{"id":1182,"date":"2015-02-09T10:50:26","date_gmt":"2015-02-09T16:50:26","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/night-scenes.com\/?p=1182"},"modified":"2015-02-09T10:50:26","modified_gmt":"2015-02-09T16:50:26","slug":"austin-outdoor-lighting-design-cheap-fixtures","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/night-scenes.com\/2015\/02\/09\/austin-outdoor-lighting-design-cheap-fixtures\/","title":{"rendered":"Austin Outdoor Lighting Design: Cheap Fixtures"},"content":{"rendered":"

Be aware of cheap fixtures that are sold as professional equipment<\/h2>\n

A recent topic of discussion among outdoor lighting professionals is cheap, stamped, brass fixtures being marketed and sold as \u201chigh quality brass fixtures.\u201d A couple of years after installation, the finish starts coming off and the fixtures are exposed for what they are: cheap, poorly made stamped brass, cheap fixtures.<\/p>\n

What we see often with these cheap fixtures is that they carry no label with a manufacturer name. This means that if these products had advertised any warranty at all, there is no way to use that warranty. They also don\u2019t have any UL\/ETL marks<\/a><\/span> indicating they have not been tested or approved for use and are not up to the\u00a0National Electrical Code<\/a><\/span>. The NEC states that all products installed in any electrical system, even low voltage, must be listed for their use.<\/p>\n

\"stay<\/a>
Kichler Radiax LED Fixture<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

The contractors installing these products are the ones who give our industry a bad name. They install very cheap products at a low-ball price, and then don\u2019t stand behind the products or the system once it\u2019s installed. They may give a one year warranty at best, but we have found that they often won\u2019t show up to handle problems even within that first year. If we are called upon by the home owner to make repairs on these systems, we can\u2019t warranty anything for them either because we don\u2019t even know who made the products.<\/p>\n

At least with high quality name brand products like Kichler<\/span><\/a> or CAST<\/span><\/a> we can make repairs to a system and get the manufacturer to cover the defective products – even if we didn\u2019t initially install it. Then the only charge to the consumer is for our labor for making the repairs.<\/p>\n

We have always encouraged our clients and other consumers to become well-educated before they make a significant expenditure such as outdoor lighting for the home. We strongly recommend that people know what products are being installed and what the warranty is on those products. Don\u2019t fall for the line \u201cthese brass fixtures will last a lifetime\u201d when there isn\u2019t even a label on it<\/em><\/strong>. We have seen high quality powder coated aluminum fixtures last far longer than some so-called lifetime brass fixtures.<\/p>\n

Are you going to pay more up front for those quality fixtures? Will that warranty cost a few bucks extra?\u00a0 Is the price of peace of mind higher for that lighting company with the better reputation for service if a problem does come up? Absolutely yes. But when you suffer fewer outages, and your system lasts 15-20 years with minimal maintenance, you will pay less in the long run and sleep better at night. You\u2019re probably going to enjoy your landscape lighting system more when you\u2019re not cursing it all the time because some of the fixtures aren\u2019t working or the finish is peeling off.<\/p>\n

Don\u2019t be \u201cpenny wise and pound foolish<\/span>\u201d<\/a> by scrimping on your initial investment only to spend much more later replacing lower quality or inappropriate fixtures several times over. \u00a0By anticipating the long term benefits up front, you will smile every night when your outdoor lighting system works and shines just like it should for many years.<\/p>\n

We get emails from all over the country from folks with outdoor lighting questions. If you have a question, please contact us here<\/span><\/a>. If you have a comment, please leave it below.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Be aware of cheap fixtures that are sold as professional equipment A recent topic of discussion among outdoor lighting professionals is cheap, stamped, brass fixtures being marketed and sold as \u201chigh quality brass fixtures.\u201d A couple of years after installation, the finish starts coming off and the fixtures are exposed for what they are: cheap, … <\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":1464,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_exactmetrics_skip_tracking":false,"_exactmetrics_sitenote_active":false,"_exactmetrics_sitenote_note":"","_exactmetrics_sitenote_category":0,"_monsterinsights_skip_tracking":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_active":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_note":"","_monsterinsights_sitenote_category":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[18,5],"tags":[8,9,373,374,54,57,14,50],"yoast_head":"\nAustin Outdoor Lighting Design: Cheap Fixtures - NightScenes Landscape Lighting<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"Watch out for cheap fixtures masquerading as quality brass professional outdoor lighting fixtures. 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