Philips CoralCare LED - Let the Testing Begin!

[esquare]

I just want to hear what the light does. Back and forth about it's price isn't going to change anything.

+1

 

[Lasse]

I just want to hear what the light does. Back and forth about it's price isn't going to change anything.

+1

 

[maroun.c]

Looking forward to see how the lights do in the test Dana. A very interesting unit for sure. To see one of the top lighting companies venturing into aquarium lighting is definitely a positive move for our hobby.

 

[AbjectMaelstroM]

I just want to hear what the light does. Back and forth about it's price isn't going to change anything.

Exactly. I know this is a forum for discussion and that's great, but it gets a little old when a new light comes out people come out of the wood-work, have no intention of getting the light, only stirring the pot with how expensive the light is and that it should X much vs Y much. We get it, the light isn't in everyone's price range and that's fine, no need to come in and announce it to everyone, just move on.

Happened in G5 threads, ReefFi thread, and now here.... There are probably others.

 

[Bpb]

$200 for the parts - ok. Maybe. Even if I gave you that, Did you forget all the other costs I listed? R&D, support, warranty, packaging and yes, marketing. Because if you don’t sell enough, no one gets the coral growth and shimmer. I only comment here because I used to think a lot like this until I had a much better view of all the moving parts - and how for technical products with real R&D needs, this market is incredibly small to support it. I applaud Philips and all the companies in our industry who keep pushing the technology forward. For those that can not afford the $750, $800, $900 tech, the beauty is that there are plenty of options up and down the “spectrum”.

I agree with your post 100%. And I fully understand all of those components. Makes complete sense. I don’t think I brought it up originally but my comment wasn’t intended to further derail the thread. I was just curious (genuinely!) what the high bay version of this light sells for (which I fully expected to be a good bit less). This is a smaller market, there is software and additional control elements to this product that are not present on the commercial general purpose lighting version which will add a significant amount. The PCB looks to be different as well. Warranty is 5 years on the high bay version as well (but they’re also not mounted over a box of saltwater).

I was mostly excited I found the version the coral care was tooled from. They have the gen1 version on there as well still.

I too am quite excited to see the kind of spectral, par, and spread readings these are capable of. Even if I’m not in the market I still enjoy learning about new products in the hobby. Same way I like reading into new calcium reactors, powerheads, and monitoring/control devices that come out

 

[Timmtom49]

How any would I need on 96x24x25 tank

 

[Lousybreed]

Not knocking a manufacturer or getting into a price gripe personally here, and I just don’t care because I’m happy with my lighting and not even in the market....but I wonder what Philips charges for the high bay tooled units the coral care lights are built from. Anyone in the commercial lighting business have any insight? I know they use these exact panels in schools, shopping centers, and other public places just without the rainbow of individual colors. I wonder if they’re charging anywhere close to $750 per unit for commercial general lighting use. Can’t find any local suppliers. But it appears to be the Gentle space Gen3 fixture they’re built from

Philips GentleSpace Gen3 | BY480 | Signify

GentleSpace gen3 provides a smart combination of versatile offer with high efficiency, connectivity options and reliability. It provides a wide variety of options in terms of optics, beam angles (from very narrow to wide) and lumen packages, each delivering on best-in-class quality of light for...

www.lighting.philips.com

Well done. We are halide dudes anyways....lol. But to your point, and it’s very valid, I would not expect to see them charging this much for the light. Most industrial and commercial LED lighting fall in the 200-400 dollar range that would fall under high bay lighting. I compare high bay lighting because they have the high luminous flux like our fixtures in the hobby.

 

[Lousybreed]

Looking forward to see how the lights do in the test Dana. A very interesting unit for sure. To see one of the top lighting companies venturing into aquarium lighting is definitely a positive move for our hobby.

Very true!!!

 

[ingchr1]

Well done. We are halide dudes anyways....lol. But to your point, and it’s very valid, I would not expect to see them charging this much for the light. Most industrial and commercial LED lighting fall in the 200-400 dollar range that would fall under high bay lighting. I compare high bay lighting because they have the high luminous flux like our fixtures in the hobby.

