# North West Lighting FX



## thelightguy87 (Jul 31, 2008)

Home Page

I'm looking for opinions and reviews of the NW Lighting FX Pass Spot 575 Riser
At just over $1300 Its just too good to be true. I'm almost afraid to buy one and see for myself. I've already talked to one person that loves them, but I need another opinion. I've read and reread the manuals, the gobos seem tacky, but its got a lot under the trunk but what quality. I've bought a few lights because they were cheap and well, they were cheap in every way. I don't want to make that mistake again.


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## TimMiller (Jul 31, 2008)

There is a company out of china (that will remain nameless, yet they do have name  that manufactuers all of this stuff that you see. Then they just buy the decals and stick their own name on it. You can check out a company called g-lights, you will notice the same thing. They all look like knockoff mac's.


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## gafftaper (Jul 31, 2008)

Well let's put it this way: 

Martin, HES, and VL are here


Elation is here

Chauvet is here

AMDJ is here




Hmm that's odd... I can't seem to find NW Lighting FX on the chart. 




Maybe down here...


no.


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## Tyler (Jul 31, 2008)

Don't waste your money on these generic brand POS lights. Spend a little more and get a name brand one. You'll be a lot happier in the long run. Check out the new Martin SmartMAC. It doesn't cost much more and if it craps out on you, there's plenty of places to get it fixed.


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## Kelite (Aug 1, 2008)

Not knocking a relatively little known private labeled fixture BUT.... 

Mike, you may find parts and service are easier to obtain with an instrument supported by local dealers.


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## Footer (Aug 1, 2008)

You know whats nice about those fixtures... they just happen to use the exact same profile as a mac2k.... oh and you open it up and it looks the same.... humm.... I wonder why..... 

maybe because it is a Mac2k with parts that are held together with super glue....

If your lighting a club and don't care if you lose a fixture, sure these will work. Not the most ethical thing to do, but they will work, and when the don't the cracked out people on the dance floor won't care. Don't do anything real with these, ever. I would be scared to even fly them, who knows what could fall off.


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## Tyler (Aug 1, 2008)

And be careful with "intelligent" lights because these knockoff brands can sometimes not be very intelligent. I did an install last month that included a couple knockoffs. It took 3 hours to try and make profiles only to find out that the problem was not mechanical or with my programming, but a software issue in the light. And do you really think the company they were bought from really cared about fixing them? Nope. I had to tell the client to scrap them.


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## derekleffew (Aug 1, 2008)

Hey, gafftaper, why don't you drive over to 
NW Lighting FX 
10803 Kent-Kangley Rd Ste 202
Kent, Washington 98030, 
and ask to tour their factory?

thelightguy87, you'd be better off purchasing ten year old Martin MAC500s for about the same price. A well-known moving light and production company recently came in and brought with them some Osiris brand fixtures. They seemed proud of them, until 2 out of 12 malfunctioned during the show, on national TV.

"If it sounds too good to be true..."


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## Footer (Aug 1, 2008)

derekleffew said:


> and ask to tour their factory?



Or their R&D Dept.


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## thelightguy87 (Aug 1, 2008)

point taken


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## Pie4Weebl (Aug 2, 2008)

At work the other day we got the massive neo-neon catalog, it was a blast to flip through and see all the different brands, just with out lables. They claim to be the oem makers for that gear and not making knockoffs, I wonder just how true that claim is....


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## soundlight (Aug 2, 2008)

Neo-Neon is the OEM for a huge amount of the stuff coming from China. From what I've heard, they do OEM for Elation, ADJ, and Chauvet.


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## JD (Aug 2, 2008)

soundlight said:


> Neo-Neon is the OEM for a huge amount of the stuff coming from China. From what I've heard, they do OEM for Elation, ADJ, and Chauvet.



They're the ones with the 100 watt LED. 

Even if they are doing OEM for Elation and Chauvet, the benefit to those companies is that they have ~reasonable~ tech support. When you buy direct it can be a nightmare if something goes wrong.

(Of course, there goes my American side again! I keep forgetting that over in China there really is only one manufacturer.)


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## gafftaper (Aug 3, 2008)

Bill recently posted about becoming a Neo Neon dealer. 

Bill do you know anything about them being OEM not knockoffs?


