Author Topic: Do newer NEMA heads have lower quality?  (Read 1575 times)
Cole D.
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Do newer NEMA heads have lower quality? « on: March 28, 2020, 03:47:11 PM » Author: Cole D.
I've wondered about this. I bought an AEL 11 series NEMA last year from 07 and it just seems really lightweight and the casting just feels sharp and a bit cheaply made. Granted HPS ballasts are smaller than MV ballasts so the weight could just be in the ballast. But the fit and finish so to speak isn't as good as my 1987 GE NEMA. I've seen the older 1960s and 70s American Electric MV NEMA heads for sale and they look better quality.

So I'm thinking like a lot of things today's NEMA heads are just a bit cheap. Is the gear say, on a Cooper RMA NEMA or still considerably higher quality than a Lithonia or Cooper yard light sold at Lowes or Home Depot?

Honestly I'm not a big fan of yard blaster fixtures. There are some MH ones around here with the 12" refractor. I like those, and the older ones I see with yellowed 9" refractors. Other than that I really prefer to have fixtures that power companies would use.
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Metal Halide Boy
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Re: Do newer NEMA heads have lower quality? « Reply #1 on: March 29, 2020, 01:31:36 PM » Author: Metal Halide Boy
My only NEMA head is a 1960'S Westinghouse NEMA, And it feels better than a Regent yardblaster from the 90's and the Regent feels way better than a 2018 Brinks!
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Cole D.
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Re: Do newer NEMA heads have lower quality? « Reply #2 on: March 29, 2020, 01:46:39 PM » Author: Cole D.
That's not surprising at all to me. I wonder if you compared a new Cooper RMA to a new Cooper residential fixture, if it would be a lot better quality or about the same. I'd suspect the gear would be higher quality, but with the push to LED I have to wonder if HID is all being cheapened as much as possible.

Honestly even my 07 AEL NEMA reminds me a lot of a yard blaster. The hood casting just feels so thin compared to how a 60s or 70s unit appears to be.

One day I want to get an older MV NEMA for the collection just to see.
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M250R201SA
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Re: Do newer NEMA heads have lower quality? « Reply #3 on: March 29, 2020, 02:07:24 PM » Author: M250R201SA
Yes.

NEMA fixtures, actually, ALL HID fixtures have been using cheap parts as the push for LED has rendered HID obsolete, so the manufacturers don’t expect them to last very long, and expect that by the time the HID fixtures go bad, it will be time to replace with LED. 

GE is a fine example.  201SA fixtures built in the 1980s and 1990s USA have FAR outlasted those built in 2008.  Same goes with the M250s and M400s.  These fixtures used to last a couple of decades at least.  Now you’re lucky if they last through a lamp change.  I think I’ve narrowed the problem down to cheap ignitors.  So theoretically, you could buy a bag of ignitors on eBay, and then the fixtures might last you a good while. 
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Cole D.
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Re: Do newer NEMA heads have lower quality? « Reply #4 on: April 03, 2020, 09:02:35 PM » Author: Cole D.
Yes.

NEMA fixtures, actually, ALL HID fixtures have been using cheap parts as the push for LED has rendered HID obsolete, so the manufacturers don’t expect them to last very long, and expect that by the time the HID fixtures go bad, it will be time to replace with LED. 

GE is a fine example.  201SA fixtures built in the 1980s and 1990s USA have FAR outlasted those built in 2008.  Same goes with the M250s and M400s.  These fixtures used to last a couple of decades at least.  Now you’re lucky if they last through a lamp change.  I think I’ve narrowed the problem down to cheap ignitors.  So theoretically, you could buy a bag of ignitors on eBay, and then the fixtures might last you a good while. 

Yeah I thought of getting a newer 201SA in HPS but the quality makes me doubtful. I doubt too that many new HPS fixtures will stay long enough to ever get relamped, but who knows.
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Toiyabeshawn
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Re: Do newer NEMA heads have lower quality? « Reply #5 on: April 05, 2020, 12:10:46 PM » Author: Toiyabeshawn
The older fixtures are of course better built. I have a bunch of nemas from the 60’s-90’s. My 1960 factory built Joslyn 175 NEMA has a HUGE copper wound ballast, Porcelain PE control receptacle and is cast with enough aluminum to make the wheels for a new Hyundai! Lol, my newest NEMA is a cooper industries, has a dual slipfitter (1-1/4 to 2”) a nice oem ballast, nice porcelain socket and terminal block but the head is cast really thin and cheap. MOST of the China crap is....well...crap! My cooper NEMA is made in Mexico and is exactly like the USA made ones were, still uses the OLD Westinghouse PE control receptacle design.
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Cole D.
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Re: Do newer NEMA heads have lower quality? « Reply #6 on: April 05, 2020, 12:51:11 PM » Author: Cole D.
The older fixtures are of course better built. I have a bunch of nemas from the 60’s-90’s. My 1960 factory built Joslyn 175 NEMA has a HUGE copper wound ballast, Porcelain PE control receptacle and is cast with enough aluminum to make the wheels for a new Hyundai! Lol, my newest NEMA is a cooper industries, has a dual slipfitter (1-1/4 to 2”) a nice oem ballast, nice porcelain socket and terminal block but the head is cast really thin and cheap. MOST of the China crap is....well...crap! My cooper NEMA is made in Mexico and is exactly like the USA made ones were, still uses the OLD Westinghouse PE control receptacle design.

Nice. There are some of those Cooper RMA NEMAs on eBay right now, I wouldn't mind getting one. What I really want though are some old mercury NEMA heads: GE 101, Joslyn, Line Material, A/E, Westinghouse, etc. There was an American Electric one on eBay recently, a collector here have gotten it now.
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Re: Do newer NEMA heads have lower quality? « Reply #7 on: April 05, 2020, 02:29:44 PM » Author: Toiyabeshawn
Yes I saw the a/e disappear from eBay.  If you ever get one of those they are cool. The PE receptacle has a cool set screw to adjust the “north” direction and the head has “a/e” cast into it on the top of the slip fitter.
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