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[Bob Josjor]

I actually own each of those models.  The ADJ panel is brighter and a little simpler to use.  

I've messed with both brands controllers and I like the Obey series better than the same level ADJ/Elation.  Been awhile, however, as I've switched over the Elations software........and will never go back!  Compuware 1024 is great, once you wrap your brain around it.

[Tim Palmer]

As far as the panels, toss up. There both cheap, made in china fixtures, around the same price point, do about the same, so......

As far as the controller, either one is goig to leave you wanting more. From what i see they are only 3 channel controllers and the light- panels you listed have up to 27 channels depending on what mode you select.

You would have the same control with  dimmer packs and some LED flood lights instead of fancy panels and crappy controllers

[Bob Josjor]

Tim Palmer wrote on Sun, 25 July 2010 08:30

As far as the panels, toss up. There both cheap, made in china fixtures, around the same price point, do about the same, so...... As far as the controller, either one is goig to leave you wanting more. From what i see they are only 3 channel controllers and the light- panels you listed have up to 27 channels depending on what mode you select. You would have the same control with  dimmer packs and some LED flood lights instead of fancy panels and crappy controllers

Having had both panels, I can tell you for certain that the ADJ is brighter.

Good catch on the controller package only being three channels.  I would step up the Obey 70.  Worth the extra few bucks and leaves you open for expansion.

[Duane Massey]

For simplicity's sake, the Elation package makes more sense. The LED controller is designed specifically for your application with these fixtures, and is very user-friendly. It is, however, extremely limited other than than this specific application, so future expansion, other than adding more of the same fixtures is not an option.

And the Mega Panels are brighter and less "flicker-prone" than the Color Palettes, although they will bot flicker at some point when doing a slow fade.

Also, unless I missed something, the Color Palettes will not work with the Obey 3, as they do not have a 3-channel mode.

[Nick Pignetti]

Wow, I'm honestly floored by the number of people who choose ADJ over Chauvet. I think its very important to compare similar product lines from each manufacturer.

Chauvet has two lines of offerings- their "DJ" oriented fixtures, and their "pro" line.

All products I own from Chauvet are their pro line, however- I would trust their DJ line over American DJ any day. In my opinion, they seem to be more rugged and reliable than anything I've ever used from ADJ. In my experience, they break down far less often than their ADJ counterparts. Chauvet has caught a bad rep for quality control and customer service in the past, but they have really taken steps to improve this and are putting out some very quality products. (Their LED Q Spot line of movers being a prime example)

Now, Elation does have some nice offerings, but its more fitting to compare them to Chauvet's Pro line. Even still- I'd choose Chauvet over Elation any day.

Finally, American DJ is NOT known for their customer service either... I have heard horror stories of people trying to get fixtures serviced, DOA's, replacement parts etc. It's difficult to maintain a service department with such a huge product line to maintain.

[Stuart Pendleton]

They are both budget lines.  I own some of both.  I have far more ADJ gear however.  I have called ADJ for spare parts a number of times and always got them easily and quickly,  My ADJ pars and Mega bars have been dropped, hit, bent, straightened with pliers and still work completely fine.  My Chauvet 200B sits dead in the garage for unknown reason without a scratch on it since it didn't work long enough to show road wear. It became intermittent.  I opened it and reseated the ribbon cables, but it failed again that night.  I gave up.  It's in the junk pile.  The ADJ gear is mostly 2-3 years (of hard use) old and continues to work fine.

My Elation Magic 260 is flakey.  That was wasted money out of the box.

I have hit the point where I want real gear that lasts for years.  I have begun buying LeMaitre (Ultratec,) Martin, Global truss, etc. because I am tired of blowing money on gear that is sub-standard when working, or short lived.  From here out, I am only buying road worthy gear that will last a LONG time.  Chauvet and ADJ have a place, but it won't be my trailer much longer.

[Duane Massey]

Apples to apples:

Client purchased 12 Chauvet 200B LED fixtures for a stage; 6 out of 12 developed issues within 30 days, 10 out of 12 within 60 days.

Client replaced them with Cheaplights.com similar (actually, bigger and brighter) fixtures; 3 were DOA, and were replaced immediately; 5 out of 12 developed issues within 30 days, 2 more within 45 days.

Client replaced these with 12 ADJ 38LED Pro fixtures; 9 months, zero failures.

I've had many more issues with Chauvet (not hearsay, hands-on experience) than ADJ, and their service department is far superior, although not perfect. You do have to ask the right questions regardless of who you deal with.

And the Magic 260 is a very useless controller for the $$. I can find little to like about it.

[Nick Pignetti]

Duane,

I respect your opinion and value your experience you shared with each of the product lines. I just can't say that I, or anyone I know has had a similar experience.

I think any line chosen is going to have some issues, a few DOA fixtures etc. I believe customer service is a deciding factor as to who will get you running again faster when issues arise.

Maybe I, and several others I know have caught a lucky break when dealing with chauvet. I'm not going to say that American DJ makes junk, I've seen several of their products hold up for years, all I am saying is that I've had far better luck with Chauvet.

[len woelfel]

The few Chauvet and ADJ products I've owned have been hit or miss.
A couple times I sent stuff in for repairs, and Chauvet was FAR faster to repair than ADJ.
But the Elation stuff I have (mostly dmx splitters, small controllers) is pretty reliable so far.
My beef with a few Chauvet products is that they are poorly designed.  The YA-15 pinspot won't accept a GE 4515 lamp.  I had one of their dmx splitters once, and the ports kept failing.  Elation has some issues as well.  I don't like the gobos on many of their moving lights, and it's very hard to swap them out without tools.  
But there's no brand that doesn't have issues.  I used to use a bunch of Martin Mac 550, and they had problems every week.  Yet other users loved them.  When I got a rig of all Clay Paky fixtures, they were flawless for me, yet the next guy to use those exact fixtures had issues with them constantly (I never was sure exactly what).  

[Duane Massey]

No doubt we have all had different luck with various products and service from all the brands (anybody remember the motor fiasco a number of years ago with High End?). I am always eager to hear first-hand stories, good and bad, about issues with any of the companies out there, as I no longer have access to daily hands-on experience with the major brands. I am less interested with 2nd hand broad statements or general "they suck" posts, as this really serves no purpose in evaluating products I haven't personally seen.

That's one of the main reasons I frequent this forum, the exchange of info and experiences.