I HATE KNOCKOFF LIGHTING COMPANIES!

[JoeyD23]

Thats right, I hate them! They steal, cheat and LIE. Then opportunistic American's buy them in bulk and try to sell you on the fact that they are just as good as Rigid or Baja or Vision but just CHEAPER!

So ask yourself why are they cheaper?

Here's why!

• They have no R&D Department, they let the REAL companies do all of that!
• They don't have any engineers, and why should they?
• They don't EMPLOY anyone in the US, and they don't need to because they are in CHINA!
• They don't have any decent packaging, nope, you get it in the same box it came from China in!
• Manufacturing? Whats that, they just steal the molds you created and slap their name on it! Thank you Rigid!

Now I am not saying that every American that sells CHEAP knockoff LED lights is a bad person. I get it, they see an opportunity and they have a right to go after the money. BUT, thats as long as they are not breaking any laws by buying and selling stolen (AKA Patent Violating) products.

"But these lights are just as good as Rigid, they come from the same factory" - BULLSHIT! How do you know that you have the same drivers and diodes? Oh the guy from China told you that? hahhahahah Nice try dude! In case you don't know, not all drivers, chips, diodes, etc are created equally, and they sure aren't priced the same. Turn it on and its bright, sure, really bright! Great, but what happens when that reflector or light starts to fade early? When you color rendition goes ice blue or yellow? Oh you don't have a warranty? No one from technical support to call? Hmmmm oh well, at least its so cheap you don't mind throwing it in the trash and buying another one I guess? OR you could pony up and support American companies working hard to develop awesome, life time warrantied products!

Here is an email I got this morning that spawned this.. WORD FOR WORD:


Crazy led offroad light bar and work lamp are borned.
Pefect design
Competive price
Stable and SOLID quality
great performance
RIGID isn't uniqueness , NSSC BRAND---You deserve

HAHAHA Thats the title.. I attached a screen shot so you know I am not BSing you..

I see all kinds of thievery going on here including the CLAMPS that are a stolen design from AXIA ALLOYS..

I won't post the guys contact info, but he's from: Huadu District, Guangzhou City, Guangdong Province, China

So ask yourself, when you buy that cheap, but bright, knockoff light, is it really worth it??

 

[dkiewicz]

Does it come with Dim Sum? Ha! Ha!

Got ya' JD... Been trying to by 'merican for some time now, and it ain't easy. Yes the Chino chit is cheaper and there's a reason why, as you stated. Also, have you ever observed a rubber product from China? Handlebar grips, tires etc... are usually degraded so bad when they get to the states they're already falling apart. No silicone (must be what they use for filler in the cat food!) in them at all!

Hopefully the trend doesn't continue, and people start supporting their fellow 'merican and keep it here!

Good on ya'!

 

[the_owl]

3rd time Baja Designs buyer.
This new RZR has 8 Baja lights on it. I didnt spend 25k on a RZR to skimp and put cheap shit lights on it.

 

[BrArmor]

All I can say is, we have tried and tested MANY light manufacturers from US/China made to China made to %100 US made and if you are buying any lights and are looking for quality that can be backed, go with Baja Designs. There is no comparison! Some light bars they have will match the light of one that is double the size from another company. We have yet to see anyone come close to matching the Baja Designs Lights... that's a real, unbiased opinion...

What is your preferrance on lights?

 

[fishlips]

is it just lights or all china crap?

the stuff is here to stay look at everything you bought last month.

 

[megadesertdiesel]

It took me a while to save up for Rigid lights, but it was well worth it. I bought a 50" China light and the quality of materials and light output is poor compared to Rigid.

 

[sanduras]

it was my understanding that rigid is american assembled and thats it. all components are chinese. mabe i am wrong ,just what i was told.but, baja design is awesome and saving for one now, lol

 

[Sandman365]

Everyone wants Rigid or BD lights because they are badass. Unfortunately, not everyone wants to pay 300% more than a Totron bar. There is a huge gap in price, and there's a huge opportunity for someone to come in at a price point in the middle. I think people will pay a few hundred more than a Totron if they believe the value is there, just not $600 more to get the best. (Rigid and BD)

Anyone have a Sirius bar? Looks to be competitive to expensive lights, but at a reasonably affordable price. I have no experience or affiliation with them, just curious if they're legit. If they are, I think they will do well at that price.

Supposedly designed and engineered in Minnesota...made in China.

 

[JoeyD23]

I am sure everything that says Made In The USA has some overseas products involved, especially in the realm of electronics. Thats not the point. There are some GOOD products in China, but those are usually products that are OWNED by companies who OVERSEE and QC the products and actually OWN the plants.

Rigid employs over 100 US Citizens in Arizona and around the US. Not sure how many Baja Designs has but the beauty is if I want to I can go to their facility and walk in and talk to them.

Totron I know nothing about. How many people they employ here in the US, How much R&D they do on developing their own products, How many patents they have, how they perform their QC, etc etc etc..