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## thelightguy87 (Aug 7, 2008)

I don't know if this is the manufacturer for NWFX, but I inquired as purely curiosity. Company is "Beyond Lighting", from China of course, here is their website. BEYOND INTERNATIONAL HOLDINGS LTD | GUANGZHOU FREEHOPE LIGHTING EQUIPMENTS FACTORY

They don't list prices there, but show pictures and descriptions of their equipment. I did notice somewhere something about an OEM. And they have CE, and Iso 9001, CCC, and various other certifications. I don't know if I would trust them still. There prices are WAY less than the NWFX and seem like the same fixtures. 

One of the reasons I would even think of getting equipment from these manufacturers is because, I don't tend to fly my equipment. My conventional lighting tends to go on DJ Lighting stands, I have additional stands for the scanners i own. (High End Trackspots and Trackspot 2's) So any moving head fixtures would go on the floor. I am slightly concerned about thhe software put into the fixtures, and cheap wiring that you might find. But frankly from what I've seen, the difference between these guys and AMDJ and Elation and Chauvet is, the distributors will service, or provide some support If in that situation, and who knows if they'll even cover it. I have enough connections that if I did get lights from the manufacturer, and I needed to work on them, I have people I could go to that would not only want to work on them because they are curious about the fixtures anyways, but like pulling these things apart.

I'm heavily contemplating buying 2 fixtures with a roadcase and see how they are. I also noticed that the LED Par 64's i bought are sold by them for half of what I paid. now add shipping and who knows how close it is, but I'm definetly interested in their LED fixtures.

I'm very weary about their consoles. The one they call Stone 2048, seems a hell of a lot like the Avolite Pearl. That alone makes me think this company is more about knockoffs than OEM.


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## gafftaper (Aug 8, 2008)

Hey Mike, I suggest you give "BillESC" a PM or better yet call him (you can find his phone number in his signature or on his profile page). Did you see this thread? He just became a Neo-Neon dealer. He also deals in I think Elation and Chauvet... anyway he would be a great person to talk to about the low priced moving light options and the pros and cons of Chinese products vs American brands that are made in China (possibly the same factory). He'll also give you a good price quote.


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## BillESC (Aug 8, 2008)

I'm just getting my feet wet with Irradiant (the direct Neo-Neon US distributor.)

The fixtures we have received so far have performed as advertised and have a quality feel to the construction. It is my understanding that Neo-Neon is an OEM for many of the offerings from US based distributors. Time spent on Neo-Neon's site bears this out as many of ADJ's, Chauvet's, MBT's, etc, fixtures, cases and controllers can be found.


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## bigdarkspot (Sep 4, 2008)

Funny story about NWLFX... I was driving home from my regular nightclub gig one night and was flagged down on the street to give a jump start to somebody. When I went to try to find my jumper cables in the trunk, he noticed the lighting paraphenalia in my trunk and asked me about lighting.... 
I ended up not being able to find my cables and couldn't give him a jump, but the guy whose car I almost jumped was the one-man shop known as NorthWest Lighting FX...
From what I gathered from him, he designs and has manufactured, their LED PAR Cans and Par upgrade kits, but the rest of the stuff, he buys from china...
His Luxeon LED Pars acutally got pretty good reviews compared to other low-end LED stuff (Chauvet and AMDJ)... still not a CB12 or PixelBlock, but good for a $200 fixture.


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## ldAndrew (Sep 20, 2008)

*Northwest Lighting*

Has anyone had experience with them? Are they a quality product for the money?

The website is linked below.
Thanks!!!!

Home Page


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## avkid (Sep 20, 2008)

*Re: Northwest Lighting*

Looks like any other cheap imported Chinese lighting.


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## icewolf08 (Sep 20, 2008)

*Re: Northwest Lighting*

I don't think American DJ even has 575w moving heads for that price. I wouldn't get involved with them if I were you. The fixtures look like knock offs of knock offs, and while the price looks really nice, at this point in time I would be very wary of any 575w moving head that costs under $4k. It might fall apart when you look at it!


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## DijiStudios (Sep 21, 2008)

Pie4Weebl said:


> At work the other day we got the massive neo-neon catalog, it was a blast to flip through and see all the different brands, just with out lables. They claim to be the oem makers for that gear and not making knockoffs, I wonder just how true that claim is....




Technically, by contract, the company I work for is supposed to be the master distributor for Neo-Neon for the entire United States. Neo-neon totally broke that contract after we ordered a few million dollars in their LED products and keep selling to companies like American DJ and Chauvet. 

