andy
Junior Member
Posts: 90 
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Post by andy on Aug 17, 2017 20:31:18 GMT -5
I don't know if this has been brought up... but one day, I decided to browse through the current models on Craftmade's website. Interestingly, one of their huggers, the "Close-up" has those old fashioned footprint vents! I had no idea any fans were still being made with footprint vents. Did any of you? This fan looks pretty old-school in general, which I find surprising for a company like Craftmade.
www.craftmade.com/close-up-cu52 |
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Post by Parkman on Aug 17, 2017 20:51:53 GMT -5
I believe that was an Ellington fan from before when Craftmade bought out Litex.
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Post by fancollector12 on Aug 18, 2017 0:13:44 GMT -5
Yup, they still make them, just not in 42" version anymore. They used to make the FPV standard fans too up until recently, but again they got discontinued.
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Post by Jordan U on Aug 18, 2017 20:43:24 GMT -5
Craftmade still has some traditional fans,, the CXL is pretty traditional as well..
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andy
Junior Member
Posts: 90
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Post by andy on Aug 19, 2017 14:04:27 GMT -5
Craftmade still has some traditional fans,, the CXL is pretty traditional as well.. True, but it has been modernized over the years, as well as most of their other traditional fans. |
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Post by Noah C on Aug 20, 2017 0:15:02 GMT -5
Craftmade still has some traditional fans,, the CXL is pretty traditional as well.. True, but it has been modernized over the years, as well as most of their other traditional fans. And made cheaper most likely...the blade arms definitely look more fragile than they were before, which was still pretty fragile. And there's better fans for the money, i.e The new old stock of the Paramount XP, the Minka Aire Supra series, the Kichler Canfield, and on the pricier side of the "high end basic spinner motor fan category", the Quorum Pinnacle, The Edgewood, and even Craftmade's own American Tradition, which uses a die-cast housing instead of a stamped one of unknown, probably middling quality. |
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Post by fancollector12 on Aug 20, 2017 1:14:45 GMT -5
I thought they were changing the CXL, American Tradition, Patio Fan, and Porch Fan to be more Ellington-like and more generic.
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Post by Noah C on Aug 20, 2017 14:28:47 GMT -5
I thought they were changing the CXL, American Tradition, Patio Fan, and Porch Fan to be more Ellington-like and more generic. No, even though the motor housings look more like Harbor Breeze Classic Style fans, this wasn't a change to make the line more Ellington-like. Since Craftmade bought out Litex, they simply combined Craftmade's lineup with Ellington's lineup (and eliminated a couple fans but not many); the four fans you listed are no more generic than they were previously, but every so often, Craftmade has changed those fans proportionally a little bit over the years. The only problem with those fans right now is the fact that they are competing in the "high-end basic fan" market, which has fans of lower prices and better quality, and therefore better value, than what Craftmade offers. For example, the CXL is $174 for just the motor, then you add the blades for an additional cost, in a segment where most everything includes blades; its problem is the Supra, which is around $140 with blades and better-quality components. The american tradition is around $230 for the motor, and while a better value than the CXL, its problem is the Edgewood; with blades (also better-quality components) it's $244. Oh, and right in the middle of the Supra and Edgewood in price is the Kichler Canfield, also a better value than either Craftmade. |
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Post by fancollector12 on Aug 20, 2017 23:54:55 GMT -5
So, same 188mm motor that they used in the "older" CXL's/American Traditions/Porch Fans/Patio Fans? I hope so!
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Post by Jordan U on Aug 21, 2017 14:55:43 GMT -5
The CXL still uses the same 188 motor as far as I know it..
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Post by Noah C on Aug 21, 2017 17:26:23 GMT -5
So, same 188mm motor that they used in the "older" CXL's/American Traditions/Porch Fans/Patio Fans? I hope so! Yup, the CXL/Patio fans have the same 188×15mm motors as before, and the American Tradition has the same 188×20mm motor as before, and the Porch Fan has always had a small 153×12mm unit. Remember, the Porch Fan is the outdoor version of the C52, aka the Decorative and as of now, the Pro Builder (the indoor ones had/have 153×15mm motors though), just as the patio fan is the outdoor version of the CXL. What would've been nice to see, were Craftmade to upgrade anything, would be to have seen maybe a 172×20mm motor in the CXL/Patio fans, but at least they didn't make the motors smaller. |
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Post by Cole S. on Aug 21, 2017 20:16:02 GMT -5
I think the main thing setting some of the Craftmade models apart is that they still maintain a very similar appearance to how they did ten or twenty years ago. There aren't a great many fans remaining these days that haven't been drastically reformed to fit today's tastes. The better value examples here like the Supra, Canfield, Edgewood all have that more transitional to contemporary twist, which is no surprise since that's what sells these days. I think some of the Craftmade retailers are taking note of the points raised here though, the main local showroom remaining in town was Craftmade all day every day for two decades, but every year it seems like they deal more and more into Kichler and Minka, followed by Fanimation, and slightly less in Craftmade. Because of this showroom I've always had my soft spots for Craftmade, a lot of it is of childhood significance. I think Craftmade's products are fine, always have, but I cannot argue with the fact that many are overpriced for what they are. Kichler's products are awesome, sometimes you pay a little more for them than the best value models like the Supra, but they're NICE fans. I can't say I'm sad to see them move in over Craftmade in the local market.
