketed as a replacement for classic 10K tungsten or HMI heads; Mole-Richardson itself does not provide a direct equivalence value on its spec page.

Set Usage

A Tener is a typical "hard" key or background light for large sets, daylight fill through windows, or for simulating sunlight. Due to the weight, power consumption, and heat generation of the tungsten models, they require heavy stands or combo stands, adequately sized power supplies, and appropriate heat management.

• Classic use: wide area illumination, hard key light, sunlight and window light in deep backgrounds.
• The tungsten Teners are among the largest commonly used Fresnel heads; only units like the 20K are larger.
• The LED variant is used where the high power draw and heat of classic 10K tungsten lights are undesirable and mains power is available instead of generator power.