Their products aren't that bad if you know which series to go with, but the majority of the stuff is crap. Luckily, we only purchased the 1-Watt LED fixtures and 3-Watt LED fixtures to sell as an OEM.

But yes, they do make stuff for American DJ, Chauvet, Robe, and other companies.


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## gafftaper (Sep 21, 2008)

*Re: Northwest Lighting*


ldAndrew said:


> Has anyone had experience with them? Are they a quality product for the money? The website is linked below.Thanks!!!!
> Home Page


I seriously doubt you are going to find anyone around here who has purchased from them. I live 20 miles from the address listed for the headquarters... from what I know about the area it wouldn't surprise me if that's somebody's apartment and they drop ship straight from China... I don't know that for sure, but it isn't exactly an industrial neighborhood. 


icewolf08 said:


> I don't think American DJ even has 575w moving heads for that price. I wouldn't get involved with them if I were you. The fixtures look like knock offs of knock offs, and while the price looks really nice, at this point in time I would be very wary of any 575w moving head that costs under $4k. It might fall apart when you look at it!



Alex is so right here. If you want a 575w moving head that you can really call a quality product you need to spend around $4k or more. If you are looking for a cheap product that has a reputation of being sort of low end DJ gear but isn't too bad for the money, and won't fall apart when you sneeze: you've got American DJ and Chauvet both have been the butt of more than a few jokes around here, but there is a market for low end gear and they sell a lot of it, so we probably shouldn't be laughing. Looks like the ADJ Accu Spot 575 runs about $2k. It's not a work horse but at least it has a dealer network, is a known product to repair guys, and is unlikely to catch fire when you plug it in. 

I also want to point out that even though none of us have purchased Neo-Neon gear around here, it still has some sort of reputation (we have a couple dealers on CB and we also know they are OEM for some ok products). Northwest lighting is a complete unknown. If you buy you are rolling the dice in the dark. It may be the greatest purchase you ever make or it may not work and you may not be able to even find someone who can fix it (how do you get parts for an unknown product from a tiny unknown Chinese company). Will they be in business next week? WAY too many questions for my comfort level.


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## DHSLXOP (Sep 21, 2008)

*Re: Northwest Lighting*


gafftaper said:


> I seriously doubt you are going to find anyone around here who has purchased from them. I live 20 miles from the address listed for the headquarters... from what I know about the area it wouldn't surprise me if that's somebody's apartment and they drop ship straight from China... I don't know that for sure, but it isn't exactly an industrial neighborhood.
> 
> 
> 
> ...



Actually - I have purchased from NW Lighting FX, and they actually have a decent product for that price range. While its no Martin or Vari-Lite (or any of the other major companies), with a relatively low budget and my want to learn how to use moving lights, they are actually pretty decent. Here's the only issue that I found, though, the company is (obviously) in the Northwest; I'm in South Florida - When I got my fixtures, they each had small defects from shipping. (one's color wheel is off a bit and on the other one, when I move the prism in, it sometimes gets stuck) But the guys at the company were great about trying to get them fixed: they sent me two new ones (that actually were worse, cause they sent them in the box, instead of the flight case), but now they have been trying to work with me to fix my lights. Though their very far from the best product on the market, they're still a decent light for low budgets.


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## gafftaper (Sep 22, 2008)

*Re: Northwest Lighting*


DHSLXOP said:


> Actually - I have purchased from NW Lighting FX, and they actually have a decent product for that price range. While its no Martin or Vari-Lite (or any of the other major companies), with a relatively low budget and my want to learn how to use moving lights, they are actually pretty decent. Here's the only issue that I found, though, the company is (obviously) in the Northwest; I'm in South Florida - When I got my fixtures, they each had small defects from shipping. (one's color wheel is off a bit and on the other one, when I move the prism in, it sometimes gets stuck) But the guys at the company were great about trying to get them fixed: they sent me two new ones (that actually were worse, cause they sent them in the box, instead of the flight case), but now they have been trying to work with me to fix my lights. Though their very far from the best product on the market, they're still a decent light for low budgets.



Well there you go... we found an actual customer! CB always amazes me. Sounds like he's getting some decent customer service help too. You still have the potential problem of it not lasting very long, or of the small company going out of business and not being able to get parts. But it's cheap and apparently works well enough to keep DHSLXOP happy. Anything at this low end of the market involves risks. Maybe it's worth the risk to you and maybe it's not.


