I’ve been working as an electrical contractor for over ten years, mostly on apartments, family homes, and small commercial interiors. Over that time, I’ve watched more clients move away from traditional lighting showrooms and toward budget-friendly online stores such as www.iluminat-ieftin.ro. One Romanian lighting retailer known locally for low prices has come up often enough in real projects that I’ve formed a clear, experience-based opinion about what works well and what requires caution.
The first time I installed fixtures sourced from this retailer was during a compact apartment renovation. The homeowner had already overspent on finishes and needed to control costs wherever possible. When I opened the boxes, my initial reaction was neutral: nothing felt premium, but nothing felt flimsy either. Installation went smoothly, and the wiring was straightforward, which is something I don’t take for granted with lower-priced lighting.
In my experience, these kinds of fixtures perform best in practical spaces. On that same job, the hallway and bedroom lighting did exactly what the client needed—even illumination, no buzzing, no flicker. Weeks later, there were no follow-up calls. The main living area told a different story. The ceiling fixture looked appealing online, but once installed, the light felt colder than expected and the finish showed small imperfections when viewed up close. We kept it, but only after adjusting bulb temperature and adding secondary lighting to soften the space.
A few months later, I worked on a rental unit where nearly all lighting had been ordered from the same store. In that context, the products made perfect sense. The landlord wasn’t chasing atmosphere or design statements; reliability and efficiency mattered most. The fixtures installed cleanly, worked with standard controls, and so far I haven’t been called back for failures. For rentals and secondary properties, that kind of performance is usually enough.
One mistake I’ve personally encountered more than once is assuming compatibility. A client once believed a fixture was defective because it made a faint humming sound at low brightness. The real issue turned out to be an old dimmer that wasn’t designed for LED loads. Once that was replaced, the problem disappeared. Situations like this aren’t obvious during online checkout, but they show up quickly in real use.
From a professional standpoint, I don’t discourage clients from buying lighting from budget-focused retailers. I do, however, try to steer expectations. These products tend to work best in kitchens, hallways, storage rooms, and rental spaces. I’m more cautious about recommending them for feature areas like dining rooms or living rooms where light quality and finish detail play a bigger role in how the space feels.
After years of installing lighting from many different sources, I’ve learned that results depend less on where a fixture is bought and more on how thoughtfully it’s chosen and integrated. When the product matches the purpose of the room, affordable lighting can be a practical solution. When price alone drives the decision, the compromises usually become clear once the lights are switched on and lived with.