Who Got Their Money’s Worth?

Price is and should be one of many things that are considered when deciding which lighting professional to be used on a project. Price however should not be the primary decision point. I thought it might be interesting to demonstrate the difference between higher end, admittedly more expensive lighting companies, and those who offer an “economy” lighting package. And I didn’t have to look too far for an example.

Here is a photo that I took this week in Horseshoe Bay, Texas. This is just one of 21 tree mounted fixtures which were installed with their GROUND stake still attached. These are also very cut-rate fixtures with very sub-standard LED lamps. Half of this system doesn’t even work - and it’s only a year old! The wire is stapled to the trees, and the trees are growing around the staples pinching the wire, causing breakage and short circuits. Some of the lights have a green color light, some have warm white and some are kind of blue. The connections are made with regular yellow wire nuts with no waterproofing whatsoever. This means that the wiring is now corroded and completely unusable. Sadly, this system is nothing but junk and needs to be completely replaced. I don’t know what this homeowner paid for this 41 fixture lighting system, but I would say that any price was way too much.


Now right across the street from this home is a project that NightScenes installed almost 5 years ago. In all of this time, we have had to replace one lamp. That’s it – just one. We have had to clean the lenses, and make adjustments for plant growth a couple of times a year (which was free to the client for the first three years), but other than that the system is still operating at 100% and still looks like it did when we installed it. It was designed with high quality integrated LED fixtures and LED lamps with consistent color light. All connections were made with waterproof connectors. Tree mounted fixtures were installed with a proper mounting bracket using stand-off bolts, and the wire was attached with stainless steel screws and nylon zip ties to insure that the trees would not be poisoned and would not grow around the wire. This system should be fully operational for about 20 years with very little additional maintenance.
I would venture to say that the NightScenes lighting system probably cost more than double of that other system, as a per fixture price. (I only use the per fixture price since the systems don’t have the same number of fixtures). But, the first system already has to be replaced after only one year. And it is not a pleasing visual experience considering its different shades of white lights, and some of the lights just flopping around in the trees. AND the wiring hazard could create other problems. AND the damage to the health of the trees can cause premature tree loss. Which lighting system would you be proud to show off to your friends and family?
Who do you think got the better deal – the greater VALUE -- on their outdoor lighting system?
Remember, you get what you pay for. You’re simply not going to get high quality and cheap in the same package.
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