You see, anyone can steal a design or product or go find cheaper inferior parts and claim it to be as good when we as avg consumers have no idea. But there is a reason they are that much cheaper, and it isn't because Rigid and BD's is that GREEDY.

 

[BrArmor]

How about a non-biased LED Light shootout? Prove the results and show the consumers what they are getting...

 

[JoeyD23]

The shoot outs have been done.. I think at that point you just start splitting C-Hairs.. All the top guys make great bars. OnX bars from BD's are without a doubt some of the nicest bars, the new QSeries lights from Rigid are GNARLY bright and robust, etc etc etc..

Rusty can tell you all about a light by reading its spec sheet. The reality is this.. All LED's seem really bright when they are new, but how well do they work and hold up after being in use for a couple of years??? Thats where I want to know I have a quality product with a warranty.

 

[Bumpers]

The shoot outs have been done.. I think at that point you just start splitting C-Hairs.. All the top guys make great bars. OnX bars from BD's are without a doubt some of the nicest bars, the new QSeries lights from Rigid are GNARLY bright and robust, etc etc etc..

Rusty can tell you all about a light by reading its spec sheet. The reality is this.. All LED's seem really bright when they are new, but how well do they work and hold up after being in use for a couple of years??? Thats where I want to know I have a quality product with a warranty.

Ive had many totron lights for a few years now and they quality of the product has been great and haven't had any issues and they sent replacement lights for the issues at hand.. supposedly a lifttime warrany at a 1/4 the price of the big guys.. I wish I could afford rigid products but I can outfit my whole rig with lights everywhere for what one mid size bar would cost from them and still have the warranty and awesome quality for the price.


I don't care for the knockoffs either and it gets much worse than the totron ppl but for the price its hard when you can hold two similr bars side by side and not visibly see a difference in light output ect. If it were a few hundred dollars more on a big bar I would gladly go with one of the big "assembled in the usa" companies but when they price is 4x as much and this is a hobby that I night ride maybe 10 hrs a year I don't see the value there

Not trying to be a ass about it.. Just giving my view of being the little man

 

[the stripping shop]

I am sure everything that says Made In The USA has some overseas products involved, especially in the realm of electronics. Thats not the point. There are some GOOD products in China, but those are usually products that are OWNED by companies who OVERSEE and QC the products and actually OWN the plants.

Rigid employs over 100 US Citizens in Arizona and around the US. Not sure how many Baja Designs has but the beauty is if I want to I can go to their facility and walk in and talk to them.

Totron I know nothing about. How many people they employ here in the US, How much R&D they do on developing their own products, How many patents they have, how they perform their QC, etc etc etc..

You see, anyone can steal a design or product or go find cheaper inferior parts and claim it to be as good when we as avg consumers have no idea. But there is a reason they are that much cheaper, and it isn't because Rigid and BD's is that GREEDY.

Don't forget about KC highlights there in az to i beleive that is were they manufacture.all i will say if you were at Kartec and you seen vision/rigid/baja designs for $1500 or more and the same light from some no name for $400-500 which one would the consumer get. Not the one joey or rusty would choose. Look at tv's they were out of control now a flat sceen is the only way to go and a good price. Pretty sure when led companys loose there contracts with gov the price will lower tremendouslly.

 

[desertwheeler]

Everyone wants Rigid or BD lights because they are badass. Unfortunately, not everyone wants to pay 300% more than a Totron bar. There is a huge gap in price, and there's a huge opportunity for someone to come in at a price point in the middle. I think people will pay a few hundred more than a Totron if they believe the value is there, just not $600 more to get the best. (Rigid and BD)

Anyone have a Sirius bar? Looks to be competitive to expensive lights, but at a reasonably affordable price. I have no experience or affiliation with them, just curious if they're legit. If they are, I think they will do well at that price.

Supposedly designed and engineered in Minnesota...made in China.

I bought a 30" Sirius bar and am very pleased with it, I think it has a better concentrated beam versus a totron bar. I'm not impressed with the totron stuff really I bought the Sirius because of Motoalliance being a us company and the claims of them actually building to their specs, otherwise I would have gone with BD squadrons. Baja's stuff is what I would love to have and will get some squadrons eventually they are all just pricey. After seeing them in person tho you get what you pay for!
It's obvious not all led bars are the same and as much as I'd love to buy all American as much as I try sometimes it's hard to justify the cost for what I do.

 

[BiggJim]

I get the same emails....I got one today from Totron I'll stick with Rigid's. If i have a problem I get the service I want.

 

[Rusty5150]

HAHA, this should get good. I am in the lighting business. I deal with this daily. Companies like Vision X and Rigid will contract with companies to build components to their specs. There engineers will inspect the parts to make sure they match the spec. When the parts don’t meet the spec the manufacture has to scrap those parts..... or they can build the lights and sell them. These units end up on the internet for cheap. There are many reason they will not pass the qc inspection. UV testing can expose a poor finish, turn the lenses yellow or breakdown the wire lead. People don’t realize how important color temperature is to light.