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Post by Noah C on Aug 22, 2017 18:08:49 GMT -5
I think the main thing setting some of the Craftmade models apart is that they still maintain a very similar appearance to how they did ten or twenty years ago. There aren't a great many fans remaining these days that haven't been drastically reformed to fit today's tastes. The better value examples here like the Supra, Canfield, Edgewood all have that more transitional to contemporary twist, which is no surprise since that's what sells these days. I think some of the Craftmade retailers are taking note of the points raised here though, the main local showroom remaining in town was Craftmade all day every day for two decades, but every year it seems like they deal more and more into Kichler and Minka, followed by Fanimation, and slightly less in Craftmade. Because of this showroom I've always had my soft spots for Craftmade, a lot of it is of childhood significance. I think Craftmade's products are fine, always have, but I cannot argue with the fact that many are overpriced for what they are. Kichler's products are awesome, sometimes you pay a little more for them than the best value models like the Supra, but they're NICE fans. I can't say I'm sad to see them move in over Craftmade in the local market. Yes, Kichler's products are definitely nice, many of them even nice enough to compete with the Fanimations, Emersons, Minkas, and Casablancas of the world. The Canfield was a consideration for me when I was purchasing a fan for my bedroom; the quality of the components Kichler used is definitely solid, and the performance of the Canfield is definitely good. Oh, and it looks nice in person. Sure, it's not the absolute BEST value given the Supra offers everything the Canfield does quality wise with slightly better performance for cheaper, and the Edgewood is just outright better for $50 extra, but still definitely a solid value proposition. What I also like about Kichler is that they will literally design certain fans specifically to compete with other, similar fans of the same class, like the Renew being made to compete against Emerson's Pro Series, the Fryst being made to compete against the Original, the Canfield being made to compete against the Supra, the Tulle (Larger, 60" Canfield) being made to compete against the 60" Edgewood, etc. Craftmade's fans' designs, while very similar to how they were previously and before that, they are by no means outdated...but the contemporary flair seen with the simplistic yet flowing shapes of the Canfield and Edgewood and the curvaceous sweeping of the Supra will sell more. But it's not really that that's the problem...it's the quality of Craftmade's products, especially with these compared to Fanimation, Minka Aire, and Kichler, and also the less-optimized performance that make the latter three much better options. The Craftmade CXL and American Tradition simply aren't built as well as the Edgewood, Supra, Canfield, even Emerson's still-relevant Designer fan (which is around $210)...and the CXL starts at $174 just for the motor, which leaves it in the same realm of the clearly better Canfield (and the Designer) in price when it's all said and done. And the American Tradition is no cheaper than the Edgewood, which is superior in quality and as good or superior to many K55-types in performance, where the American Tradition is in the same realm as the less expensive Supra and Canfield: weaker end of K55-type territory. Parallel to that, I understand why Kichler and Minka have taken precedence in your local, formerly all-craftmade showroom. If nothing else, Kichler is the newcomer who is currently making some amazing products, and Minka has seen a massive resurgence in sales because their fans have improved greatly in quality, and especially in their mid-range to lower-end lineup, value for money. Both of which have catapulted themselves in direct competition with Fanimation, Emerson, and Casablanca. Craftmade, meanwhile, has somewhat slipped off the radar after they bought out Litex, not doing anything exciting design, quality, performance, or value-wise, and actually hurting their lineup by combining their original lineup with the considerably lower-end fans of the Ellington line, many of which are redundant to what Craftmade already has. The Close-Up pointed out in this thread is an example of that, simply a redundant, dated ceiling fan model wasting production space in Craftmade's lineup since nobody in today's market would buy this; this is among many others as of now. As far as Craftmade's CXL/American Tradition go, I would have retained the traditional look, since that's what is associated with Craftmade's core fans. But, I would've upgraded the quality of the components as a whole, most notably the blade brackets (among other things) by making the castings thicker, even if the brackets are slightly different proportionally, using a heavier gauge of steel for the motor housings, and I'd unipack a set of plywood blades wider than those that are made for these fans as of now. As of now, their customization feature isn't of added benefit because of the lack of options like with Emerson, Casablanca or Fanimation's systems due to the price point of the products and the fact that none of them are really optimized (or powerful enough, in the case of the CXL and below) to handle anything above 52". |
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Post by Farah on Aug 23, 2017 22:21:13 GMT -5
Yes I agree with all of you on Craftmade brought out Litex.
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Post by Cole S. on Aug 27, 2017 19:27:14 GMT -5
You've reiterated my main point in a lot of extra words: that point being Craftmade is fine as-is like they always have been, BUT with that considered they'd need to lower their price points to fit appropriately below the competition that will otherwise eat them alive with better products at better prices. I agree, if they actually want to compete at the same price points, they need to up everything they have to match that price point. I don't think it's a totally lost cause since I like some of what they're doing in design right now, and I really liked that they brought the Solo back (I love when any fan company revives a model), but the conversation here regarding quality level and price correlation is totally on point.
Also, I agree that the whole Litex deal was a disaster, and I think we all kinda knew it would be. They needed to weed out the workable stuff and axe the rest, like Casablanca did in the Homestead acquisition, instead of keeping everything in production and smashing it all together. Acquiring another brand should serve to advance a company, instead Craftmade fell off the side and made a mess.
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