Markup on high end lighting

[trilinearmipmap]

I am looking at new lights in the next several months, a 48" fixture which will likely turn out to be LED's (such as an AquaIllumination fixture) or else a high-end MH and T5 fixture (such as a Giesemann fixture). I am not interested in a used lighting fixture. I could be spending between two and three thousand on the lights.

For any consumer products over the $500.00 range I normally bargain or ask for a discount. For mass produced consumer items eg. buying a new TV or car it is simply a matter of asking for a good price and moving on if they won't meet the price I want.

With reefing equipment it is a little different, there are a small number of vendors, the customer base is smaller, the vendor often knows you personally, you want his business to succeed and you don't want to squeeze every penny out of him.

If anyone can give me some insight into the markup the dealer puts on this sort of item it would help me to negotiate a fair price. I am assuming the dealer pays around 65% of the list price on this equipment but this is just a guesstimate, can someone clarify this.

[OceanicCorals-Ian-]

Not sure if you really wanted a vendor's input here but I will say that for most lighting fixtures I would be very excited to see 35% margin built into the pricing.... Most high end items like lighting fixtures and controllers have very little markup... Most people fail to realize that inbound freight as well as custom brokerage fees take a big bite out of the profit on many items.

We are happy to match or beat any competitors pricing but there is a point to which it is not worth it anymore.

Ian
O.C.

[Joshua Jones]

+1

I'm going to have a new Vertex LED unit in my hands soon. Feel free to contact me if you're curious of my personal review. It's looking good so far though!

[trilinearmipmap]

+1

I'm going to have a new Vertex LED unit in my hands soon. Feel free to contact me if you're curious of my personal review. It's looking good so far though!

Looking at the specs of this unit:

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Lumina LED SR-Series

Specification and dimensions:

*Fixture’s width 12"( 300mm), available lengths 1’ (300mm), 2’ (600mm), 3’ (900mm), 4’ (1200mm), 5’ (1500mm) and 6’ (1800mm).
*Fixture’s height; side 1.25"(32mm) / middle 1.77"(45mm).
*Length of cord from fixture to wall plug; 3 meters.
*Body / Heat-sink made out of Anodized extruded Aluminum.
*End caps, split box and other plastic pieces made from PC.
* Clear Cover made out of super clear PC rated for up to 125 deg C.
*Phillips Luxeon Rebel LEDs, White 105 lm/W, Blue and Royal Blue.
*White LEDs at 7000Kelvin, Blue at 470nm, Royal Blue at 450nm.
*40W consumption per pad, 16LEDs per pad, 8White, 8Blue and 8Royal blue.
*Expected LEDs life time 60,000 hours at 125 degree core diode temperature (Per Manufacturer).
*One of the highest Lumen maintenance factor available; LM80.
*80W per foot (300mm) / 32 LEDs per foot (300mm) / 2 modules per foot (300mm).
*Available auxiliary modules for fine color tuning available in RED, Green, and UV.
*Available in 90 - 270 V / 50 - 60Hz.
* SilenX fans less than 14dBm noise. Automatic, Always ON and always OFF modes available.
*Supplied with Single row wire hanging Kit.
*Optional Mounting Kit available.
*Meanwell drivers 2 year warranty, certified, UL/ CSA /TUV/PSE/EMC/ETL/GS.
*CE, EMC and RoHs Certified.
*2 year manufacture warranty.
*Designed by Vertex Aquaristik “Made in Austria”.

Design and technique:

*Thermovap heat-sink design, sleek yet most efficient in heat dispersion technology.
*Wireless communication between LEDs & controller. Communication via; IEEE 811.15.4 Sensor Net.
*Air-shaft heat-exchange design for maximum heat extraction.
*Optics-free design provides maximum coverage and ample penetration.
*Does not promote irregular growth patterns in SPS corals, due to use of optics.
*Totally modular, all parts are changeable by disconnecting connections, no need for wiring.
*Easy to upgrade and repair due to modular design of the fixture.
*User-friendly operating program and menus.
*Could be networked to other fixtures.
*Only one cord exits the fixture irrelevant of fixture length.
* Orange / Black, back lid LCD Controller.
*Available PC software for expert mode accessed via V-link USB stick. Communication via; IEEE 811.15.4 Sensor Net via USB stick.

Operating Data:

*Diodes running at 750 mA, consuming 2.5W, running them below recommended threshold to increase life and decrease degradation factor by a great value.
*Fixture Wattage: (300mm: 80W), (600mm: 160W), (900mm : 240W), (1200mm : 320W), (1500mm : 400W), (1800mm: 480W).
*Diodes approximate core temperature: 105 deg C.
*SilenX fans: 1.08W / 24CFM.


Controllability:

*LCD controller capable of demo, custom and light studio for advance color composition.
*Fully controllable by LED color group, modules, auxiliary modules and programmed custom groups...
*Programmable, sunrise, sunset, midday scenarios…
*Total weather simulation; clouds, rainy day, lightning…
*Optional fan shut-off mode via controller.
*Expert color composition, Seamless setting implementation via V-link.
*Real-time color sampling, watch the light color composed live in front of your aquarium via V-link.
* Synaptic 29,5306 day moon cycle control via V-link.
*Multiple lighting scenario custom or preset available via V-link.
*Could be linked to Vertex Cerebra wirelessly for additional total network management.

Upgrade and upkeep:

*Energy transfer via piercing contacts into integrated cables, no wiring or soldering modules.
*All diodes & components in network “with each other”,” within each module”, “between modules” and “modules and the controller” wirelessly.
*Easy to upgrade or replace modules, due to total wireless communication and unique energy distribution, no wiring or soldering modules.
*Auxiliary Modules available in RED, GREEN and UV, to further fine compose your light-out as desired.

Special Features:

*Capable of growing any type of corals, irrelevant of how high their demand of light.
*Equivalent to high Kelvin 400W MH bulb on E-ballast.
*50% less energy consumption.
*No spotting effect on sand, only natural shimmer light.
*EMC certified, will not affect other electronics or devices in close proximity.
*Effortless upgradability.
*Super sleek modern design.

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It looks like it is using Luxeon Rebel LED's. Although I am not the LED expert, from what I have read the Cree LED's are the top choice right now. I would be interested to see how this unit stacks up against the Aquaillumination LED fixture.

I would be very interested in your views this lighting fixture, also if you can point me to any reviews on the web I would appreciate it.