I was at the in-laws for the weekend and my wife's brother asked if I would install a 2-tube florescent fixture in the basement for him. He apparently already picked up a "good" from HD.
Sounded easy until I took this piece of crap out of the box. I've used supply house Lithonia before and didn't think it was a bad brand, but this one was made as cheap as they possibly could. I guess that's what the retail market wants.
One of the tombstones was broken. they are held to the fixture shell (the shell was the thickness of a couple of thicknesses of tin foil) by 2 tiny plastic tits on the bottom of the tombstones. One tit was broken, so it would hold the tube in place. Another one was cracked and didn't stand the wiegt of the tube. I drilled a couple of small holes and tied them in place with a thin piece of wire and some silicone.
I managed to get the tubes to hold in, but only one tube would partial light. It had one of the cheapest ballast i have ever seen. Tiny in size and only 2-wires for the tubes. Both tubes are wired in series. I'm used to good quality, programmed start ballasts.
Swapping tubes with another set of new ones had the same result.
Needless to say the fixture went in the garbage and after a trip to the local supply house, he got his fixture installed and working. I drank his beer for the rest of the weekend.
It left me wondering why a brand like Lithonia would put their name on a piece of crap like this and how the Walmart mentality is driving manufacturers to make cheaper and cheaper product. Who really wins here?
Sounded easy until I took this piece of crap out of the box. I've used supply house Lithonia before and didn't think it was a bad brand, but this one was made as cheap as they possibly could. I guess that's what the retail market wants.
One of the tombstones was broken. they are held to the fixture shell (the shell was the thickness of a couple of thicknesses of tin foil) by 2 tiny plastic tits on the bottom of the tombstones. One tit was broken, so it would hold the tube in place. Another one was cracked and didn't stand the wiegt of the tube. I drilled a couple of small holes and tied them in place with a thin piece of wire and some silicone.
I managed to get the tubes to hold in, but only one tube would partial light. It had one of the cheapest ballast i have ever seen. Tiny in size and only 2-wires for the tubes. Both tubes are wired in series. I'm used to good quality, programmed start ballasts.
Swapping tubes with another set of new ones had the same result.
Needless to say the fixture went in the garbage and after a trip to the local supply house, he got his fixture installed and working. I drank his beer for the rest of the weekend.
It left me wondering why a brand like Lithonia would put their name on a piece of crap like this and how the Walmart mentality is driving manufacturers to make cheaper and cheaper product. Who really wins here?
