Summary
Stinger is the film industry nick-name given to the common extension cord. The main difference bewteen a stinger and a regular extension cord is that a singer is made of industry standard, high quality cable that is rated for the full amperage requirement of industry lights and tools. Extension cords are often inferior in build and function quality when compared to custom built industry stingers.
At first glace a stinger looks like any other ordinary extension cord however, over the history of the film industry the common extension cord has been improved upon and evolved into a specialized piece of film making equipement. The first and most important factor in a true fllm industry grade 'stinger' is the amperage that it is capable of carrying. The maximun amperage rating of a film industry stinger matches the maximun ampeage rating of a 20amp electrical safety breaker switch or fuse. Extension cords that can be purchased at a local hardware are most ofter only rated for 15amps. Many lighting instruments used commonly in the film and video industry are 2K lamps (2000 watt bulbs) or a combination of 2 - 1K lamps (totalling 2000 watts together) or 3 - 600 watt lamps (1800 combined watts). Any of the previous three indications would require a 20amps of available power service and would also require an extension cord capable of safely conducting the full 2000 watt potential. With 'store bought' extension cords that are most often rated at a 1500 watt power capacity limit, there is a very high risk of the extension cord heating up, failing and potentially starting an electrical fire.
