Cost of LED lights ridiculous

LEDs are pretty cheap. How do these companies justify charging $300, $500, $700 for transom LEDs?
What am I missing?

Re: Cost of LED lights ridiculous

It's not the actual lights themselves. Look around on the net and you can find 6-light fixtures for $50. The price goes up because the cheap light that you just got for $50 leaks and blows because the housing is plastic and can't take the shock that a boat delivers. The expensive ($175-$300) come in aluminum housings with vacuformed backing plates which waterproof the wiring. The high dollar ($400-$700...which is too much) are using brass or stainless steel housings, threaded sealers, epoxy bondings, and a lifetime warranty.

There are also differences in the types of LED lighting, the power output, hour ratings, lens design (refracting/magnifying), scratch resistance coatings, plastic vs. glass, etc. The high dollar lighting also can be run through transformers, color changing, blinking, etc.

Sometimes you get what you pay for. Just depends on how badly you want it and what you can afford.

Re: Cost of LED lights ridiculous

There is a WIDE range of prices even here on iboats in the store from lower cost and UP. Whatever the market will support.

Re: Cost of LED lights ridiculous

Fireman431 said:

It's not the actual lights themselves. Look around on the net and you can find 6-light fixtures for $50. The price goes up because the cheap light that you just got for $50 leaks and blows because the housing is plastic and can't take the shock that a boat delivers. The expensive ($175-$300) come in aluminum housings with vacuformed backing plates which waterproof the wiring. The high dollar ($400-$700...which is too much) are using brass or stainless steel housings, threaded sealers, epoxy bondings, and a lifetime warranty.

There are also differences in the types of LED lighting, the power output, hour ratings, lens design (refracting/magnifying), scratch resistance coatings, plastic vs. glass, etc. The high dollar lighting also can be run through transformers, color changing, blinking, etc.

Sometimes you get what you pay for. Just depends on how badly you want it and what you can afford.

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Ditto.

Normal LED's only need a minimum forward bias operating voltage and a housing to protect them from moisture. Hi-Intensity LEDs need a driver circuit, heat sink, lens/reflectors, etc... The fact that they are also going to be installed in the transom jacks up the risk to the boat owner because of potential of leaks etc.

Re: Cost of LED lights ridiculous

Hogger said:

What am I missing?

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Why don't you just put your own together and save??????

Re: Cost of LED lights ridiculous

Don S said:

Why don't you just put your own together and save??????

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Back when I ran a scuba shop, I had a customer notorious for being cheap. He'd look at our offerings, grunt, and then say something about how he could make one cheaper.

He became interested in underwater photography, which is known for not being a poor man's game. We were dealers for Ikelite underwater camera housings which came configured for many of the most common 35 mm cameras available at the time. They weren't cheap.

Phil felt he could do better for cheaper. I didn't say a word. So he got some Plexiglas and other supplies and proceeded to build a housing. It was a miracle of engineering, I must say. It also leaked, as Phil discovered, with Phil's fine Nikon SLR camera inside. Or should I say "once fine Nikon camera" inside.

Blub blub blub.

You know, I expect it would have been cheaper to buy the Ikelite housing.

Re: Cost of LED lights ridiculous

Shop around for underwater LED's you can find them for a lot less. I installed ones from Oznium.com http://www.oznium.com/marine-led-light Cost me $17.99 each for three or more. I installed mine next to a tab zinc so I don't suffer the aluminum corrosion. For ones not near a zinc, I coated them with cold galvanize and then with dip it plastic coating. Total cost for 6 lights and stainless screws, shrink wrap, switches, paint, etc was about $125.00

Re: Cost of LED lights ridiculous

How do they look in water though?

Re: Cost of LED lights ridiculous

75TowerOfPower said:

How do they look in water though?

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Wet.


Sorry... couldn't help myself. I'll go to my room now.

Re: Cost of LED lights ridiculous

75TowerOfPower said:

How do they look in water though?

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^^ That, and what did you cover the wires with?

Re: Cost of LED lights ridiculous

I have the same ones, going to install them in a few weeks.

Steve

Re: Cost of LED lights ridiculous

There we go.
Thanks Doug. I'm going to try a pair of those Oznium's.

Looks like he covered the wires in shrink wrap tubing.


Jordan

Re: Cost of LED lights ridiculous

Why would you want wires running across your transom? That looks as bad as cable TV wires running along the wall of your house.

Re: Cost of LED lights ridiculous

What are these lights for anyway....maybe I'm and old f**t and don't understand?

Re: Cost of LED lights ridiculous

The lights give a nice accent to a boat. People use them for swimming at night, attracting fish, and attracting attention.
Personally, I think they rate pretty high on the cool factor.

Re: Cost of LED lights ridiculous

Hogger said:

The lights give a nice accent to a boat. People use them for swimming at night, attracting fish, and attracting attention.
Personally, I think they rate pretty high on the cool factor.

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I can't imagine having any more through hull penetrations than are absolutely necessary, especially below the waterline. That just seems like a really bad idea.

Re: Cost of LED lights ridiculous

What are these lights for anyway....maybe I'm and old f**t and don't understand?

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They're nice looking when you are skinny dipping with your lady.

Theres nothing like horny blue lighted water to get her in the mood.

Re: Cost of LED lights ridiculous

Those pics are perfect examples of the $$$ difference in LED's. The trim tabs lights are LED. The blue underwater lights are hi-intensity LED. Apples & Oranges.

I have blue underwater LED's and they look great...in pretty water. In the St. Johns where I am 1/2 the year, you can barely see them at night. In the ICW the other 1/2 of the year, they light up 10' behind the boat.

Now...the hi-intensity white ones I just installed look as bright as car headlights in any water. There is a difference between them.

Re: Cost of LED lights ridiculous

I covered the wires with shrink wrap as you guessed. As far as having wires across the transom... not a big deal. They are underwater and under the swim step. You can't see them unless you are in the water behind the boat. The two transom holes are above the waterline directly under the swim step (out of sight).

Apples and Oranges... sure... But mine are bright and next time I have the boat in the water, I'll take a few photos. Last time we had her in the water, I thought the Admiral took photos and she thought I took photos... So neither one of us took photos... duh!!! We had lots of fish swimming past and could see them from across the marina. They are fine for us... for the price, I am happy.

On the negative, I would suggest anyone that puts them underwater either place them near a zinc or grounds them or paints them. Theyy are housed in aluminum. I painted the ones on the ransom with "Dip It" tool dip before I installed them. I put some Vaseline on the led and sprayed them with three coats. Then wiped away the vaseline.

I dislike having holes under the water line. Especially with plastic lights cases that can easily be sheared off by any debris up in our waters in the PNW. We have lots of logs and dead heads up here.

BTW, we can have them on a strobe that controls them by remote that is good w/i 30 meters...

1. Built-In Auto Dimmer: Automatically cycles through from dim to bright (like a heartbeat) at the touch of a button
2. Choose between 1 to 8 levels of brightness (and pause on that brightness level)
3. 6 Strobe / Flash modes
4. Strobe mode has two output channels for a wig-wag effect