Members Echotraveler Posted June 6, 2008 Members Share Posted June 6, 2008 Hey guys, In the past few days ive been researching led pars, they seem to be expensive for my budget, after doing some google searches, i found a website that seemed interesting alibaba.com this place connects you to factories from the whole world, and i got few quotes on some par 64 with at least 4 dmx channels....and some guarantee...even tho its in china i can take the risk... right now i have a quote for 6 par 64 (177 10mm leds) for 628 usd shipped to my door.. i think its a sweeeett deal! any of you guys have experience with this...im just wondering if big names buy from them and resell. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members soundlight Posted June 6, 2008 Members Share Posted June 6, 2008 Have you taken in to account the import taxes or tariffs that could be imposed as the fixtures pass in to this country? The company that will sell you the fixtures is not accountable for these, but they've screwed over many a direct purchaser. This is why I don't buy from any of the direct from china ebay auctions - I'd like to get a bunch of those LED strips that are on ebay (I like the LED layout better than the colorstrips, and you can divide it in to 3 sections of LEDs to make a different color with each), but I know that there will be extra fees imposed other than the cost of the fixtures and shipping. The chinese company may not know about these charges, but you probably will get 'em if you get fixtures shipped direct. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Echotraveler Posted June 6, 2008 Author Members Share Posted June 6, 2008 Have you taken in to account the import taxes or tariffs that could be imposed as the fixtures pass in to this country? The company that will sell you the fixtures is not accountable for these, but they've screwed over many a direct purchaser. This is why I don't buy from any of the direct from china ebay auctions - I'd like to get a bunch of those LED strips that are on ebay (I like the LED layout better than the colorstrips, and you can divide it in to 3 sections of LEDs to make a different color with each), but I know that there will be extra fees imposed other than the cost of the fixtures and shipping. The chinese company may not know about these charges, but you probably will get 'em if you get fixtures shipped direct. yeah i asked about that, the price i got has in it: unit price 45.3 p/u250 shipping ups (not the exact figure)120 customs the 120 was included in both quotes i got. on quote had 2 lights, the other 3 the problem im having now, that might make me end the deal, is the electrical chord.....they carry 220 and 110 appliance..but the 110 has a stange plug....im telling them about it, so im waiting... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Rich4Once Posted June 6, 2008 Members Share Posted June 6, 2008 Good luck on that...I'll stick with buying from reputable dealers. The money saved would not account for the headaches earned. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members kevinnem Posted June 6, 2008 Members Share Posted June 6, 2008 Good luck on that...I'll stick with buying from reputable dealers. The money saved would not account for the headaches earned. That is the opinion I came to as well. they are throw out - buy new if they break. but on the plus side I am sure they "make your seniour company most good personally for you , with good judgement" Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members BillESC Posted June 7, 2008 Members Share Posted June 7, 2008 Having a warranty that doesn't cost $ 100.00 in shipping and six months turn-a-round time is important to me. Having a dealer you can call on the phone to arrange an advance replacement for an important gig is important to me. Does it cost more . . . Yes. But perhaps only in the short term. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members EA Systems Posted June 7, 2008 Members Share Posted June 7, 2008 That is the opinion I came to as well. they are throw out - buy new if they break. but on the plus side I am sure they "make your seniour company most good personally for you , with good judgement" Heheheh, thats a LOL, Kev. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Echotraveler Posted June 10, 2008 Author Members Share Posted June 10, 2008 heres an update: so the chinese factory didn't answer about the ac plug, and i didn't stop searching for good deals... you guys are right, it's better to pay 20 bucks more per unit, than a big risk buying thru unkown sources, and far away shipping distances... after much search i bought on evilbay 5 chauvet 200b's for 650 shipped...i think its the nicest deal around...120 p/u plush 10 shipping..... hope to get them next week.. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members vlad335 Posted June 11, 2008 Members Share Posted June 11, 2008 after much search i bought on evilbay 5 chauvet 200b's for 650 shipped...i think its the nicest deal around...120 p/u plush 10 shipping.....hope to get them next week.. I hope you do too. BTW. Was the seller's name Kavlagear? I ask cause a buddy of mine bought some Colorstrips from him over 2 weeks ago and has received nothing yet. I bought 2 things off of him as well and one order went without a hitch. the other one I received 2 busted Intimidators and had a helluva time getting it straightened out. Sometimes it doesn't pay to save a few bucks on Ebay. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Khazul Posted June 11, 2008 Members Share Posted June 11, 2008 Hmm - that doesnt sound so hot to me. Import taxes and shipping costs will add a bit, then only takes on of them to fail and you wil be well out of pocket. We get the same temptation over here in the UK with synths and many other items of equipment in that they are often so much cheaper in the states. But we get utterly screwed by customer on import duty, then there is shipping, and headaches gettting service and/or returning if there are any problems etc. Just aint worth it. [Edit - I just noticed where you are from, so I guess you are probably stuck with import duty, servicing issues and all the other foreign purchase risks, so in that case - I guess the answer is why not...] Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Nobody Told Me Posted June 11, 2008 Members Share Posted June 11, 2008 BTW. Was the seller's name Kavlagear? What kind of a song and dance did good ol' Kavlagear give you? He didn't ship my item for a week, claiming that there was a "family emergency". I thought it was odd that he didn't have time to ship anything, but had plenty of time to list new items during the same period. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members TerrapinStation Posted June 11, 2008 Members Share Posted June 11, 2008 Here I am, still waiting on my Colorstrips from Kavlgear. He really gave no story. After emailing him about 5 times, he finally replied and said they were shipped. He even gave a Fed Ex tracking number, which i thought was a bit weird since it said on his page he ships UPS Ground. Anyway, a few more days went by. I called Fed Ex, and they had no record of the tracking number! I even tried UPS, and got the same answer. So, another email went to him, and after a few days he replied and said he was out of his office until 6/9, and he would get everything straightened out then. Well, I still haven't heard anything. Yeah 'Nobody', I find it strange too that he's not in his office, yet he's listing new things each day. Whatever. I"m cancelling the order. I guess that's what you get for finding a 'deal'. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Jon Hiller Posted June 14, 2008 Members Share Posted June 14, 2008 www.jamstarlighting.com. They sell direct, you can buy their PAR64LED cans for 100 bucks each, shipped free. I just got 16 of them for a church install I did and they are working great so far. The only wierdness is the DMX input is female instead of male, so you may need a male-male cable to the first fixture. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members vlad335 Posted June 15, 2008 Members Share Posted June 15, 2008 www.jamstarlighting.com. They sell direct, you can buy their PAR64LED cans for 100 bucks each, shipped free. I just got 16 of them for a church install I did and they are working great so far. The only wierdness is the DMX input is female instead of male, so you may need a male-male cable to the first fixture. Interesting... I wonder how bright they are? I'm doing searches on these but can't find much. Mostly looking for pics of them in action. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Jon Hiller Posted June 15, 2008 Members Share Posted June 15, 2008 I can't really tell you how bright they are compared to something else, as I have never used them before this job. The church I was doing the install at asked me specifically for LED cans and I was actually going to use the PAR 64's from MBT but they were out of them and apparently are backordered on them until about July, and I couldn't wait that long, so in my search I stumbled on Jamstar. That said, the head of the music dept. at the local community college was in my shop a few days before I did the install and he took a couple of them out and was running them on color change mode in the shop, and he said he liked them better than the cans they have at the college, which are the American DJ PAR 64's. He also said that he thought they might just be a bit brighter, but he wasn't comparing them side by side, so it's hard for me to say. Personally I have no idea, and lighting really isn't my strong suit by any means, but the church is happy with them, so I'm happy with them. I will tell you this, they seem to have a good warranty and the Jamstar people were really nice folks to deal with. My only complaint is that it's hard to catch them when you call; you usually have to leave them a message and let them get back to you. They will call you back pretty shortly, though, if you leave a message. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members BillESC Posted June 15, 2008 Members Share Posted June 15, 2008 Do these fixtures have a U.L. or CE approval? Considering they have reversed the international convention on DMX 512, they may not be legal (covered by insurance) for installation of use in the U.S. Just something to consider. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Jon Hiller Posted June 16, 2008 Members Share Posted June 16, 2008 I don't recall if they had a UL or CE sticker on them or not, however, they didn't exactly reverse the entire DMX 512 convention by simply having the plugs backward, in my opinion. All the channel operation is the same as far as I can tell, and the lighting guy at the church was really impressed with them as well, and this guy used to do lighting for a small theater and has a bit of experience with DMX stuff, so I'm pretty confident it will be fine. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members tubetonez Posted June 26, 2008 Members Share Posted June 26, 2008 I don't recall if they had a UL or CE sticker on them or not, however, they didn't exactly reverse the entire DMX 512 convention by simply having the plugs backward, in my opinion. All the channel operation is the same as far as I can tell, and the lighting guy at the church was really impressed with them as well, and this guy used to do lighting for a small theater and has a bit of experience with DMX stuff, so I'm pretty confident it will be fine. Now it says on their site that the LED PAR64 PRO has been replaced by the PAR64 ELITE. I'm liking the low profile design, and looks like it has male & female DMX I/O: Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members B Money Posted June 26, 2008 Members Share Posted June 26, 2008 those Jamstar Elite lights look really good actually. I like the fact that they are MIA, and less than $100 each. The clear plastic lens is a nice addition, and i see that they also come with a frosted lens if you want to diffuse the light output. damn...i may need to reconsider my Colorstrip purchase now....arrrgh! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Zeromus-X Posted June 28, 2008 Members Share Posted June 28, 2008 Hey, those are pretty. Has anyone actually ordered one yet? If not, I'll probably take the plunge and try one. I like the fact that they have a mounting plate; I could screw that right into the top of our PA cabinets. Granted you could do that with pretty much any other light, too... but the fact that this comes with it and doesn't require a creative trip to Home Depot is a definite plus. Looks like they come in other colors, too. Hmm. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members vlad335 Posted June 28, 2008 Members Share Posted June 28, 2008 The Elites look interesting for sure but would rather have a traditional looking parcan for band lighting. Plus Jamstar hasn't answered a single email and when I called I have been hold everytime until I hung up. I think I'll pass. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Jon Hiller Posted June 28, 2008 Members Share Posted June 28, 2008 The older standard PAR 64's worked really well in the job I used them for. That new version looks really interesting..... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members brywool Posted June 28, 2008 Members Share Posted June 28, 2008 I hope you do too.BTW. Was the seller's name Kavlagear? I ask cause a buddy of mine bought some Colorstrips from him over 2 weeks ago and has received nothing yet. I bought 2 things off of him as well and one order went without a hitch. the other one I received 2 busted Intimidators and had a helluva time getting it straightened out.Sometimes it doesn't pay to save a few bucks on Ebay. Yeah, I was going to buy colorstrips from him and his feedback was pretty scary. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Jon Hiller Posted June 29, 2008 Members Share Posted June 29, 2008 The Elites look interesting for sure but would rather have a traditional looking parcan for band lighting. Plus Jamstar hasn't answered a single email and when I called I have been hold everytime until I hung up. I think I'll pass. I left them a message a couple times and they called me back within about 15 minutes each time. I was very happy with their customer service, other than I couldn't talk to someone instantly when I called, but it's getting to be that way with a LOT of audio and lighting companies...... That said, you're right about the newer version not looking traditional, and that may be a turn off for some people. The one thing that I DO wonder is that with the front of the can that much shorter if the can throws a wider than normal pattern for a PAR 64..... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Zeromus-X Posted June 30, 2008 Members Share Posted June 30, 2008 Has anyone ordered the Elite ones yet? If not I'm gonna go ahead and order one today, and I'll post pictures of it next to the Colorstrips. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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