Review of $15 Lights of America 8055SS 4' (2) T8 fixture

Laker · Jul 23, 2012

You get what you pay for, maybe a little less.
First one I got was dinged up and only one side worked. I returned it, and got another one, also in a sealed box. both sides worked but it too was dinged up and scratched. For $15 I'm not going back to the store for a third trip. It does the job (for now), and supposedly has low-temperature ballasts.
The metal is not stainless steel, but rather steel painted to look stainless and it chips pretty easily. "assembled in USA" or so the box says. It also says stainless steel. Bottom line:
Pros: it works, it's $15 and assembled in USA.
Cons: Crappy thin painted steel
Not Stainless
Arrived slightly damaged (twice)

Static-XJ · Jul 23, 2012

Laker said:
Not Stainless

How do you know?

Laker · Jul 23, 2012

does this look like Stainless? Please correct me if I'm wrong, but when I think of Stainless Steel, I think kitchen sink or fridge door... not painted, I don't know what.... There seems to be a little rust where the paint meets the metal.

Is there a definitive way to tell?

Ch3No2 · Jul 23, 2012

Magnet?...even tho some of the SS Alloys are magnetic but not many

Laker · Jul 23, 2012

a magnet sticks to the light fixture, as well as my SS fridge door, but not to my SS sink.....

Static-XJ · Jul 23, 2012

Laker said:
does this look like Stainless? Please correct me if I'm wrong, but when I think of Stainless Steel, I think kitchen sink or fridge door... not painted, I don't know what.... There seems to be a little rust where the paint meets the metal.

Is there a definitive way to tell?

Looks like blemish in the paint. Seems to me the reason for stainless in this case has more to do with corrosion resistance than with astetics. Stainless doesn't always get a bare finish.

Laker said:
a magnet sticks to the light fixture, as well as my SS fridge door, but not to my SS sink.....

Yep, magnet is not a reliable way to tell. Not all grades of stainless are non-magnetic.

Falcon67 · Jul 23, 2012

I have a couple of LoA units from Walmart - $10 here. But they lack the custom details of your unit.

FWIW - they have been working fine for a couple of years now.

JimVonBaden · Jul 23, 2012

I have four of them. They all worked fine and were undamaged. I got the white because they reflect light better!

Jim

FluxCore · Jul 24, 2012

Let's be honest here.....Stainless to US means non magnetic stainless steel...It means quality. It's misleading for any manufacturer to claim it's stainless when in fact it's not 'really'.

As far as painted, I'd expect any light fixture to be painted white due to it's preferred reflecting qualities, but I also expect the paint to stick properly and NOT peel or flake off.

What the OP is experiencing is nothing we haven't all seen recently....Our store shelves are flooded with inferior products that are over hyped and made to ever deminishing standards allowed by sold out government 'watch dogs' like our congress who themselves invest offshore and fail to regulate ALL imported products properly.

We here not only buy cheap imported stuff, we borrow the money to buy that junk from the very country that produces it, then we pay them interest too.

So stop crying about your cheap imported light fixture that you are stuck with.....Instead find some daylight to illuminate the path that got you in this situation and that same light will show you the way out.

If you want quality, demand it and be willing to pay for it or build it yourself or do without. When cheap imports sit on store shelves unsold, then things will change. When Americans speak with their wallets, folks will listen....Sometimes silence speaks loudest.

Our founding fathers carved this country out of stark wilderness in daylight and dreamed and crafted their tomorrow by candlelight.

Boycott all Asian imports and don't borrow money....don't vote for rich politicians...Roll your own smokes and brew your own beer.

Laker · Jul 24, 2012

^^^^ I agree with you to some extent. A guy on another forum has the tag line in his sig:
"Stop buying Chinese Rubbish, you do have a choice"
I think it should be changed to "while you still have a choice"

Not everyone is in the position to fabricate and wire a T8 fixture out of SS. Even if, where do you think the ballast and tubes and switch will come from? All weak links.

The paint on this fixture isn't painted white, but gray in order to look like SS.