I don't think comparing price to industrial/commercial lighting is a valid comparison. They manufacture a whole lot more of them and sell at a lot higher quantities at a time. This alone will greatly reduce the cost.

The only valid comparison would be to other LED reef lights.

But that's not what this thread is about.

 

[Lousybreed]

I don't think comparing price to industrial/commercial lighting is a valid comparison. They manufacture a whole lot more of them and sell at a lot higher quantities at a time. This alone will greatly reduce the cost.

The only valid comparison would be to other LED reef lights.

But that's not what this thread is about.

You are right that this isn’t what this thread is about but I do disagree with your statement and working in manufacturing for 20 yrs is my basis for my opinion.

 

[Davy Jones]

Following! This may be the one that replaces my Hybrid fixtures

 

[Crustaceon]

$200 for the parts - ok. Maybe. Even if I gave you that, Did you forget all the other costs I listed? R&D, support, warranty, packaging and yes, marketing. Because if you don’t sell enough, no one gets the coral growth and shimmer. I only comment here because I used to think a lot like this until I had a much better view of all the moving parts - and how for technical products with real R&D needs, this market is incredibly small to support it. I applaud Philips and all the companies in our industry who keep pushing the technology forward. For those that can not afford the $750, $800, $900 tech, the beauty is that there are plenty of options up and down the “spectrum”.

As I see it, I’ll bet at one point even MH and T5 were at the same price point (inflation considered) as high-end leds are now. It’s kinda like new cars. They cost as much as they’re going to cost right off the bat and then depreciate the following year even if they never leave the lot. Part of this is due to other newer products coming out and also due to the marketing cost for the previous model hopefully being recouped and falling off which allows the price drop. When you buy a brand new f-150, you’re quite literally paying for the f-150 commercial you saw it in. I guess we can call the additional markup for that a “finders fee” because you may not have bought the truck if you hadn’t seen the commercial and ford provided a somewhat entertaining experience that you repay them for at the dealership.

 

[Crustaceon]

I just want to hear what the light does. Back and forth about it's price isn't going to change anything.

Honestly, same here. I’m waiting for an led fixture that performs like T5. The closer led gets the better and if we eventually get one that has the performance of t5 and the longevity of led, it’ll be a game changer. When I see led light reviews I’m looking for reasons why I should switch away from t5 and to the reviewed LED. Most of them seem to focus on tank aesthetics like swipey swipey on my tablet sliders, plus shimmer and good color blending which isn’t going to sway me to the dark side. Putting a premium price on a product certainly doesn’t encourage me to take a chance on a light that might not meet my expectations. It was mentioned that people pop into these threads complaining about high end stuff with no intention of buying them. I’m not one of those people. If in a year from now, this light is proven to be the shizzz, I the price will make sense because that value has been established. I see the carbondoser exactly the same way. $300 + for a C02 reg is crazy, but it has proven itself over time to be an awesome reg and has established value as a result.

 

[Timmtom49]

How is everyone defending the price and no one knows how much it is being sold for lol

 

[Eviega]

When can we expect the first reports, @Dana Riddle ?

 

[AbjectMaelstroM]

How is everyone defending the price and no one knows how much it is being sold for lol

They already said on their FB it's going to be the same price as their Gen 1s...~$750 US.

 

[traian_viola]

I heard that Terence from Neptun Systems has 4 Coral Care units over his tank and his corals grow incredibly well. Can't wait to see Dana's results. Thank you so much, Dana, for doing this. (I am also interested in these lights for my new build).

 

[Kyl]

I'm not sure how many, but yes @Terence has been running the Gen1 coralcares for what, 3~ish years?

 

[siggy]

Made in Hungary.

Making me Hungry

this market is incredibly small to support it. I applaud Philips and all the companies in our industry who keep pushing the technology forward.

Agreed, its nice to see a lighting behemoth not to mention tech behemoth invest in a niche market.
BTW $700 is nothing but the cost of one live sale

 

[Dana Riddle]

When can we expect the first reports, @Dana Riddle ?

I was going to take the weekend off, but couldn't wait and looked at default spectrum this morning. I have to get the charts done. Maybe tonight. Hope to real testing started Monday. Need some time off to avoid burnout.