Extreme Lights are SABS approved. Read more on why this matters

[Skylark]

So lets see Skylark, you have an issue with some local (your countrymen) guys trying to market (blow their own horn), improve their product (seek and get SABS approval) and develop a range that is as good as anything out their at a good price for cyclists (us) that love getting out and riding?

 

What is your point?

 

Extreme lights marketing tactics here on thehub are often pretty tacky, and often not very scientific, they pretend they are super big shot lighting wizards but they just sell rebranded products from china.

They don't do SA manufacturing and I don't even think they engineer their own designs. Good for them but its just business.

 

You can order what they sell on eBay or Dx, same thing but without the hype.

Granted some people prefer to buy local for warranty/speed of delivery etc, there steps in Extreme Lights and their competitors to fill that gap in the market, just good old business 101.

[extremelights]

Will you have your lights at the argus expo?

 

Yes this year we will be there. Very excited about it.

 

Extreme lights, blowing your own horn is nice but don't trumpet to hard, its just in poor taste!!

and it brings out the trolls

 

Ja SABS approved doesn't mean a whole lot, doesn't stop Ellies from making crappy electrical stuff or defective plug points that they had to recall.

 

Also, being approved and super duper didn't stop Sony Li-ion battery packs from catching fire in some Apple products now did it.....

 

 

Ps. I have bought a good few Trustfire 18650 Li-ion cells from Dx and a few LED lights on the side, all perfrom perfectly!

We have come a long way from just importing from DX or Ebay.

 

If Apple and Sony had problems with highly controlled quality batteries can you imagine what risk there is with the cheapest of the cheap.

 

2 years ago a battery packed of one of our cycle lights when off in a client’s car. That event was a wakeup call for me.

 

There will always be people that are to ignorant to know what risk they take just to save a few bucks. They really can go and buy it somewhere else.

 

"Ja SABS approved doesn't mean a whole lot" In our case it means that the design should not put peoples life's at risk. It does not mean it needs to be the highest quality. If that does not mean much to you, well then that is your risk.

 

I has been such a battle to get the approval that I am very very proud of it and will let everyone know about it.

Edited February 17, 2014 by extremelights

[Skylark]

^^ With scaremongering and infomercial type marketing, classy.

Good Trustfire Li ion cells are not cheap or crap, there is lots of other crap out there though, same as any market segment.

Granted SABS approval is a nice feather to have in your hat and couldn't have been particularly easy but stick to the facts in relation to the product. SABS approval won't stop your Li ion cells catching in fire if one turns out to be defective, just like certification didn't save sony's cells in apples products.

Edited February 17, 2014 by Skylark

[BigToe]

 

 

What is your point?

 

Extreme lights marketing tactics here on thehub are often pretty tacky, and often not very scientific, they pretend they are super big shot lighting wizards but they just sell rebranded products from china.

They don't do SA manufacturing and I don't even think they engineer their own designs. Good for them but its just business.

 

You can order what they sell on eBay or Dx, same thing but without the hype.

Granted some people prefer to buy local for warranty/speed of delivery etc, there steps in Extreme Lights and their competitors to fill that gap in the market, just good old business 101.

and you be-grudge them why? Not everyone is a marketing genius with a slick (less tacky) campaign or has an uber PR agency to write press for them. Or has the funds to set up R&D facilities so they have to bring in product and improve it as they go. We need more people having a go at setting up businesses and providing a decent level of service. Nobody said you were getting the perfect product or marketing campaign, but to rain on their efforts, I'm not quite getting your animosity towards a bunch people trying to make a go of something...

[BogusOne]

Extremelights could you make sure that all the lights you bring in in the future does not have that annoying flashing mode? Really not a nice future on these lights.

[Skylark]

and you be-grudge them why? Not everyone is a marketing genius with a slick (less tacky) campaign or has an uber PR agency to write press for them. Or has the funds to set up R&D facilities so they have to bring in product and improve it as they go. We need more people having a go at setting up businesses and providing a decent level of service. Nobody said you were getting the perfect product or marketing campaign, but to rain on their efforts, I'm not quite getting your animosity towards a bunch people trying to make a go of something...

 

Talk about making a lake out of a puddle!

 

It's my opinion, I'm free to have one just as you are, I'm not begrudging anyone I'm speaking my mind.

 

They have a responsibility to listen to the feedback they get, or not, up to them.

And that's business, being a South African business has nothing to do with it.

 

It's not the first time extreme lights has gone down this path and they chose it again.

Like their awesome complaint previously about the very contentious issue of light output , they accused other light sellers of thumb sucking and inflating the light output of their lights. What do you know but extreme lights admitted they do the same thing, only in their minds it's fine because they are more "honest" with their calculations but still thumb sucking. Wasn't about honesty or integrity it was about marketing and trying to bad mouth their competitors. If you want to stoop to that level fine but go put that kind of stuff in your ads, not in threads on the forum.

 

Anyway extremelights appears to sell pretty decent stuff, why don't they trade off their good points rather than jumping into the gutter?

 

 

Edited February 18, 2014 by Skylark

[madbradd]

It's clear that extremelights view the sabs mark on their chargers as a conpetitive edge. This is no problem, and tbh kudos for getting it. But this is being advertised as a major advantage, and as a "compulsory standard" to adhere to. Great, so what is a compulsory standard? Well it's a South African National Standard (SANS XXXXX, not SABS XXXXX) which in this case has been adopted directly from the IEC (International Electrotechnical Commission) standard with the same number. The National Regulator stipulates that all equipment falling into that category be tested and certified to meet the minimum requirements of this standard.

 

Great, so everyone knows what it means now. So the standard quoted applies to IT Equipment. As far as I know, a bicycle light does not fall into this category. In fact there is no standard (IEC or SANS) for led luminaries because the technology is progressing faster than the standards committee. So break it down a bit further, Extremelights has said it is not the light, but the battery charger and battery that are certified.

 

The standard quoted by extremelights does not cover batteries, so therefore must apply to the charger which is in fact a DC supply much like the one for your ADSL modem or.... your cellphone charger.

 

Right, so we have ascertained that the standard must be quoted on the charger or power supply. Please have a look at your cellphone charger. Checked my Samsung one, no IEC or SANS number. My Apple one, no IEC or SANS number. My Belkin router, No SABS or IEC number. My PVR power supply, you guessed it - no IEC or SANS number. My Garmin charger - the only DC power supply / battery charger with and Standard referenced, and it is a UL standard (American SANS equivalent which is not recognised in South Africa).

 

So my question is: if there is a compulsory standard for this equipment as you have stated, how does Apple, Samsung, Belkin and Pace (Multichoice) all sell their products without the compulsory certification?

 

If anyone wants to see an example of what should be displayed on products falling into the compulsory standard categories, open your DB board and you will see IEC 60947-2 on each circuit breaker, ad this is the standard which circuit breakers must adhere to.

[Skylark]

So their SABS certification is on the charger only?

 

[madbradd]

From what I understand from their posts so far. They have quoted SANS 60950.

LED controlgear performance requirements (the driver) is 61347-2-13, and 62384. Batteries. Safety of lithium batteries is 60086-4 for primary batteries and 61960 for portable batteries and secondary lithium cells.

There exists no standard for LED chips, lenses or reflectors for portable lighting devices. So the only thing left is the charger.

Maybe I'm missing something that can be pointed out.

[GoLefty!!]

I'd like to know how this was tested at SABS since they don't have any testing facilities....

 

I chair SABS committees, I have a fairly good idea of what they're capable of.

Edited February 19, 2014 by GoLefty!!