Are there any U.S. manufacturers remaining who make quality T8 fixtures?
I gave this fixture a try because it was "assembled in America" and look what that got me.

Please re-read the OP. I am warning others (not crying) about my American made fixture.

The bar is being constantly lowered and will get to a point where the choices are used vintage, Chinese rubbish or nothing. I travel a lot for business and you need to look no further than the quality of experience on a domestic flight. We as a manufacturing country are spinning the drain. On the train from Philadelphia to New York, it is mostly abandoned factories along the tracks. The sign on the bridge in Trenton however still says "Trenton makes, the world takes"

btw, I do brew my own beer or buy local fresh microbrew. Any guy smart enough to get us out of this spiral is also too smart to stay out of politics, or has already sold his soul to the people/corps who put him there.

<end of rant>

Laker · Jul 24, 2012

Falcon67 said:
I have a couple of LoA units from Walmart - $10 here. But they lack the custom details of your unit. FWIW - they have been working fine for a couple of years now.

Good to hear.... Any cold temp. usage?

Gary S · Jul 24, 2012

FluxCore said:
Let's be honest here.....Stainless to US means non magnetic stainless steel...It means quality. It's misleading for any manufacturer to claim it's stainless when in fact it's not 'really'..

Not really. Look up the difference between T304 Stainless steel and T409 Stainless steel. T304 is a higher grade with more chromium added and is non-magnetic. T409 is a lower grade and is magnetic. There are many more kinds of stainless steel, but these two are some of the most commonly used ones.

FluxCore · Jul 24, 2012

JimVonBaden said:
This isn't the place for politics or lectures. It is for simple advice on lighting and electrical!

Jim

So you say.

EVERY chance is my chance to remind us who we are and where we came from and where we are headed when guys like the OP complain.....Rather than reject my statements as off topic, offer/debate.

He bought cheap imported ****....He is shocked and wants to share/beware us of same....I only threw a little light on subject.

Laker · Jul 24, 2012

FluxCore said:
....
He bought cheap imported ****....He is shocked and wants to share/beware us of same....I only threw a little light on subject.

What part of "assembled in America" are you not getting?

Derrickwade · Jul 24, 2012

That work bench looks like it belongs inside the house. Nice work.

Laker · Jul 24, 2012

Derrickwade said:
That work bench looks like it belongs inside the house. Nice work.

Thank you, I wish I could take credit for it. It was purchased at www.americanworkbench.com A(nother) Craftsman epic failure left me benchless for too long, but that story is for another day.

FluxCore · Jul 24, 2012

Gary S said:
Not really. Look up the difference between T304 Stainless steel and T409 Stainless steel. T304 is a higher grade with more chromium added and is non-magnetic. T409 is a lower grade and is magnetic. There are many more kinds of stainless steel, but these two are some of the most commonly used ones.

Oh, stop it!

Stainless means stainless to most here...no rust....non magnetic and non corrosive...no one here except perhaps you and a few others know those particulars nor should they be expected to when buying something touted as 'stainless'. I'm citing how we consumers need to be more educated and learn to avoid marketing hype and Asian goods that exploit our learned consumer habits.

It's good you volunteered your in depth knowledge about differing grades of stainless, but try to find that info on any product packaging in any big box store....All you will see is the words "stainless steel construction" and a super low price.

Wastedwagesracing · Jul 24, 2012

FluxCore said:
Oh, stop it!

Stainless means stainless to most here...no rust....non magnetic and non corrosive...no one here except perhaps you and a few others know those particulars nor should they be expected to when buying something touted as 'stainless'. I'm citing how we consumers need to be more educated and learn to avoid marketing hype and Asian goods that exploit our learned consumer habits.

It's good you volunteered your in depth knowledge about differing grades of stainless, but try to find that info on any product packaging in any big box store....All you will see is the words "stainless steel construction" and a super low price.

Yes please do stop it. I 100% agree with Gary S. I have built many ovens out of 409SS that are in the food industry.

