eBay hong kong EL wire quality?

[trystanthegypsy]

So I'm pretty happy with my ebay hong kong LED string lights, now I'm looking at getting some EL wire for jackets- I don't think the strings are very wearable. The prices are around $5-$10 per string (2 or 3 m) including the battery pack.

So, has anyone used these before? How's the quality? Did they all work? or was the wiring all cheap and breaky? There are a number of different companies but I'm looking at virtualvillage-usa-delta (6000 positive feedback) and phovolt (118 positive feedback but seems to be specialty store), both out of hong kong.

[dr.placebo]

I'm not so sure that I'd go with the HK stuff. I'd rather stick with a reputable US distributor. There have been reports of quality problems with Chinese knock-offs of EL-wire (LyTec is the patented stuff). But you might not have a problem.

Here's a potentially useful link:

http://www.instructables.com/id/how-to-add-EL-wire-to-a-coat-or-other-garment/

[brickmaster]

We have bought 7 x 3m (2.3mm) lenghts of elwire from HK sellers about a month ago.
They seem fine.
One didn't work when it arrived but I emailled the seller and they sent a replacement wire right away.
The only downside it it took about 3 weeks to get from HK to Ireland. Should be a bit less if you are in the US so you still have time to receive a replacement if what you buy isn't working.
I don't remeber the name of the seller and work blocks ebay so I can't check.
I'd be more wary about buying larger lengths from HK but if its only 3m then you'd be fine. They are way cheaper than other locations.

[Token]

El wire is one of those gizmos that got accelerated to market on account of Burning man. I like to support that heritage by buying from burner run businesses.

Bout 10 years ago or more a couple guys in Palo Alto CA IIRC would organize power buys of the stuff from Lytec. It was a fun BM spawned community effort. Once the commercial vendors took over and were able to offer cometitive prices they stopped doing their thing.

Anyway, I ramble me some nostalgia here.

I like the guys at coolneon and give them my business. Cool cats and some history there.

[teardropper]

Another for Cool Neon. Very good to work with, very burner friendly and what I have works very well. Though I still don't have a good way to attach the 1AA drivers to the spokes. Tape works OK till you get it in the dust. Zip ties don't seem to grip good enough. Maybe a combo.

[kman]

Cool Neon is the way to go. Support your local burner!

We had a great time workshopping with them back in '02.

[Eric]

yet another vote for Cool Neon. They rock. I just hope they're doing their workshops this year- I finally have time to go to one.

I would rather pay a little more and keep the money not just in the Burner community, but in the US.

[some seeing eye]

The wire and drivers are all made in China now. But Lytec has better wire quality and a strong incentive to source reliable drivers. Ordering from a US supplier will allow you to return any defective ones and get replacements quickly. I would suggest running the drivers connected to a short length of wire for a week as soon as you get them. That is a reasonable time to find early failures, return them and get a replacement. The most common times for electronics to fail is very early or many years out.