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## Pie4Weebl (Sep 23, 2008)

*Re: Northwest Lighting*


icewolf08 said:


> I don't think American DJ even has 575w moving heads for that price. I wouldn't get involved with them if I were you. The fixtures look like knock offs of knock offs, and while the price looks really nice, at this point in time I would be very wary of any 575w moving head that costs under $4k. It might fall apart when you look at it!



I got my hands on a 575 neo-neon fixture and I was impressed, ton of punch in a really small package and a price to die for. The thing was smaller than most 250 watt fixtures out there and had a ton of features!


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## SHARYNF (Sep 23, 2008)

can you give us a link to the fixture you are working with?
thanks
Sharyn


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## Pie4Weebl (Sep 23, 2008)

SHARYNF said:


> can you give us a link to the fixture you are working with?
> thanks
> Sharyn



This guy here


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## gafftaper (Sep 23, 2008)

Hey Pie, I think there is a lot of interest in Neo-Neon. How about a review of your Neo-Neon 575 in anew thread and how much did it cost you?


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## thelightguy87 (Sep 25, 2008)

It's nice to know other people have not been too disappointed with low end lighting. I've been talking with a sales rep from Beyond Lighting, from china, I mentioned possibly making a purchase and was given much more detailed answers. They claim to have an R&D department. Also were pretty clear about different series of fixtures being of different quality. The fixtures that look like MAC knock offs are the ones that are significantly cheaper than others and she even told me they are of much less quality, both in construction and components. As soon as I save up enough I am buying 2 fixtures with lamps and a dual flight case. Price with shipping is $1800. It's a bit risky, but I'm gonna stop at 2 if I don't like them. I'll be sure to give a full review of them when I get them. I'm not worried about tech support. A friend of mine has been working on a variety of intelligent fixtures for years so he could do any repairs if needed. And this manufacturer has been around for a while so I'm not worried about them disappearing. I've got a few months before I will be buying these, but probably come january or so, I should have them for sure. For anyone interested I have a full catalog price quote from this company. I'm sure a few of you are curious, maybe not to buy, but to laugh at the prices.
Index of /china

The file labeled price quote is what I'm buying but there is one that is of everything they sell. This is "Beyond Lighting".


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## derekleffew (Sep 25, 2008)

thelightguy87 said:


> ...I've been talking with a sales rep from... They claim... she even told me...


No offense to anyone intended, and this is applicable to US-based manufacturers as well, but...
*
"How do you know when a manufacturer's representative is lying?"* 
"When his mouth is moving!"​
_Caveat emptor_, my friend. The best advice comes from unbiased users.


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## avkid (Sep 25, 2008)

derekleffew said:


> *
> "How do you know when a manufacturer's representative is lying?"*
> "When his mouth is moving!"​


Derek, play nice.


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## thelightguy87 (Sep 25, 2008)

Oh believe me I have every doubt until I see these things myself. I know I'm going out on a limb here, but hey, someone must have done that for Neo Neon and whatever other China OEM manufacturers too, right? I look at it as, it may seem cheap, but not cheap enough to forget about if it sucks, so i'd definetly regret it, but I think these lights will do everything I need them to do. Nothing more. I own several High End Trackspots and Trackspot 2's. When I want quality equipment I go to well known companies. When it comes to low end gear, i don't need to pay extra for a name when I can get the same thing without the name but half the price. What's the difference between buying direct from neo neon and AMDJ? Price, Name, Tech Support.


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## gafftaper (Sep 29, 2008)

thelightguy87 said:


> What's the difference between buying direct from neo neon and AMDJ? Price, Name, Tech Support.



To me the biggest difference is that AMDJ, Chauvet, and Elation are not going to be out of business tomorrow. You will be able to get parts for their products and find someone who repairs them. Since Neo-Neon is OEM for these manufacturers, it's a bit more of a risk, but if things go bad, you are likely to possibly be able to find parts and tech support for the equivalent Elation product. With these unknown companies. You've got none of that. If the product arrives DOA and the company closes down. You've got nothing. I'm all for taking risks now and then to save a few bucks, but to me there's a big difference between purchasing from an OEM and a complete unknown company. Mamma always said, "If it seems too good to be true it probably is". 

What is their Warranty I see no mention of it on the site? 

