Am I missing something? Light price rant!

Cleave said:

There's a reason you'll only see vision x, rigid, and Baja designs in the trophy truck pits of the Baja and other such races, and it's not because those companies gave the race teams the lights for free

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You really think Trophy Truck teams are paying for lights?
I'd be willing to bet there isn't a single TT team that's even remotely competitive paying for a single light on their truck.
I know that BJ get's 150K a year from Rigid, I believe he's the highest paid through them, but then again he's also working social media like no other racer does. I'd be willing to bet he brings in 3x's that a year in sales.

justvettn said:

I seen some Chinese cube lights advertised for $99 each with a 2 year warranty and members commenting wow what a great deal, when you can buy an american made dually with lifetime warranty and more Lumens for the same price. It makes no sense to me.

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The big difference between the 2 is that Rigid, Vision X or Baja Designs will still be around in a decade or more, the likeliness of that China supplier(American or not) to be around in 2 year's is very unlikely

mudblood said:

Sadly this discussion will never come to a consensus. Let's just say if you buy American you support the country you live in. If not .......... Well you have to look into the mirror each day.

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I could care less what I see in the mirror, I wanna see the best product for the $ regardless of where they came from. With that being said I own a dozen or so Rigid's and 1 China bar

^^I agree with all the above but to could care less about warranty or if the Chinese company is still around when I can buy 10 lights for the price of one. Seals the deal for me. Love this board for being honest and calling a spade a spade.

A.I.I.Raciing said:

You really think Trophy Truck teams are paying for lights?
I'd be willing to bet there isn't a single TT team that's even remotely competitive paying for a single light on their truck.
I know that BJ get's 150K a year from Rigid, I believe he's the highest paid through them, but then again he's also working social media like no other racer does. I'd be willing to bet he brings in 3x's that a year in sales.

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No, I said that getting them for free isn't the reason those are the only lights you'll see, the racers could have any lights they wanted for free, but you won't see anything but rigid, vision x, and Baja designs because the racers have to be able to trust the lights on their trucks with their lives

Most forms of racing I have ever heard of, the teams don't run parts they get for free. They run parts they are paid to run, or parts they buy themselves and use because it gives them a competitive advantage. In the latter case, they usually remove all labels and logos from the parts, because they don't give out free advertising. It's safe to say, that if the team is advertising the product on their truck, they are getting paid a substantial amount for that advertising. Either through a sponsorship contract, or contingency money. If you bought rigid lights, chances are you helped pay to put those lights on the truck.

Cleave said:

No, I said that getting them for free isn't the reason those are the only lights you'll see, the racers could have any lights they wanted for free, but you won't see anything but rigid, vision x, and Baja designs because the racers have to be able to trust the lights on their trucks with their lives

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Or because the other companies who charge less are not going to pay them. They keep costs down by not doing huge marketing deals. It costs big money to race and hardly anyone finances it all on thier own. You take the marketing/sponsership aspect out and I am sure they will find the happy medium between cost/reliability. Or they simply could not afford to race on their own.

By the way isn't rigid themselves been trying to sue aurora because they think it is the identical light? Also read Aurora was around before Rigid.

My opinion is each person should decide whats best for them. I prefer the less expensive option but no matter where it comes from buy it from a reliable american vendor. My hat goes of to those american vendors out there like m&r, bulldog and sidetracked that provide a similar product
To big name guys for a greatly reduced cost while providing their own warranty's in house. The parts all come from the same place. While I prefer not to pay someone 4-6 times as much to put it together I do like the idea of putting money into an american resellers pocket while also getting piece of mind it will also be repaired here if anything goes wrong. That is just me though. Everyone has the right situation for them.

Cleave said:

No, I said that getting them for free isn't the reason those are the only lights you'll see, the racers could have any lights they wanted for free, but you won't see anything but rigid, vision x, and Baja designs because the racers have to be able to trust the lights on their trucks with their lives

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mudblood said:

IT'S A FACT OF THE ECONOMY. They want to unionize McDonalds etc.. Now what do you think the Big Mac would cost in a year or two if all the fast food joints were union? 6 Bucks....10 Bucks?? Americans workers are under a higher cost of living than most overseas countries and of course they will have pay commeserate with that. Then there is considerably more quality control than in overseas locations, which cost $$. There are all the government rules and regulations, benefits (obamacare) liabilty insurance....................etc. etc. etc. Mo money and mo money...............and the sad part is Chinese stuff while being cheaper probably has more mark up than American stuff. When you buy American you ensure jobs and you ensure they stay here!! Look at it this way............it's the cost of keeping our country strong..........unless your a liberal. If that is the case..................move to China........PLEASE!

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it may be the price of keeping this country strong but I'm tired of people using that as an excuse. I've given the last 6 years of my life running all over the world for this country and all i have to show is barely scraping by. this country is all about capitalism so in the true nature of things, i will go with the lights i can afford.

skyscraper said:

Better send back the non-American parts on your truck!
Lol c'mon dude, don't be so obtuse

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Do I wish every part was made in the USA? Sure I do but being a strong believer in America is far from being obtuse. Sadly, some Americans don't feel that way. How many folks still put their hands over their heart during the anthem? Folks for some reason don't think it's "cool" any more to be a proud American. Some of us have put a lot on the line for this country in our lives and feel a strong attachment to it.

As for what you want to purchase.........it is up to you...........again that is what makes this country great. You can live here and enjoy all that freedom and yet not support it and no one will come to your home and lock you up for it. There are young men and women putting their lives on the line everyday just so you can do that!

Relevant:

I am all for buying items made in the USA but I always do a Google shopping search for better prices. Normal I can find better pricing that what are listed as a good deal or a group buy. If the prices are close then I always go with our vendors.

It seems to me as everyone sells for MSRP. Might get it for a little below with some "great deals". I guess if people are paying why should anyone offer better deals. Just make sure you shop around and know the prices when you buy.

If you choice to buy made in the USA then hats off to you. If you don't I don't have problems with you saving money for your retirement.

If I could afford rigid lighting, by all means I'd buy their product over anyone else's in a heartbeat. However I can't... but I did manage to find an alternative that offers a "limited lifetime" warranty for 1/3 the cost.

My largest concern is condensation building inside the light (as I live in an extremely humid climate). Even my buddy's brand new rigid 50 had to be replaced less than 2 weeks in.

I was skeptical of what a "limited lifetime" warranty encompassed but was assured by the vendor that water penetration, as well as anything short of bashing the sucker into a tree would be covered without question.

I'm testing the waters with a 20" Cree option I picked up for $180 and a set of reverse lights for $90. Came out to $280 shipped all together. I might also add that the reverse flush mounts are identical to a similar "discount" product that's available through other venues for twice the price with a warranty that's only good for a few years.

I'm sure I'll do a short write up in one of the "cheap led" threads when I get them sometime next week.