I found the factory that makes ADJ and Chauvet Lights

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DJ Ricky B

DJ Extraordinaire
Mar 9, 2015
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Well, at least I think I have. All their lighting effect fixtures look EXACTLY THE SAME as ADJ and Chauvet light effects currently on sale.

Effect Lighting-SONA LIGHTING LTD. - (http://www.sonalighting.com/en/product-800870-91015.html)

That one looks just like the ADJ BOOM BOX FX2. I inquired to see what they would sell this at. ...I also see the Boom Box 1, and Chauvet FX5 among many other fixtures as well on their site.

Here is one that looks like current Chauvet Up Lights...I forget the Chauvet model name 4*18w 6 in 1 wireless wifi(IRC) remote battery up lighting_PRODUCTS_sharpy 7r,sharpy 5r,mini 7r,stage lighting,lasers,led moving head,grandma2,dmx controller_SONA LIGHTING LTD. - (http://www.sonalighting.com/en/product_detail-800870-1491773-91019.html)
 
Isnt this like a client saying “I’ve found a DJ who is just like you only cheaper”


...No because it seems many DJs have been ordering lights direct from China, and it is okay to do so in order to save money.

Comparing lights to lights are different than comparing DJs to DJs...At least that is the mind set here. A light is the same thing as the commercialized American Version minus perhaps Quality Control. ....Every DJ is "different" ... :)

I don't want to hear about "warranty" ...The 1 year warranty that ADJ or Chauvet offers is BS any way since you have to pay to ship the part to them and wait weeks on end for it to be returned, and it's RARE for lights to malfunction within 1 year. Usually they start to go after that 1 year is up. ...Also, I have read stories on forums of DJs contacting the Chinese manufacturer on a defective light, and they sent them a new working one at no cost. ...So the customer service on defective parts seems comporable to what ADJ or Chauvet would offer directly.

I of course have no experience ordering direct from China as of yet.
 
...No because it seems many DJs have been ordering lights direct from China, and it is okay to do so in order to save money.

Comparing lights to lights are different than comparing DJs to DJs...At least that is the mind set here. A light is the same thing as the commercialized American Version minus perhaps Quality Control. ....Every DJ is "different" ... :)

I don't want to hear about "warranty" ...The 1 year warranty that ADJ or Chauvet offers is BS any way since you have to pay to ship the part to them and wait weeks on end for it to be returned, and it's RARE for lights to malfunction within 1 year. Usually they start to go after that 1 year is up. ...Also, I have read stories on forums of DJs contacting the Chinese manufacturer on a defective light, and they sent them a new working one at no cost. ...So the customer service on defective parts seems comporable to what ADJ or Chauvet would offer directly.

I of course have no experience ordering direct from China as of yet.

So what would you save ordering direct?
 
So what would you save ordering direct?

I dunno yet. I sent them an inquiry this morning. Seeing as they are in China, I will give them until Tueday to respond.

I would assume that shipping is probably at least $35 and takes at least 10 days, and the light buying direct could be any where from $85 to maybe $125...Just guessing all together anywhere from $120 to $160 buying off brand from China.

I could get a ADJ BoomBox FX2 off of Ebay for $225.99 brand new...that is the cheapest I have seen a new one selling for. IDJNOW and Guitar Center have it for $234.99.

I will wait for their response. I am in no hurry to buy one. ...I just have a thought in my head to get rid of my smaller effect lights, and consolidate into that Boom Box unit as an all in 1 light show for most of the gigs that I book. If I sell an upgraded deluxe light show, I would bring the boom box unit along with a couple of mini moving heads, and a ADJ Starburst on a stand along with a few up lights. ...I only sold the upgraded show on a holiday party last December, and a mitzvah that I did in February recently. So 2 out of like the last 35 or so gigs have had the upgraded light show. For my basic show, I figure an all in one unit would be nice instead of different fixtures. Also, this Boombox unit has a bunch of different preset shows which I like as well. ...I will probably just buy the ADJ unit, but curious to see what the off brand from China would sell for.
 
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No email response from them as of yet. ...I did get a phone call from a 223 number and my phone said the number was from "MALI" ...Not sure if that was them trying to contact me, or if that was just some spam number out of the blue. BUT...there was no voice mail left.

...I have a quote back from a local retailer (Well, about 52 miles from me) that has the boom box fx2 in stock, and can sell to me with tax included for $205.64. He beats out lowest price on ebay by $20 after taxes ...That is if I drive down to buy that the store. He can't ship for that price. ...Seems very fair, so I might just support a local dealer on this one! I can swing down by the dealer on my way to a gig on the 27th.
 
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And that's where you have to decide as a purchaser whether it's worth it to try save money by buying direct vs buying from a local dealer if you have warranty issues.

