Am I missing something? Light price rant!

[mudblood]

Relevant:

You know lots of people have given their lifes for you to be able to post that stupid cartoon. Again, it's what makes us great and unique in the world. Free Speach is a gift paid for with the blood of many brave Americans. Enjoy your freedom.....................

 

[justvettn]

I'm as poor and cheap as the next guy but still managed to buy American LED lights.
The way I justify my purchase is, take the price of the crap brand and start adding value amounts that I would pay, if the light had; Lifetime warranty, more lumens/Watts, made in North America, name brand I can be proud of, better optics, includes wiring harness with plugs, mounting brackets, good support team behind the product, materials that won't corrode, flake or fall apart.

Usually when I put a small dollar amount for each bonus item, the quality LED starts looking like the better deal.

Then I go out and find it on SALE!

 

[mikehoncho88]

OK just to throw some fuel on the fire. From my research, Rigid lights are ASSEMBLED in the USA. Their website specifically states that. To me that means all the parts (optics, board, LED, Housing, etc.) are still probably made in China. They are also probably made in the same factory that makes parts for the cheap lights. To me that is the death blow, Why pay 13 times the price just for the honor of American hands doing the final assembly?

 

[justvettn]

They are not always 13 times more expensive, take for example the lights MIAMIRAPTA was referencing, they have a light that is comparable to the D2 for $99. I will assume $198 for the pair, you can buy the Duallys for the same price even less if you find it on sale. Now look at the bones values you don't get with the other light; Wiring harness, lifetime warranty, better optics and quality materials.

 

[MIAMIRAPTA]

They are not always 13 times more expensive, take for example the lights MIAMIRAPTA was referencing, they have a light that is comparable to the D2 for $99. I will assume $198 for the pair, you can buy the Duallys for the same price even less if you find it on sale. Now look at the bones values you don't get with the other light; Wiring harness, lifetime warranty, better optics and quality materials.

Was actually 90 for the pair =p

 

[WhatExit?]

You bought a Ford (American made) Raptor based on the F150 pickup truck:



Instead of buying a knockoff of the F150 pickup made in China (Jiangsu Kawei K1):

Note that it even has Raptor-like side vents

Would you have purchased the Jiangsu Kawei K1 to save thousands of dollars on your truck purchase?


Here's an article on the Chinese ripoff err knockoff - an interesting read (not sure if it's been posted on this forum before):
Chinese automaker blatantly copies Ford F-150 | Fox News

 

[mikehoncho88]

They are not always 13 times more expensive, take for example the lights MIAMIRAPTA was referencing, they have a light that is comparable to the D2 for $99. I will assume $198 for the pair, you can buy the Duallys for the same price even less if you find it on sale. Now look at the bones values you don't get with the other light; Wiring harness, lifetime warranty, better optics and quality materials.

My research on Ebay comparing new lights to new lights, 50" size bar, with the cheapest I could find came up with a price that was 87% less for a knockoff vs a Rigid. Apples to apples comparison. Ebay is generally the cheapest place to buy electronics, which is why i did my research there. You could probably find similar price gap on Amazon. I don't care to get into comparing new vs. used prices, etc.

We can argue over quality all day, but I've heard of way more defective name brand lights than I have heard of defective knock offs. Especially with the condensation issues. Guys on pirate have submerged the cheap bars in water for days at a time with no leaks. Just sayin'.

Also, no offense, but I'm gonna have to block you because of your avatar. It's not really work safe.

---------- Post added at 08:38 AM ---------- Previous post was at 08:32 AM ----------

...Would you have purchased the Jiangsu Kawei K1 to save thousands of dollars on your truck purchase?...

I'm glad you brought that up. I am curious how many would buy one if a knock off F150 (or Raptor) were available.

Let's just say similar features and quality, for around $7000 plus TTL. That would be around the same price gap. Strictly hypothetical, since there is a huge difference between selling a knock off lightbar vs. selling a knock off pickup truck.

 

[mudblood]

You bought a Ford (American made) Raptor based on the F150 pickup truck:



Instead of buying a knockoff of the F150 pickup made in China (Jiangsu Kawei K1):

Note that it even has Raptor-like side vents

Would you have purchased the Jiangsu Kawei K1 to save thousands of dollars on your truck purchase?


Here's an article on the Chinese ripoff err knockoff - an interesting read (not sure if it's been posted on this forum before):
Chinese automaker blatantly copies Ford F-150 | Fox News

Excellent point!!!
I know lots of FX4 owners think were stupid for buying a Raptor at so much more than the FX4 for "ALMOST" the same thing!!! You buy a 50 grand vehicle and put 50 dollar lights on it? Why not just buy an FX4 and save even more money and put 50 dollar lights on that? Same kind of logic........................

 

[Rickoo]

Comparing a Raptor to an FX4 is NOT the same as comparing American "assembled" lighting to Chinese. Not even close.

I have Chinese lights in my front bumper that I paid $90 for (that's ALL FOUR).

So far, they've worked perfectly. (okay, my fingers are crossed as I type this..lol)

But quite honestly, as a few have pointed out, I have read of many quality issues with the more expensive American "assembled" lights than the Chinese.

To be honest, if I depended on these lights everyday, I would be buying the highest quality lighting I could buy. Price would be no consideration. But for occasional off-roading in the dark and night driving on dark roads in unpopulated areas, these lights work great.

 

[starkall]

Some of these comparisons are way off base! Lol Bottom line is why spend $1500 on a light bar when you can risk spending $200-$300 to get the same product. If the china bar does what you need it to do then it makes perfect sense to go with the cheaper lights and put the money saved else where. An FX4 is not the same as a raptor. A china bar to an assembled American bar still using Chinese parts I'm sure is a far closer comparison. If my Chinese bar self destructs or fails then I guess I'm out $200 and you can say I told you so. But I'll risk. Check the tags on your clothes, I'm sure they're made in a foreign country. Better bust out the potato sacks.