Trade Rated?

[Scott]

Does 'Trade Rated' mean it is better or worse/cheaper? I believe 'contract' is a negative in marketing terms.

[Tufnell Park]

IMHO it's just another sales gimmick to convince the DIY punters to buy it on the pretence that it's what 'the Trade' use.

[Dave Plowman (News)]

When I see something advertised as 'trade' I reckon it the cheapest you can get away with.

Not in the interests of any painter to have paint last years. ;-)

[Brian Gaff (Sofa 2)]

Well I've been sleeping on a contract bed for some years now,OK its not pretty, looks like welded angle iron and steel strip with a mesh infill, but its fine. Brian

[newshound]

To be fair, SF seems to apply it fairly consistently to stuff that is a bit more heavy duty than more "domestic" stuff.

Another example going the other way is "industrial" AA and AAA batteries. We used to be able to buy these from "Stores" in the old days, less than half the price of fancy Duracell but two thirds of the capacity. The Amazon Basics ones seem to be similar, I've found them fine so far.

"Contract" paint is definitely cheap and nasty, but I have usually found that "proper" trade paint like Leyland is OK.

[Dave Plowman (News)]

They might be decent value on things where the batteries are replaced as a precaution, like every day. But not convinced they are better value than good supermarket own brand.

[Theo]

I thought 'trade' paint was paint that was usable by a tradesperson to get the job done? As opposed to 'retail' paint which needs 17 coats to look decent, but sells for cheap in the sheds' race to the bottom. (and DIYers' time costs nothing, obviously)

Doing some painting recently, the difference between Dulux retail 'Light and Space' (vaguely tinted water) and Benjamin Moore (heavily pigmented paint only available from the importer and not sold retail) was night and day.

Theo

[Max Demian]

I've got some 60W bulbs called "rough service" and "industrial use" but that was just a way to get around EU regulations. (The EU also banned pearl bulbs because people prefer them - or maybe they thought that WW2 hadn't happened.)

[The Natural Philosopher]

You have that he wrong way round, its 'trade' paint that needs 17 coats and still doesn't cover evenly without a spraygun...]

Try Farrow and Ball. That has serious pigment. But it costs

[Dave Plowman (News)]

Rough service bulbs have a different type of filament. And are even more inefficient than GLS.

Speciality bulbs like this were never banned under EU regs. As only the stupid would use them for a purpose not intended.

[PeterC]

I've found Lidl's own brand to be pretty good and usually 4 years+ on the date. Ikea's are good but often short-dated. Haven't tried Aldi's yet but, at a guess, possibly the same as Lidl's inside. Trouble with SF and TS is not knowing the date. When I needed a C2032 for a MoBo I got Duracell with 5 - 6 years on the date - could get expensive if the cell packs up and leaks.

[John Rumm]

Some may view it as such, but rough service lamps existed long before anyone thought of phasing out filament lamps on the grounds of efficiency. They exist for a purpose, i.e. to be better able to stand handling and vibration when lit, or to withstand harsher ambient conditions (e.g. oven lamps etc).

From an efficiency point of view they are somewhat less efficient than normal lamps. However they have so far remained available since there are in many cases no alternative technologies that will work in the same conditions.

The choice was based on efficiency. I suspect that if you look at the legislation it does not bad pearl lamps, but simply specifies a minimum number of lumens per watt.

Much like non condensing boilers have not been "banned" and are still available. However their use is restricted to situations where a condensing boiler would be impractical.

[charles]

I managed to get some "traffic signal" bulbs. They fit perfectly in our dimmable bedside lamps.

[ARW]

Someone on this newsgroup (I cannot remember who but is was a good reliable poster) once spotted Trade Rated sockets (sorry cannot remember from which shop) had no earthing eyelets.

Perfectly legal but it makes the flyflead from the socket to the metal backbox a legal requirement

[Max Demian]

At one time they were the only incandescents available.

[Max Demian]

I realise that a pearl bulb would lose a little light, but we weren't given the choice; and all the halogen bulbs I have seen have the capsule inside a clear envelope. (I realise some just consist of the capsule, including car headlamp bulbs.)

[Dave Plowman (News)]

I'd have thought LED would be more robust these days? Although not for an oven.

Have wondered about trying one in the 'Hoover'. Even the correct tungsten was lucky to last a month.

[Dave Plowman (News)]

Halogens are incandescent. They have never been banned.

[Andy Burns]

GLS halogens were banned (to the same degree as "normal" incandescents are, i.e. you can probably still get old stock) in September 2018, halogen spots and floods still allowed.

[Martin Brown]

Sometimes it means suitable for people who know what they are doing.

Paint that drips can give a slightly better gloss finish in the right hands but in the wrong inexperienced hands can leave an unholy mess.

Certain high tack glues are best used only by people who really know what they are doing or you can end up attached as part of the job.

Most of the time it is a marketing phrase used to extract more money.