What's up with LED prices?

[slingshot]

Okay, crusty clam that I am, I have surfaced from parts unknown to ask a question.
I was thinking about getting a friend a dive light for xmas, and when I checked into the prices I was surprised to see how much they have risen in the past year or two. My C8eLED that I paid something like $75 for new is now going for $114 at online sites.
$99 for the LED module alone at other sites. Why the 1/3rd + increase in cost? Shouldn't LED prices be falling? These aren't cutting edge lights anymore...

 

[oly5050user]

Okay, crusty clam that I am, I have surfaced from parts unknown to ask a question.
I was thinking about getting a friend a dive light for xmas, and when I checked into the prices I was surprised to see how much they have risen in the past year or two. My C8eLED that I paid something like $75 for new is now going for $114 at online sites.
$99 for the LED module alone at other sites. Why the 1/3rd + increase in cost? Shouldn't LED prices be falling? These aren't cutting edge lights anymore...

Look at the price of gas/oil..everything is either made of it or transported by it.

 

[bperrybap]

Prices of many items not just scuba items have been volatile this year.
In the scuba pricing, I noticed that the prices for LED lights dropped over the summer and
then bumped back up again this fall. (The prices for UK products being the most volatile)

Wendy's eliminated most of their 99cent menu then came out with a $1.50 menu only
to bring back the 99 cent menu.

Here around Dallas, I noticed that some retailers (not scuba) bumped their prices just
before Christmas up to list price or in some cases even higher to take advantage
of late Christmas shoppers and the after Christmas returns/exchanges and gift cards.

I believe what is happening is that merchants margins are being squeezed
because of increased costs due to higher transportation & labor costs but more importantly
a declining US Dollar (which makes all the foreign imports or anything that
uses a foreign made part more expensive)
and they are are trying to raise prices but the economy can't sustain them.
They are simply trying to figure out how to sustain their margins.


On the LED lights specifically. Yes LED prices are falling quite dramatically.
And over the next 5 years or so, there will be some really dramatic cost reductions
in LED technology as entire nations ban the use of incandescent lights and switch
over to more LED based lights.

In the specific case of UK LED lights, I believe that the retail price increases isn't
totally related to increased product costs. There is a demand factor. Right now
many folks are switching over to LED lights, and they are willing to pay more for
them because of the perceived additional value over more traditional bulb lights.


--- bill

 

[slingshot]

Given the cost of the non-LED lights by UK are holding steady, whilst the LED module has hit $99, I figured there must have been a bump in the cost of the LEDs itself more than just a transport cost issue. There is lots more competition in the LED dive light market now, I thought that would help to cap costs, but perhaps it has upped demand and prices for the LEDs themselves?.

 

[redacted]

Look at the price of gas/oil..everything is either made of it or transported by it.

Do you mean it takes almost a half of a barrel of oil to make an LED? That is a bit far- fetched.

OTOH, if sales are still strong, maybe they still are not charging enough. I suspect the prices will seek a more sensable level when the faddyness wears off. BTW I converted a couple std 4-D lights to LED using Maglite LED bulbs. They work quite well in clearer waters and burn forever on a set of batteries. What they lose in power, they make up for with the cleaness of the light.

 

[Nismo]

There is the C8 LED and the C8 eLED Plus. The plus is being pushed more. It has a circuit built into it that regulates battery power. It runs the light at about 70-75% so that the batteries can maintain a certain brightness for a longer period of time instead of letting it start off at say 95% and it'll fall gradually. It works nice. Should keep the 75% output for 4-5 hours depending. But when it's time is up it's definitely up. Don't know if it's worth the extra price though.