FluxCore · Jul 24, 2012

Wastedwagesracing said:
Yes please do stop it. I 100% agree with Gary S. I have built many ovens out of 409SS that are in the food industry.

ok, I'll stop....I gotta work night shift...Ya'll enjoy

NWphotog · Jul 24, 2012

FluxCore said:
So you say.

EVERY chance is my chance to remind us who we are and where we came from and where we are headed when guys like the OP complain.....Rather than reject my statements as off topic, offer/debate.

He bought cheap imported ****....He is shocked and wants to share/beware us of same....I only threw a little light on subject.

Kool-Aid Drinker!!! :lol_hitti

JimVonBaden · Jul 24, 2012

FluxCore said:
So you say.

EVERY chance is my chance to remind us who we are and where we came from and where we are headed when guys like the OP complain.....Rather than reject my statements as off topic, offer/debate.

He bought cheap imported ****....He is shocked and wants to share/beware us of same....I only threw a little light on subject.

What sense would it make for me to debate you if I think you are off topic?

Jim

Falcon67 · Jul 24, 2012

Laker said:
Good to hear.... Any cold temp. usage?

No issues - work like the other electronic ballast lights. Here they are working with 6" of snow outside - they were the temps I used during construction.

BTW all - IIRC< 304 stainless is magnetic. Lots of stainless alloys are magnetic, so don't think that "stainless" automatically means "non magnetic". Usually 303 is not attracted. I'd have to look in the handbook to know more.

where2 · Jul 27, 2012

316L is non-magnetic. 304 will surface rust. I've grown up on salt-water, breathing salt air. I know what I'm asking for when I pay through the nose for bolts for my dock and screws for my hardie plank siding that are 316L. The caveat is, I only buy them once.

I found my LoA dual bulb fixtures on clearance a few years back.

pipsters · Jul 27, 2012

I bought these @ Home Depot for $20 a pop, so far so good. I really like them.

http://www.homedepot.com/h_d1/N-5yc...0051&relatedSearch=t8 shop light#.UBNgWaBm7Dc

Great low temp starting as well.

beelsr · Jul 28, 2012

pipsters said:
I bought these @ Home Depot for $20 a pop, so far so good. I really like them.

when did you buy them?

pipsters · Jul 28, 2012

beelsr said:
when did you buy them?

Back in March

BFBOB · Jul 29, 2012

Stainless...or not.
I bet if you forced the issue and demonstrated that they are in fact made of mild steel, I'll bet they'd weasel out by claiming it refers to the COLOR, not the alloy.

tojoski · Oct 22, 2012

Thanks for the warning, I just spotted these as well as the white ones at wally world over the weekend.

How are they in cold weather? I think I saw on one of the boxes they would start at -20F.

Shocker · Oct 23, 2012

I have the 10 dollar Lights of America units from Walmart. Work just fine. Startup in 30 degree weather without a problem.

Veefre · Dec 26, 2013

I purchased about ten of these light fixtures at Costco. I also recall the price at about $15, maybe lower with rebates.

I have used six of them and haven't found a dud yet. One was missing the extension for the pull chain, not a real biggie since for most of them I have either a wall switch or a motion detector.

They are rated to work at as low as -20F. It doesn't get that cold here, but they have worked fine at temps down to perhaps 20F. Which is good enough for me.

Unlike some LOA products, these take standard replacement tubes - 32 watt T8 - although I haven't had to replace any in the two-three years I've been using them.

As for the "stainless" label. Well, it's more of a stainless "look", similar to what some appliances are going to. Yes, LOA should have stated this on the packaging, but did anyone really expect high grade stainless steel on a $15 light fixture?

BTW, it's basically the nickel content that makes SS non-magnetic. However, there are some high end hardenable stainless tool steels that are also magnetic (think Wustof or Henkel chef's knives) so the magnetic nature is not necessarily a sign that the product is cheap. Because those tool steels are anything but inexpensive. Additionally, high quality stainless - like 18-10 flatware - can be magnetic because of the forming (or "working") process that is used to stamp the utensils.

Review of $15 Lights of America 8055SS 4' (2) T8 fixture

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