Is the SysLite worth it?
- Thread starter shdesign3
- Start date
It may or may not has been clearly spelled out in this thread... LED lights is a new technology; they are getting brighter and cheaper very quickly. Generally, it is a poor investment UNLESS you use it daily and often. Bright corded LED portable LED work lights are around $30 (Costco pricing) to $50 (retail stores). Cordless are from $30 to $100, and prices / value ratio will likely continue improving.
"Better" or "Worth it" when applied to cordless lights strongly depends on the needs of the user - weight, size, brightness, how long it runs from a single charge, etc. I am sure it is a good light. However, Festool does not design or make LEDs, electronics, or Li-Ion batteries. It all is made in Asia, I bet. Festool just buys the components and marks them up by 10x or so using the strength of its brand name. The actual Festool's content is less than in its other tools which are actually designed by Festool from scratch. Other suppliers may buy the same components but mark them up by 2x or 3x and end up with a cheaper light. The rest are minor differences.
The number of LEDs means nothing. One can have 20 low power LEDs or one high power LED and get the same amount of light from them. It is a cost / design decision.
"Better" or "Worth it" when applied to cordless lights strongly depends on the needs of the user - weight, size, brightness, how long it runs from a single charge, etc. I am sure it is a good light. However, Festool does not design or make LEDs, electronics, or Li-Ion batteries. It all is made in Asia, I bet. Festool just buys the components and marks them up by 10x or so using the strength of its brand name. The actual Festool's content is less than in its other tools which are actually designed by Festool from scratch. Other suppliers may buy the same components but mark them up by 2x or 3x and end up with a cheaper light. The rest are minor differences.
The number of LEDs means nothing. One can have 20 low power LEDs or one high power LED and get the same amount of light from them. It is a cost / design decision.
McNally Family
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- Feb 21, 2016
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AIPDX said:
While I don't dispute the markup theory, or the origin of the components, if someone is invested in the Festool 18v battery line already, the light is a nice compliment to that platform.
Hi Guys. Thought I might just give my perspective. I am a shower installer and bought the syslite (original one) to use on site instead of having to drag leads around. It takes about 1 hour to install each shower. I have 3 15v batteries, one is used for my drill, one for the syslite and one as a spare. I have owned it for about 3 years. I have installed over 600 showers with it, and must say that the rooms that Im installing in are all very small i.e., 1.5m x 2m max, and usually painted white. I use the light on low power to clean, prep and install the shower, only turning up the light output for 10mins per shower whilst applying silicone around the shower glass etc. Over the course of a typical day the light would run for 6 hours (lunch, shifting rooms etc it is switched off). The money that I paid for the light has been so worth it. And you can't put a cost on the usefulness of this to me. I have never regretted buying this light.
Colnz said:
Thanks for the real world usage input. And Welcome to the forum!
Seth