Are they UL listed? 

Did you notice the counter on their website only has 1421 hits currently? How many people have actually purchased their stuff if only 1400 have seen the website? 

Take a look at their "Heavy Duty C Clamp" for $7.99 


Is that a 1/4" bolt connecting it to the yoke? No thanks.


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## icewolf08 (Sep 29, 2008)

I completely agree with gaff here, and I also want to add. At a listed price of $877 for a profile moving head, it would cost more to fix the fixture the first time it broke than it would to just buy a new one (kinda like inkjet printers). Now sure, at some point with any fixture you will end up spending more to maintain it that you paid for it. You will eventually do this in lamps alone! Is a fixture really only worth 8 lamps? Even a source 4 is worth about 25 lamps.

Back to maintenance. What will it cost to get the fixture repaired when something breaks, and how long will it take? If you local shop isn't a dealer will they even touch the fixture? If you have to ship the fixture out for repair, the shipping alone will end up in the hundreds of dollars on top of the risk of further damage due to transport. Plus, what do you do when a fixture goes down in the middle of show? Who is going to help you out when there aren't any local place to get a loaner? With almost every fixture or piece of gear that I own I know that someone else in town has some, so if I ever have an issue I know that there are people I can ask for help or a rental or a loaner.


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## thelightguy87 (Oct 1, 2008)

I should mention that I'm not interested in buying from northwest lighting fx, but from Chinese manufacturer, Beyond Light. Which has been around for over 10 years. Yes they are UL listed, and they have a 1 year warranty.


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## gafftaper (Oct 2, 2008)

Does Beyond Light do OEM for any other companies?


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## thelightguy87 (Oct 2, 2008)

I did find mention to being an OEM, but didn't mention for what companies.


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## audereengineering (Oct 2, 2008)

Getting UL or any other "quality" approval process in China is normally an overnight process independent of the fact that some types of testing can not be done overnight with an infinite number of resources...

Both very good and very bad products are made in China but the "external" approval stamps just do not mean much at this point.


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## gafftaper (Oct 2, 2008)

If it's a TRUE UL rating then it should mean something. There are a lot of crazy ratings that the Chinese manufacturers come up with that don't mean anything. But a real UL rating... which you should be able to confirm with Underwriter's Labratories... is not something you can just do over night. 

There is a reason that some theater's insurance companies would revoke your insurance if they found you using something that wasn't UL approved.


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## audereengineering (Oct 2, 2008)

I have actually run major projects which were UL approved for a large high tek company.
My last UL required project had a budget for the UL safety testing/approval of approximately $250,000 in 1992 dollars.

UL is a "for profit" company...


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## thelightguy87 (Oct 3, 2008)

I am certain of seeing UL somewhere either on their site or in a quote i received, but these are the cerifications noted on the website.


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## gafftaper (Oct 3, 2008)

thelightguy87 said:


> I am certain of seeing UL somewhere either on their site or in a quote i received, but these are the cerifications noted on the website.



Those are not enough some places. I know I wouldn't be allowed to buy them on my college campus. Here all electronics must be UL listed. The campus is "self insured" and they have some pretty strict rules about things like that.


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## donfox (Oct 9, 2008)

Hello. I am the technical director of a performing arts center in WA state and I am here to say that NW Lighting FX has been great to work with. Yes, their lights are imported (as is nearly every other brand) and yes, as all mechanical/electrical equipment does, they sometimes have issues, but I have been to their warehouse on multiple occasions, have purchased many fixtures from them, and in one instance, on a show day when there was a problem with the light, they even DELIVERED a replacment, free - a 2 and 1/2 hour drive over a mountain pass, so I wouldn't have to be without a fixture for a show while the other was repaired. These lights are for those of us who don't have an unlimited budget but want something with a nice set of features. I was able to get 10 of the 575 watt PassSpot's (16 channel) and have been very satisfied with them - I would never have been able to afford Martins. Are they as good as a Martin - no. But they aren't pretending to be. They are an affordable, feature-rich fixture being sold buy a privately owned and operated company that cares about the growth of their business, their level of customer service, and their clients. The fixtures I bought from NW actually replaced 10 Chauvet Q-Spots that ALL had issues straight out of the box requiring me to ship them, immediately, at my own expense, back for repair - I was rarely able to get anyone from Chauvet on the phone, and wound up sending the entire order back in disgust. The Elation rep didn't even bother to return my call when I was shopping for replacements. I haven't had any of these problems with NW lights - and when I call - they either answer the phone immediately or call me back within a day. Remember, this is a small company with little overhead, and that price break shows up in the price you pay for the lights. So give them a chance. In my experience they are well worth your support! I gained a vendor I can trust to make it right when things go wrong. Chauvet, Elation, and American DJ certainly can't say that, and I can't afford to even try with High End or Martin... Thanks for listening.


