We're happy to say that there is no price change this month. Copper pricing continues to show significant volatility but we are pleased to be able to continue to hold our prices. We hope that by continuing to hold the line on our cable pricing we can bring some stability to this market and help make you more competitive.

Log in with your customer number at www.lexproducts.com to download your August price list. If you have forgotten your customer number, email us at info@lexproducts.com and we will quickly send it to you.

Our Inside Sales Team is made up of 6 people with diverse backgrounds across a variety of business segments providing Lex with a unique understanding of the needs of our customers. Our team translates their knowledge to help you make the right product decisions for your business. Over the last year Lex has doubled its Inside Sales staff to stay connected with our customers. We have representatives in both our East and West offices, meaning that there will be someone there to assist you from 8:30 am  EST to 5:00 pm PST.

After an in depth analysis of our Anaconda Dimmer sales, we have decided to consolidate our offerings in this product line. Moving forward we will continue to sell only the 4 x 600 watt  Anaconda dimmers, in both the Edison and Stage Pin versions. These two 600W Anacondas are not offered as UL Listed products. While we have discontinued the 800W and 1200W Anacondas, Lex will of course continue to support the 800W and 1200W Anacondas currently in the field.
 
To summarize, the only Anacondas that we now offer for sale are the 4  channel, 600W Edison: D404-600-PBG-4A  and the 4 channel, 600W Stage Pin: D404 600-SP-4A. These two are not UL Listed. Our published Standard Lead Time for these two Anacondas models remains unchanged; 2-weeks for 1-10 units.
 
The following Anaconda models have been discontinued and are no longer available:

Edison Stage Pin LSC 19 Anaconda 4-channel 1200W D404-1200-PBG-6A D404-1200-SP-4A _ Anaconda 6-channel 800W D406-800-PBG-6A D406-800-SP-6A D406-800-SX-1SA Anaconda 6-channel 1200W D406-1200-PBG-6A D406-1200-SP-6A D406-1200-SX-1SA The Lex website and published price list has been updated to reflect these changes. See the revised Anaconda data sheet here.   Please contact Graham Likeness directly with any questions.

Last month we asked you this: In the late 1880’s there was much controversy about whether AC or DC should be the standard for distributed electricity. Big names were on both sides of the issue.
What was the popular name for the controversy and who were the main proponents for each side? The answer we were looking for was "War of the Currents" or "Battle of Currents" and the big names were Thomas Edison promoting direct current (DC) and George Westinghouse and Nikola Tesla  promoting alternating current (AC). Jen Rossi from Starlite Productions New Jersey, came up with the correct and most entertaining answer:

Comments: Here in NJ, this "War of the Currents" has some interesting local twists.

Thomas Edison had influence in the United States and did a great job of selling the DC concept. It worked well with his light bulb and with motors at the time. Wiring and logistics were an issue as direct current does not keep it's voltage over long distances, requires larger wires, and conversion was an issue. However, Edison had the ear of local government on his side due to his other inventions. He was determined to prove that direct current was safer than George Westinghouse's alternating current and earn those public contracts.

Because Westinghouse had Nikola Tesla working for him at this time, Westinghouse was able to make Tesla's idea of a polyphase system a reality. This option was able to travel further over a smaller wire so it would be a less expensive option.

Edison was not the type to lose such an important war of invention. He started a series of experiments in his Menlo Park lab to show how alternating current would not be practical for home use. He even did a demonstration in NJ where an elephant was electrocuted to show how "dangerous" the higher voltage would be in homes. Edison's efforts ultimately lead to the invention of the electric chair.

The Chicago World's Fair and a contract that was awarded to Westinghouse to harness the power of Niagara Falls to generate electricity for public use were the final battles where AC was the victor and ended the "War of the Currents".

Thank you for your answer Jen and everyone else who submitted answers!

This month's trivia question is: What important aspect of electricity was discovered during a university lecture in Scandinavia in the early 1800?s?
 
Click here to answer this month's Trivia Quiz for your chance to win Lex swag!