An example I use when talking with people about this. Two men exactly the same build but one smokes and does not train. The other runs every day and trains hard. Dress them the same, same hair style and shoes. Stage them at the starting line of a marathon. At this point you can’t see the difference between the two men. Around mile 1 the smoker will start to give up. Over the next 3 miles the smoker will give up or die trying. The two men left the line looking the same with the same specs but in the end it was the guy that built himself to perform in these conditions.<O

 

[deviant_illusion]

I love my Chinese light bar. If I didn't have a cheap option I would not have one and would still be running the red ring china HIDs that used to be popular.

This is a dumb argument IMO. Its like saying I hate all cheap photo editing software because they are all based off of and steal from photoshop! Everyone who needs to edit photos should buy professional software from adobe. That's bull shit Adobe makes software for the professional market just like the big name light companies make lights for the pro market. The big difference is companies like adobe see the market for the general consumer and offer light or discount products for them. So far I have yet to see an American light company offer a much lower price option that can compete with imported stuff.

 

[the_owl]

Some people love value, others like performance.
The two Squadron XLs I got with the oNX are almost as bright as my 30" stealth bar. "Bright" is to lights as "Loud" is to Hi-Fi.

 

[JoeyD23]

I love my Chinese light bar. If I didn't have a cheap option I would not have one and would still be running the red ring china HIDs that used to be popular.

This is a dumb argument IMO. Its like saying I hate all cheap photo editing software because they are all based off of and steal from photoshop! Everyone who needs to edit photos should buy professional software from adobe. That's bull shit Adobe makes software for the professional market just like the big name light companies make lights for the pro market. The big difference is companies like adobe see the market for the general consumer and offer light or discount products for them. So far I have yet to see an American light company offer a much lower price option that can compete with imported stuff.

You are missing the point...

The point is not about a company making a cheap and affordable light. The point is about a company/s that make products based off of STOLEN or COPIED technology, then sell them as just as good or better but CHEAPER!!

This argument is not dumb, this argument is about principal.

I get it, lots of cheap import lights out there. Hell I ran those Kragen HIDs back in the day. But as far as I know that wasn't some stolen or blatantly copied design!?

Rigid industries has invested hundreds of thousands, maybe millions into Off-Road Racing alone! They send support to races and off-road events all over the country. They staff technical support, they run quality control checks on the products you buy, they train staff, and most importantly do this in the USA creating JOBS!

Its more than a light, its supporting the cause! And I didn't post this just in support of Rigid. This is in support of all the legit lighting companies in the industry putting in hours and dollars to make better products for you and me. This is to defend them and point out the cheaters who are robbing their hard work and passing it off as a deal for all of us when in fact it comes at a cost to someone else.

 

[deviant_illusion]

You are missing the point...

The point is not about a company making a cheap and affordable light. The point is about a company/s that make products based off of STOLEN or COPIED technology, then sell them as just as good or better but CHEAPER!!

This argument is not dumb, this argument is about principal.

I get it, lots of cheap import lights out there. Hell I ran those Kragen HIDs back in the day. But as far as I know that wasn't some stolen or blatantly copied design!?

Rigid industries has invested hundreds of thousands, maybe millions into Off-Road Racing alone! They send support to races and off-road events all over the country. They staff technical support, they run quality control checks on the products you buy, they train staff, and most importantly do this in the USA creating JOBS!

Its more than a light, its supporting the cause! And I didn't post this just in support of Rigid. This is in support of all the legit lighting companies in the industry putting in hours and dollars to make better products for you and me. This is to defend them and point out the cheaters who are robbing their hard work and passing it off as a deal for all of us when in fact it comes at a cost to someone else.

I'm curious what your stances on pharmaceutical grade prescriptions? We have laws in place in the United States that after a certain period of time allows another company to literally steal The technology that somebody else spent the time and money researching designing advertising and working to place inside of a market and sell for pennies on the dollar. It's funny I've never heard anyone at the pharmaceutical line complaining about paying less for prescription because they stole the technology from another company.

Another thing to think about China does not use or respect our patent laws. I was talking recently with the CEO of a company I deal with at work and they have currently 14 open lawsuits about patent issues with China and they say that they have no plans of winning a single case.

I mean yeah I get it they're advertising their stuff is equal or better and that's just not the case. But it's becoming pretty clear that this is not a cut and dry case of you get what you pay for.

I mean I love Rigid as a company I love that they give back to the off-road community. and given the opportunity in my life I'm ever in the financial state where I can support them back I will happily do so. But bottom line is at the end of the day people like me are not a target customer for rigid. And they make that very clear with their pricing. We have on one end of the spectrum cheap Chinese lighting on the other end of the spectrum superhigh and professional quality lighting and until some current or new companies come in and fill some of the void we are going to be left with little option or in my case one option a Chinese lightbar or no lightbar