Author Topic: Did AEL fixtures quality go down before they were discontinued?  (Read 275 times)
Lightingeye60
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Did AEL fixtures quality go down before they were discontinued? « on: October 13, 2026, 05:53:26 PM » Author: Lightingeye60
I’ve been noticing that AEL’s newer HID fixtures (especially their HPS models, I haven’t seen enough PSMH models to confirm) seem to have issues with the igniters in particular. That’s one thing I’ve noticed about newer AEL products. I notice that the newer AEL’s often show signs of igniter failure (dim flashing, not working, or working intermittently) earlier than the GE and Cooper fixtures from the same time. And, sometimes, the igniters fail when without the lamp cycling.

At this point, the newer AEL’s fixtures might be less reliable than Coopers. Cooper and GE fixtures seem to both have more better igniters then AEL’s. I’m not sure when this became an issue, but all of AEL’s newer fixtures seem to have problems with the igniter. I’ve seen several newer 2010s AEL cobra heads that stopped working. The ballasts may also be a weak point.

It seems that AEL became the lowest quality brand (even modern Coopers were probably more reliable), from purple LED street lights to poor quality igniters in HPS fixtures.
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BT25
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Re: Did AEL fixtures quality go down before they were discontinued? « Reply #1 on: October 14, 2026, 12:06:41 AM » Author: BT25
AEL had the best quality components and overall construction during the ITT years...
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icefoglights
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Re: Did AEL fixtures quality go down before they were discontinued? « Reply #2 on: October 14, 2026, 06:39:33 PM » Author: icefoglights
I've had T&B ignitors fail.
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Maxim
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Re: Did AEL fixtures quality go down before they were discontinued? « Reply #3 on: Today at 12:59:43 AM » Author: Maxim
I've had T&B ignitors fail as well. My early 2000s AEL Series 11 has absolutely zero issues, though...
And honestly, I think Cooper would have to take the cake for modern premature failures. They held out till the end, but the stuff they made in the later issues was GARBAGE.
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