Lowes Fixture Issues

[Statjunk]

Hey guys,

I'm in the process of remodeling a house so I'm purchasing a lot of fixtures lately. I just want to throw a word of caution out there for fixtures at Lowes. The quality seems to be quite low and it seems they are stuffing the boxes with 2nds. I've had to take back well over half of them for blemishes and such and on a couple of occaisions I've just lived with the defects (I'm wore down).

More importantly, the fixtures in some cases are an installation nightmare. They come with non-universal mouting brackets. So basically if you box isn't alligned correctly it can't be mounted level without a special bracket. Lucky for me I'm anal and I mount everything square. However I've had to deal with some old fixture boxes that weren't. I had to drill holes through their mounting brackets to get it to work properly.

Very frustrating and I thought I'd throw it out there. If you can stomach the lack of selection buy fixtures from Home Depot.

Tom

 

[JWelectric]

Never had this problem with fixtures from either place.

 

[Sponsor]

 

[Alectrician]

Welcome to our world.

Mounting fixtures from ANYwhere is more difficult that it should be about 50% of the time. What should be a 5 or 10 minute job becomes an engineering and field manufacturing nightmare. What a waste of resources.

 

[Statjunk]

Add another fixture with blemishes. I've got more in gas returning these things that having bought premium. Though it is likely all made in China so I'd prorbably be doubly screwed.

Tom

 

[Statjunk]

Another fixture was missing the screws that hold it together.

Then add the fixture that had such a low tolerance for having the glass placed that I nearly returned it.

When I went back to Lowes to pick up the hardware for the fixture the new one was also missing the parts.

Tom

 

[Speedy Petey]

I've been saying this for YEARS. Big Box stores sell JUNK fixtures!

Problem is they ran Mom & Pop out of town by selling CRAP that is 1/4 the price of the REAL stuff. I used to work for Mom & Pop, I know!

I CAN'T STAND when folks have what I call the "walmart mentality" of "Well when it goes I'll just buy another".
What ever happened to the good old European mentality of buying quality and not having to replace it???

 

[frenchelectrican]

What ever happened to the good old European mentality of buying quality and not having to replace it???

Now that is very good word you put there and i do agree with ya!!

That why i am not crazy with big box store stuff they are nothing but pain in arse. the reason why i kinda shy away from them because there are quite few stuff is junk and they DONT last very long at all

just one perfect example it did click in my mind not too long ago today have service call to replace the coach light style luminaire and they were made in china and man,, the brass colour is gone look like very cheap materals on it and feel very fimsly with it. [ that luminaire was just replaced not a full year ago btw ]

replaced with very good one what i know i can used and slove that issue

Merci, Marc

 

[Statjunk]

Has anyone noticed that the fixtures that come with wire nuts have no metal inside the nut?

They are plastic inside and out. They don't grip the wire worth a crap.

I have approximately 5 more fixtures to buy and then I'm done. I just purchased 4 fixtures from www.lightinguniverse.com. They were higher end stuff and not one issue. The screws were top notch the nuts were excellent. The finish on the fixtures was perfect. Cost was higher though.

Tom

 

[Statjunk]

I had two more tonight.

One was a bathroom vanity fixture where the bulb socket wasn't centered and allow me to mount the glass cover. Tried to move it over by hand and it broke off.

Second was an outdoor light with motion sensor. The motion sensor doesn't work.

Doing everything twice sucks.

Tom

 

[Jimbo]

My comment on this issue is this: WE meaning all of us consumers in general, have created this monster. We bitch about those cheap chinese light fixtures, but MOST OF US, MOST OF THE TIME, if we go to a "real" store and a fixture like the one that is $29 at the box, is $129 we SCREAM..NO WAY am I paying that much. Results predictable.

I am guilty. Are You???

 

[Statjunk]

Jimbo,

I agree with you to an extent. The issue is I've gone to the higher end shops. They have some of the same stuff that Depot carries.

Yes we did create this monster.

Tom