For me, the initial purchase price savings don't always carry as much weight in the decision making process if the RMA or warranty procedures are such a hassle that I would just rather return the item to my local dealer, get an instant credit or replacement, and let them deal with the factory or distributor as opposed to trying to do so myself.
 
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In situations like those ebay factory direct sellers, you should always factor in the cost of buying an extra 2 or 3 of the item and then not even care about RMA if a couple of them crap out.

It's very tempting, especially how cheap the moving heads are being offered from these places. Anything with moving pieces though I would most definitely make sure I buy a couple of extras just to have for parts units. If the factory is good with little hassle when it comes to warranty or sending out replacement parts then that's great but again, just figure it out and include a couple of extra units in your total cost and don't even worry about RMA.
 
Chinese manufacturing is interesting. Lots of copying going on.The actual scale of this problem is truly mind-boggling. It is hard to tell who originated what anymore. At least if you buy from a reputable vendor, you have a shot at technical support and warranty service if ever needed. I can buy a pallet of 15" two-way powered speakers rated at 2KW for under $50/ea. I'm not going to though.
 
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Funny, you presume they are the manufacturer rather than a counterfeiter.
You have a lot to learn about China.

Are you saying he is wrong?

"In situations like those ebay factory direct sellers, you should always factor in the cost of buying an extra 2 or 3 of the item and then not even care about RMA if a couple of them crap out. "

NAH.... I have been buying lights from China for about 4 years now. I even admin a facebook page about buying chinese lights and we track what is bad and what is not. In all the lights I have bought and sold, I have had ONE arrive defective. It was immediately replaced. I have had to get parts for two others under warranty. No issues at all.

People like to give buying lights from china a bad name... it's just not like that, if you buy from the right place.
 
The thing about Chinese quality is that it varies greatly if it is not policed. Let's say the cost of a particular part goes up. The manufacturer simply replaces it with a cheaper one so he can hold his profit margin. Is the cheaper part good enough? No one really cares. Reputable brands have their own employees visit the manufacturers regularly to check for substitutions and end-runs around the QA checks. And... you better hope there isn't a model change coming soon. If so, they will often box up the prior rejects to fulfill the last few orders. Who cares? The new models are coming!

I don't know how many of the members here have actually visited Chinese factories. I have visited a handful. A few are quite impressive. Most are less so. Many still have dirt floors (or close to it) and they are building products for some well known brands. However, even in the impressive ones, I found the engineers knew little about what they were actually building.
 
People like to give buying lights from china a bad name... it's just not like that, if you buy from the right place.
I agree, however anything can happen even if it's not the manufacturers fault. You can accidentally drop the light or someone can kick it if it's being used as an on the floor uplight or the manufacturer can go out of business, so if you are making an initial bulk purchase, it just makes sense to factor in the cost of purchasing an additional couple of units.
 
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I don't know how many of the members here have actually visited Chinese factories. I have visited a handful. A few are quite impressive. Most are less so. Many still have dirt floors (or close to it) and they are building products for some well known brands. However, even in the impressive ones, I found the engineers knew little about what they were actually building.


That's simply not true. These chinese manufacturers are some of the same who are building for Chauvet, ADJ, etc... These companies would not allow "dirt floors", for one minute. Not sure when you visited but so much has changed in the last 4 years.

It's all about where you buy from. Most of us know where to buy and where not to buy.
 
That's simply not true. These chinese manufacturers are some of the same who are building for Chauvet, ADJ, etc... These companies would not allow "dirt floors", for one minute. Not sure when you visited but so much has changed in the last 4 years.

It's all about where you buy from. Most of us know where to buy and where not to buy.
Sawdust (Jonathan) has worked with many of the manufacturers out there and works for one now ... I believe he knows his shyte very well.
 
Thanks Steve. My last visit to China was less than a year ago when I was invited to represent the Audio Engineering Society and give a paper at a trade show (their equivalent to InfoComm). I had most previously been there doing factory visits just over a year before that. So, my anecdotal data is ~2 years old. Of course, several of my friends spend months per year at Chinese pro-audio factories and so I get a regular earful.

I have visited some of the biggest name contract manufacturers and smaller ones that just "specialized" in pro audio. I quoted "specialized" because there really is no specialty. It is all about who you know and not so much what you know. At one place I counted 6 competing brands of mixers being built on the same factory floor with varying degrees of quality checks based on what each brand demanded (and closely monitored).

I admit that I did not visit the lighting factories. I have no reason to believe they are of any better quality than the pro-audio factories. I have been to the US headquarters of some lighting companies though and was less than impressed by what I saw in their service departments. I can't imagine their contracted factories are MORE impressive.