What's your fixture of choice?

[PCN]

Based on quality, price and reliability what is your commercial fixture of choice?
Specifically 2X4 troffers, parabolics, 2 lamp industrials w/reflectors.

[ItsHot]

Lithonia...even know the sheetmetal work is now junk! Careful, you'll cut a finger off!!:mad:

[ptrip]

I base my designs on Lithonia.

Most of the stock fixtures I'm looking to use are available, easy to navigate web site and attentive sales rep.

But ... I'm on the black and white end ... I'll be watching to see what the rest of you guys think. There's a big difference between the paper I see and the actual products that are installed!

[ultramegabob]

I have been using 3 lamp t-8 Simkar 2x4s, the metal is a little on the thin side, but I havent had any issues with them and they use decent ballasts.

[ultramegabob]

I couldnt remember which ballast they use at first, they use advance ballasts that work on either 120 or 277.

[nakulak]

I like all the new exciting chinese crap that owners are supplying on jobs.

[masterinbama]

I like all the new exciting chinese crap that owners are supplying on jobs.

The ones with the off sized screws and the horrible plating? The chrome plating on the old plastic radio knobs Ford had for a while lasted longer.

[PCN]

I like all the new exciting chinese crap that owners are supplying on jobs.

What else do we have for choices that's even remotely competitive in price? Isn't everything either made in China or Mexico?

If you had your pick and the spec was open what would it be?

I remember hearing about a manufacturer on Long Island NY but the name escapes me.

[nakulak]

as someone who would like to make money, I can't really fault large companies for moving their factories to a place where its going to make them a lot of money (?). So, as far as the big companies that have moved them, hopefully they have worked out some of their quality control issues (or will). I'm talking about ridiculously cheap knock off fixtures that come with 2nd rate parts (like pendants with plastic ferrules) that these people want to have installed in commercial locations where they are going to be taking some abuse. (stuff with manufacturer names you never heard of, etc) sorry - rant over lol

[ultramegabob]

What else do we have for choices that's even remotely competitive in price? Isn't everything either made in China or Mexico?



Simkar fixtures are made in the U.S.A. :) but the Advance ballast they use are made in Mexico. :mad:

[iwire]

Simkar fixtures are made in the U.S.A. :) but the Advance ballast they use are made in Mexico. :mad:


FWIW Advance has been taken over by Philips.

http://www.advance.philips.com/

[tom baker]

I had a Wellworth fixture, 1.6 gpm flush, but I replaced it with a dual flush toilet, its worked really well. I got it at Costco of all places to buy a fixture.

For a luminaire, I just looked at a Beta LED wall pack and may spec that as it can do dual level output via a motion sensor for exterior lighting.

[norcal]

FWIW Advance has been taken over by Philips.

http://www.advance.philips.com/

North American Philips has owned Advance since at least the late 1970's.


I do not get too pushed out of shape about fixtures built in Mexico, but real cranky about anything built by the ChiComs, but it's hard to avoid Chinese goods, just look at most of the portable power tools currently on the market.:(

[steve66]

FWIW: Daybrite and Hubbell are other common brands (not sure if columbia is part of either of these.)

Steve

[goldstar]

I generally use and like the quality of Coronet (a company out of Paterson, NJ) http://www.coronetnj.com/. Not sure how they compare in price but if I had to guess based on this thread they're a few bucks more than the choices offered in the poll. The electrician that did the work for my church expansion project used Simkar 2 x 2's w/ electronic ballasts and u-bent T-8's. The clips that hold the lights in place are falling out. You get to change the bulbs out once and then the fixture starts to fall apart. Pulling the live ends out of the sockets is a lot of fun also.

Can't speak to the Lithonia brand but it's sold at Big Orange if that's any indication.

Just my 2 cents worth.:roll: