Did something not recommended by the forum..

[instinct]

I bought some cheap chinese knock-off LED pars! It was a buy it now for $640, so I did $500 offer. I really did not think I was going to get them, but I did. I'm not expecting anything crazy, and don't expect the build quality to be exceptional, they look almost identical the Eternal Lighting Pucks. Let's see how many on dead on arrival. I know it's a gamble, and sending them back might cost and arm and a leg, but I decided to take the gamble.

http://www.ebay.com/itm/300458482845?ssPageName=STRK:MEWNX:IT&_trksid=p3984.m1497.l2649#ht_2109wt_1185

I'll give a review of them when I receive them, and I'll compare them to my Chauvet LED 200b pars.

[LiteTrix]

They'll probably be fine. I know several people who have bough cheap chinese know-offs of the Chauvet Color Splash Jr and used them as truss warmers and they've been going strong for years. I'm not really against the cheap chinese led stuff, its the chinese movers I'm not thrilled with. Let us know what you think when you get them!

[DJ M&M]

Knock off LED pars are the only knock offs Id ever buy, because there fairly easy to fix if you know a bit about electrical

[Sween]

Yeah, I bought chinese knockoffs of the pucks and they're fine.

[Tektonix]

Puck's arn't to bad, There's not much that can go wrong with them as apposed to a moving head.

[instinct]

Puck's arn't to bad, There's not much that can go wrong with them as apposed to a moving head.

Yeah, that's a big reason why I went with them. I'd never do a moving head. Hopefully they are somewhat efficient LEDs. I'll check with my Kill-A-Watt meter if they are putting out 90 watts.

[GaFFLe]

With a $150 shipping costs, you should have offered $350. THey're knockoffs of Chinese made lights... that's a double whammy for cheap. Good luck with the quality. You're stuck like Chuck if they don't work well.

[electricsmooth]

I bought a bunch of knock-off Blizzard pucks and they are identical to my real Blizzard pucks. Furthermore, they are completely compatible for DMXing.

[GaFFLe]

I bought a bunch of knock-off Blizzard pucks and they are identical to my real Blizzard pucks. Furthermore, they are completely compatible for DMXing.
That's a good thing.

[instinct]

With a $150 shipping costs, you should have offered $350. THey're knockoffs of Chinese made lights... that's a double whammy for cheap. Good luck with the quality. You're stuck like Chuck if they don't work well.

They were listed for $650, I offered $500. I still don't think it's a bad deal. Similar Blizzard/Eternal pucks are about $250-300 each. That's well under 50% of the name brand.

[CQE DJs]

Good luck..hope they work out well with no issues. When do you think they would be arriving?

[Synaxis]

Puck 3's are $150 now. For an extra $100, you could have gotten a warranty on all of them.

And maybe if you made a best offer, for around $130 a puck, you could have gotten Blizzard Pucks for the same price.

[instinct]

Puck 3's are $150 now. For an extra $100, you could have gotten a warranty on all of them.

And maybe if you made a best offer, for around $130 a puck, you could have gotten Blizzard Pucks for the same price.

The puck 3's use 3-Watt Leds, the ones I got have the 10-Watt Leds, plus it has Amber.

Not sure, when it will get here, but it usually doesn't take TOO long to get stuff from China, usually have it in 2 weeks or so. It probably helps I live very close to the Long Beach Port. EDIT: Just checked, it says delivery between 2-23 and 2-28.

[Synaxis]

The puck 3's use 3-Watt Leds, the ones I got have the 10-Watt Leds, plus it has Amber.

I stand corrected.

[instinct]

I stand corrected.

No problem. :) When I read your post, I kind of panicked and google'd the Puck3. They looked the same so I thought "Damn, I should have just purchased through Blizzard!", but then I read the specs.

[Synaxis]

No problem. :) When I read your post, I kind of panicked and google'd the Puck3. They looked the same so I thought "Damn, I should have just purchased through Blizzard!", but then I read the specs.

My mistake for not reading the specs either, lol. :banghead:

I just saw the picture and "assumed" they were Chinese Puck3's.

[instinct]

Still in China! This was the message they sent me today. We'll see how it goes.


"Hello Greg,

We decided to try by DHL this time because FEDEX don't have a good clearance ability.
I may send u a tracking no. this weekend or next Monday.
FEDEX returned us products . so we changed to use the fastest method of DHL .
If by FEDEX, 5-9days on the way,
I choose use by DHL fastest this time, 3-5dayas on the way.

Pls wait for my tracking no. .
If any questions, pls don't hesitate to contact us .
We are looking forward to serving your needs .

have a great day!
Rhea"

[instinct]

Was supposed to get them today from Fedex, but says this when I check tracking:


Mar 2, 2012 1:06 PM
Clearance delay - Import
ANCHORAGE, AK - "Description provided is insufficient to classify commodity."

[Incognito]

Was supposed to get them today from Fedex, but says this when I check tracking:


Mar 2, 2012 1:06 PM
Clearance delay - Import
ANCHORAGE, AK - "Description provided is insufficient to classify commodity."

Not sure what it's like where you're from but my local customs officers hold up items that come in from China for extended periods of times. I can track the delivery right on up until it makes it to the local post office where it is then held for anywhere from one to two weeks for some reason (taking longer for local delivery then it took for the item to be shipped from the other side of the world). I have ordered items from around the world but none get more scrutinized then what is shipped from China, my local bank also treats transaction from China differently then transactions from anywhere else in the world. I await your review on this item.

[instinct]

So just a quick update.. don't feel like writing an essay tonight, and there is more to come.

I received the pars today; I unpacked all of them and tested them out with the internal programs and DMX mode. 4 out of the 5 units were somewhat defective. 1 units blue LEDs would not light up, unless it was in "Test" mode, not DMX and not manually changing the color. The other 3 units that did not work each had one row of LEDs that did not work with a specific color. Each unit has 3 rows of 3 diodes, so one unit didn't light up blue on the bottom row, one unit didn't show red at the bottom row, and one unit did not show green in the middle row.

I would say that the total light output was somewhat disappointing, but I don't know if I would find that true even with the name brand units. I tested them with my Kill-A-Watt meter, I was getting about 85 watts, should be about 90 watts total (9 diodes x 10) so it was pretty close. I did not really get to test out the lights that much, it did seem brighter and had a wider beam spread than my Chauvet 200b par cans, but I was did not have time or the space today to check them out and really compare the difference.

Honestly, the LEDs pucks are still workable, and even with the problems aren't a bad by.. Not sure how noticeable the difference would be if you were using them for a wash or uplighting between the units.

I emailed the E-bay seller and told him of how it went, and I am waiting to hear back. I took some photos, I'll upload them later and perhaps some video.

[GaFFLe]

So just a quick update.. don't feel like writing an essay tonight, and there is more to come.

I received the pars today; I unpacked all of them and tested them out with the internal programs and DMX mode. 4 out of the 5 units were somewhat defective. 1 units blue LEDs would not light up, unless it was in "Test" mode, not DMX and not manually changing the color. The other 3 units that did not work each had one row of LEDs that did not work with a specific color. Each unit has 3 rows of 3 diodes, so one unit didn't light up blue on the bottom row, one unit didn't show red at the bottom row, and one unit did not show green in the middle row.

I would say that the total light output was somewhat disappointing, but I don't know if I would find that true even with the name brand units. I tested them with my Kill-A-Watt meter, I was getting about 85 watts, should be about 90 watts total (9 diodes x 10) so it was pretty close. I did not really get to test out the lights that much, it did seem brighter and had a wider beam spread than my Chauvet 200b par cans, but I was did not have time or the space today to check them out and really compare the difference.

Honestly, the LEDs pucks are still workable, and even with the problems aren't a bad by.. Not sure how noticeable the difference would be if you were using them for a wash or uplighting between the units.

I emailed the E-bay seller and told him of how it went, and I am waiting to hear back. I took some photos, I'll upload them later and perhaps some video.

I pretty much glean from this that buying direct from China is a no-go (the delays, the service, the return policies/difficulties, the quality, the resale value... a total crap shoot). I think my statement is especially true if you're on the fence about intricate lighting pieces like moving heads and such.

Thanx for posting this.

[instinct]

I pretty much glean from this that buying direct from China is a no-go (the delays, the service, the return policies/difficulties, the quality, the resale value... a total crap shoot). I think my statement is especially true if you're on the fence about intricate lighting pieces like moving heads and such.

Thanx for posting this.

I would never buy moving heads, or anything with moving parts really. The delays is not that big of deal to me, as I did not need them for a specific gig.


I have to give them credit for responding very quickly and being friendly. This was the reply I received:



"Hello friend,

I am really very very sorry for it .
Could you send me pictures or a video of the problem ? I am thinking the lights were sharply damaged during transportation .
Could you send to ********@hotmail.com ?

We will sure give you a good answer for the problem .
Pls don't leave negative feedback or don't open a dispute , pls trust us we will try our best to offer our service soon.


I wait for your pictures or video . thanks!"

[CQE DJs]

Decent customer service it seems like so far. Sucks that you are havign issues tho. Maybe they will send you a replacement 1 or 2 for free!
Good luck!

[ampnation]

Make sure they know that feedback/dispute filing will be left before deadline; state the deadline; encourage them to offer their fix prior to that deadline. Sounds like a new seller who needs to be kept on point.

[Synaxis]

Not sure what it's like where you're from but my local customs officers hold up items that come in from China for extended periods of times. I can track the delivery right on up until it makes it to the local post office where it is then held for anywhere from one to two weeks for some reason (taking longer for local delivery then it took for the item to be shipped from the other side of the world). I have ordered items from around the world but none get more scrutinized then what is shipped from China, my local bank also treats transaction from China differently then transactions from anywhere else in the world. I await your review on this item.

I saw a documentary on that once on the Science channel or something, but yes, the customs officers are very thorough with Chinese shipments, because the majority of counterfeit goods sold in the US are produced in China.

They even showed how they "hid" counterfeit name brand purses inside cheap regular looking purses. From the outside, you wouldn't see a difference, you'd just think it was an ordinary looking purse. Inside it, some counterfeit that would probably sell for $1000.


@Instinct, Sorry to hear about the trouble. Hope it gets resolved.

[instinct]

http://img215.imageshack.us/img215/2350/img20120309211611.jpg
Shot taken of 200B Par Can with all RGB on. Never noticed how blue it really looks until comparing it with the RGBA amber.


http://img708.imageshack.us/img708/6162/img20120309211622.jpg
Shot of new flat pars with all RGB on

http://img13.imageshack.us/img13/1494/img20120309211630.jpg
Shot of new flat pars with RGBA on

http://img848.imageshack.us/img848/3097/img20120309211707.jpg
Red Chauvet 200b

http://img859.imageshack.us/img859/4751/img20120309211718.jpg
Red Unbranded New Flat Puck, also noticed that the red on these aren't quite as deep as my other pars. Probably a slightly lower wavelength.

http://img269.imageshack.us/img269/5834/img20120309211756.jpg
Green Chauvet 200b

http://img833.imageshack.us/img833/9449/img20120309211813.jpg
Green Unbranded Puck

http://img26.imageshack.us/img26/9260/img20120309211859.jpg
Blue Chauvet 200b

http://img29.imageshack.us/img29/2728/img20120309211910.jpg
Blue Unbranded Puck

http://img14.imageshack.us/img14/2985/img20120309211937.jpg
Lights side by side

I should have probably done a Yellow and Purple comparison as well, I can get a great orange color that was pretty much impossible with RGB.


As you can see, the Chauvet can was pointed a little more up... It was not as noticeable in real life as they are in the picture. I would say the new ones look significantly brighter, the color blending is better but not as good as i expected it to be. There are still some halos, but overall it's much better, and I can get a much better yellow than before.. Another defect I noticed is that the fans are REALLY close to the casing and when I put my finger over the case where the fan is, but skins get skimmed by the fan. When moving the pucks, I can hear the fans slighting touching the case.