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## JLA (Oct 13, 2008)

*Re: Northwest Lighting*

Hi Jeff Lord-Alge here, I own 8 of the Pass spot MSD 250 moving heads from NW Lighting & FX . I was quite sceptical at first . I am completely convinced now . I have done 100s of national acts using these units. Somtimes I have used them side by side with martin and elation products with nothing but praise from outside lighting directors. Our company is in a very small market where budgets are low and we are able to keep costs down by using these lower priced units. 
I have had nothing but great response from tech support and have been able to get parts promptly when ever needed. (I melted a case on one unit by placing it next to a heater ) . I have been using these units without incident for about 3 years now . At least 2 or 3 shows a week. Everything is in road cases and get set up from scratch for each show. These are very road worthy and have proven themselves over and over again. Check out my myspace link for some recent photos. I believe NW Lighting & FX will become a major player like Elation in the coming months and years . I recomend them very highly. There products are very reliable as is the service .
Cheers Jeff


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## Pie4Weebl (Oct 14, 2008)

what is with all the sudden new users all registering to sing the praises of this company... suspicious much?


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## HealingBear (Nov 20, 2008)

Hey victor, crusty much? Feeling a little paranoid?
Is the world out to get you.
I have NOT purchased any of these lights myself YET.
I have referred others to them and I have heard nothing but good yet.

I will note that folks who have used their stuff and posted love it(with the exception of the led kits, they had universally bad reviews for durability.

I will also note that there are a lot of crusty old hoots on here who have no clue what they are trash talking talking about and they haven't even contacted the company to ask for any info. 

This is just ignorant. 
If you have no clue please do not muddy the post with your uninformed ramblings. You are not helping.

Second I would like to say that I am going to buy 10 0f their scanners in a few weeks as I have been very impressed with their performance.
Bill has been very pleasant to deal with and his support is really great.
Did I mention that they do have year warranty and I have been told that they have "lot's of spare parts in bins" because they are "in this for the long haul"

Third I live in Asheville NC, I do not work for NW, so please don't get too paranoid Victor. 
I set up small venues and I program other rigs for people who don't know how. Sometimes I run lights, at smaller venues. 
I do not have the budget for expensive fixtures and if I bought them I would never be able to recoup the cost through rental.

That being said. If I pay $300 for a piece of crap that lasts me say a year past the warranty I am going to be very happy with all of the functions that I got for $300. Wen it breaks I am going to contact Bill and get a spare part for a bargain price.
I have faith that NW is still going to be here in a few years because the only competition they have IS AmericanDJ and Chauvet, both of which SUCK

I think it is about time someone with a touring rental background started a lighting company for us poor folk. 
Why not try to support them instead of ragging on them. As you oviously have never had ANY experience with them.

I really dislike ignorant haters who act they have a clue.


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## gafftaper (Nov 20, 2008)

Hey Bear,
Victor is a long time CB member who is well known, well liked, and who's opinions are trusted. You are the new guy who just walked into a new room and criticized everyone. 

NW lighting FX is a manufacturer with a completely unknown track record in the industry. Are they using quality manufacturing process and parts? Do they last long? Are they strong enough to survive touring? A year or two from now will they be there to support you if you need parts? What happens if they go out of business in 3 or 4 years and you want parts? We just don't know the answers to any of these questions. We do know they are selling Chinese made products... but that's about all we as an industry know. 

Victor was pointing out (and he's right) that only one well known CB member has used the product. Other than that a bunch of new people seem to be appearing out of nowhere to support the product... then never post again. That IS suspicious. I would hardly call it being paranoid, I would call that being wise to the ways of internet spam. 

Furthermore, I would say that this thread in general has been quite fair to NW FX. This company has no known track record. Are they good or bad? We don't know. We have pointed out over and over that it may be a great product but there is a large amount of risk involved in purchasing from them. If I buy AMDJ or Chauvet I'm not getting Martin quality but I know what I am getting and I know they will be around next year if I need parts. You on the other hand have been unfair to AMDJ and Chauvet by saying they "suck". 

