Well i've had a pain in the ***** of a month or so....beside my recent customer hassles i've had several light fittings fail on me....maybe a sign of the times and quality.

My independant wholesaler supplies Galaxy Fluorescent fittings and Saxby downlighters. They used to stock Fitzgerald (but they went bust) & Aurora (but had supply issues)!

Just had a third, 5 foot Galaxy fitting gone down - 3 different customers and a 3rd ELV lamp connector burnt out - again another 3 different customers. All very embarrassing.

All installed less than a year! Naturally i replace these at my own time and expence but what a pain in the ass - 6 visits for free. Seems quality is disappearing...I tried new products they've let me down...now to source better products (although no problems with Saxby Mains downlighters)

Anyone else had problems with these products? Any one recommend good quality "reliable" fluorescent fittings? I heard Fitzgerald may have restarted?


They say it comes in threes....dodgy customer, dodgy fluorescents and dodgy ELV downlighters

Moan over.......recommendations for fluorescents appreciated? Similar issues with fittings - interested to hear...

forgot to subscribe to post - done!

Can't comment on Galaxy, but I steer well clear of Saxby these days. I bought a few k's worth via Genesis1:3 when they were based in/around Wembley. I got the distinct impression that Genesis and Saxby were the same company...

Installed a lot (c.200) of their cast aluminium downlighters... which aren't aluminium but some sort of mazak or pot metal; after a year of dichroic lamp usage the metal softens, and the spring clips holding it to the ceiling gently distort the entire fitting, which either shatters the lamp or drops out of the ceiling altogether...

And the chromed bathroom mirror lights whose chrome is that thin I think they must have just waved them in the open door of the plating shop...

Ive just put in 42 tamlite dimmable twin T5's. They lasted 10 days if that and 20 of them have gone. These are 4m up and now above a machine shop requiring scaffolding. NOT repeat NOT impressed. Luckily i didnt actually buy them, so have zero responsibility as i recommended someone else.

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Lack of planning on your part doesn't make it an emergency on mine....

Every man has to know his limitations- Dirty Harry

I'm sorry to say that generally in my experience as a minor installer myself, if you do happen to find a range of anything that is a pleasure to install, is reliable and well built, and seems good value for money, either the firm will go bust or the range will be soon be discontinued and replaced with some lower quality tat.

what make do you recommend?

I believe Fitzgerald was bought by someone else. Possibly ansel? Thorn isn't a bad bet, but I would usually steal clear od tamsht*te!

On the downlight front. Dichroics were mentioned. I would strongly recommend aluminium backed lamps instead. This should also negate problems of heat build up.

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Regard
Richard (Dick)

www.rllewellyn.co.uk

Evening all,
As mentioned already,Ansell have been a good and reliable piece of kit where flouros are concearned.
I now dont work by wholesaler,I work by what product I need and source the wholesalereg;flouros from one and Downlights from another.

Click is always mine and my collegues choice of downlights as they have been quality for years.Firerated sell about £7 + vat but worth it.

This is not libelous as I can back up my facts but a majority of products made by the following are just not to be touched ie;MLA Knightsbrdge,the most unreliable poor quality products I have ever had the mis pleasure to use, Saxby,I believe , allegedley, have gone under and I am not surprised if its true.This used to be a quality buy.
CED are starting to produce poor quality and unreliable products so not using them now but the biggest problems I find are B & Q lighting products especially on the CPC tags.

And quite rightly mentioned,it is the return visits for free that we have to make on these products that has the potential to send anyone of us down.
I now have a reliable list of brands I buy now but I dont think I would be allowed to list them here due my comments above.
Regards
Antric.

To add to my above post now that I have actually got my blood pressure up to dangerous and I am going on about my pet hate topic of the moment.
it is the unreliable and poor quality of the industry materials that is making me do a five year getout plan from a job I love.It is this problem with products that we as professionals do not have a control of but has such an impact on our reputations.
Especially after todays problem,I have had enough of it and I have realised that some wholesalers must think I am a right grumpy old "%&&*^%^ ard.(I am anyway but thats not the point)

Customers want cheap but moan when it breaks.You quote for a quality product and you are a cowboy and loose the quote. So time to plan for another job.

Anyway,moan moan moan gripe and moan again,
Wow that feels good!!!!
Regards
Antricgripemoan

I quite like Crompton- switch start.

I am not yet convinced by electronic ballasts and I would like somoeone to explain to me how much energy is saved by having a 5' tube on for 5 hours on a switch start compared to the same tube on an electronic ballast.

I have never been back to a standard switch start (I installed) where the choke failed, but I have replaced several electronic ballasts

I give the client the option of electronic ballasts or switch start when doing works- the choice is theirs, but I suggest they go for switch start if they want a quiet life

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baldelectrician.com

But not on starting eh - an office full of switchstarts operating on a bank of 20A gridswitches makes enough noise to drive the devil out -

If you want real data on operating current, ask your favourite supplier for his part L datasheets giving luminaire-lumens/ circuit-watt - you'd be suprised at just how much parasitic power a cheap wire wound ballast consumes compared to a quality HF ballast when balanced against equivalent lumen output (watch out for the difference in lamp wattage in the comparison though - T5 and T8 have different lamp wattages for roughly equivalent lumen output.

Regards

OMS

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Failure is always an option