Here is the video I took of the pucks not working:

http://vimeo.com/38266195


EDIT: Also, I should note, that the new flat pucks have a larger beam angle.

[SummitAudioDJ]

I bought tons of chinese RGB and PUCK3 lights directly from the factory but never from ebay. I had a few bad lights ( 4 out of 100) that had messed up display errors and they just sent me 4 new light with my next order. I woud think buying from ebay would be safer. Ebay seems to always favor the buyer in disputes or claims.

[instinct]

Ok, So I haven't been on the boards for a while and thought I would give an update.


I finally received the LED panel replacements a few months ago, and I installed all four them, and all of the lights are working perfectly. I should mention in the one puck that was working fine, the fuse had blown out, but the unit came with a spare fuse as well. I probably daisy chained to much power from it.

Honestly, it saved me a hell of lot of money, and was worth it in the end. The worst part was waiting for the lights to ship, usually, I get my stuff from China, pretty quickly, but this one took forever (probably because customs had them for a while). I am thinking about buying more of them..

[instinct]

Just an update.. All lights are working fine, but are pretty much useless in Stand-Alone and must be DMX.. I can not get them to stay one color.. They do it for about 30 seconds, and then start flashing through all the colors.

[instinct]

Another weird update..

These lights are such a pain in the ass, they actually are bright and work well, but they are so finicky.

3 out of 5 of my lights have switched the Green and the Blue mode.. Meaning, when I go to turn up the Blue all the way on DMX (Channel 3) it turns up the Green all of the way...

[Brandt Slater]

Just an update.. All lights are working fine, but are pretty much useless in Stand-Alone and must be DMX.. I can not get them to stay one color.. They do it for about 30 seconds, and then start flashing through all the colors.

That's funny. I have four knock offs which worked the opposite. Stand alone mode fine, dmx mode useless if you daisy chained.

[DjNeedleSharp]

Another weird update..

These lights are such a pain in the ass, they actually are bright and work well, but they are so finicky.

3 out of 5 of my lights have switched the Green and the Blue mode.. Meaning, when I go to turn up the Blue all the way on DMX (Channel 3) it turns up the Green all of the way...
Lol! That's kind of important!

[GaFFLe]

So in your honest opinion, would it have been better to go with a name brand equivalent (even though slightly less in wattage) or are you totally content with the money you saved on the direct-from-China units?

[DjNeedleSharp]

Coming from someone who buys off-brand gear occasionally, I just bought 20 legit Blizzard Q6As and am very happy. I had some issues with my direct from China experience and if you ever go to sell them... The resell value is TRASH.

On a side note, I just redid a clubs lighting and had to pull all 14 of their high powered LED pars (puck 3 knockoffs) because 1/3 were dead when I arrived and the owner said they were dropping like flies. I got $50 each for the working ones. I replaced their 9 working LED pars with 4 chauvet colorstrips. The result is a far underlit stage but even coverage. It cost the owner nothing since the old gear sold to payoff the colorstrips and he couldn't be happier that he now has gear that works!

I'd personally stick to the 9mm LEDs if you are buying from china. Less crap that can go wrong!

[instinct]

So in your honest opinion, would it have been better to go with a name brand equivalent (even though slightly less in wattage) or are you totally content with the money you saved on the direct-from-China units?

I probably would have rather bought a brand name. These things were so cheap though, I don't really regret buying them. I have used them for lighting up tall palm trees that my other pars could have never done, or washing an entire wall. If you had a party and just wanted bright flashing random colors without DMX, they are excellent.


Only thing is I can't manually adjust them in manual mode to get the perfect color.. There are like 8 colors I can choose from, but not every par gets the same colors and some will have repeat colors (ex. Red, Less Red, Red, dim blue, dim amber, bright cyan, medium-green) - I can't figure out how to change the colors in the color bank! It's like they are all random and I can't change them.