Finally, you called a room full of pros with a combined hundreds of years of experience "Crusty" because they haven't immediately purchased and embraced an unknown product. There are probably a hundred new lighting companies that open each year... and probably 99 go out of business. Over time you learn that there is safety in numbers and it's better to not throw away $300 at all. It's better to save up $600 and buy something from a trusted manufacturer that you know will work for years to come. 

All this venom Bear and you haven't purchased the product but you are on a first name basis with the owner? That sounds suspicious to me. "Their LED's are universally reviewed as bad"... by WHO? Take a chill pill Bear. It may be a fine product but there's no reason to walk into a room and insult everyone at the party.


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## HealingBear (Nov 20, 2008)

I was not being venomous. What are you talking about? You guys are mean.
Oh, because I don't like trash talkers?

Just to turn it around on you :
Seeing as how I have never even heard of your forum before today, i am going to have to take your word for it that you are an indepentent "expert" and not a sales representative for some highend lighting manufactururer on the side. 

I was just pointing out, rightly I might add that none of you have had _any_ experience with these guys.
Not even to call them. 
If you did you wold know Bills' name because not only does he own the company he does most of the sales and tech. I guess I should feel bad for remembering the people who I deal with who treat me right. I guess this makes me bad. If this is suspicious to you then you are paranoid.

In the time that I have been buying stuff from NW 
Bill has beeen courtious professional and _overly_ helpful.

I have not bought any of their intelligent lights yet..... only because I have been saving to buy. I do know someopne who bought some of his scanners and they worked really well and had a lot of functions for the money. The bulbs suck, so I will replace them when I recieve them. The fixture are for rent so they see some abuse and have doen really well so far(2yrs and counting 2 shows a week more on a busy week) and the par cans hold up well. 

This company has been around for at least three years. That is how long I have been in contact with them. 

As far as the LED _kits_ go they have gotten a universally bad reception on ebay.(thats where I found them) 
This is not the same as "thier leds have been universaly reviewed as bad"
Thier cans are great, the kits had a power issue or dmx board or something.
I don't think they carry them any more.
Just the cans. And some old stuff on ebay.

As far as Chauvet and American dj go they do suck. 
My rig is entirly ADJ and Chauvet and I can tell you that thier customer service and quality control both suck. Period. Especially the newer stuff.

Yes NW uses a Chinese manufacturer but so does Chauvet and ADJ. 
THE SAME ONE. Guanzhou Longman. 
They manufacture almost everybodies lights there and if they don't they manufacture their parts and they are engineered and assemled somewhere else, 
like say.... Denmark.

Here is a link to another discussion forum talking about thier stuff
PSW Sound Reinforcement Forums: Lighting => problems with Northwest LED kit

I was not trying to be a jerk, I was jsut tryiong to get all these people, who may be experts in thier field, to give answers that are based on some kind of real world experience. With the subject at hand, which is North West lighting FX.
I was not trying to imply that these "experts" were not "experts in thier field". No where did I say that. that they did not even know that there is a warrantee on these products.

All that takes is reading thier site. Not hard. 
P.s. someone reffered to Robe as quality, FYI Guanzhou Longman manufactures thier equipment too.
I think you should "take a chill pill" and dig what I am saying here. 
I was not insulting every one in the room only the ones who are talking out thier @$$'s about this subject.


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## Pie4Weebl (Nov 21, 2008)

Alright, Healingbear has shown me the light, I'm going into work first thing tomorrow, telling them to sell off our VL3000's and fullsize MA to get on the NWLFX bandwagon!

I've done lighting on many levels. I've done gigs with 8 $100 leds, $100 scanners and no name dimmers on a $120 light board. On the other side I've done shows with VL3K's and DL2's on an MA and I've done different levels of all things in between, so don't go labeling me as some jaded "I only touch name brand gear guy." 

If I want low cost, decent quality gear, I will buy Irradiant/Neo-Neon gear as they are large enough that they won't go anywhere, and they are a great price. Why is there any incentive at all to buy lights from a one man operation? What does he do better than anyone else?

Why shouldn't I be suspicious of you, this is the only thread you have posted in. If that doesn't seem suspicious I have some dmx controlled rain covers you might be interested in.


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