MET vs UL or MET & UL - The Electric Sign Industry

[Erik Sine]

MET vs UL or MET & UL

After some conversations with a few shops who went MET Laboratories from a UL exodus are becoming disappointed. And it's coming from the changes that MET is adding, it appears that MET is not really competing against UL, their trying to get the same deal as UL gets from their subscriber base.

MET once separated themselves when they initially entered the electric sign market by sticking with the OSHA standards whereas UL would stray from them and turning the standards more into a profit model by adding unnecessary changes, more shop visits, higher charges, adding in additional webinars and programs.

MET Laboratories went from 2 annual visits to 4 just like UL along with other similar like changes.

Unfortunately for those of us in the electric sign industry who were hoping for a true UL competitor, WE aren't getting one after all. MET Laboratories did look promising at first, buit it appears their falling by the wayside and just looking to get, what UL gets from it's subscribers.

I can't see how or why they would expect anyone who is currently UL48 to change over with very little incentive, it's become more of picking the lesser of two evils.....what a pity.

[NWWsigns]

Yeah I looked into the change when UL was still being hard nosed about many things and the "variance fees" were a threat but MET was more expensive for my area so I stayed with UL. There has been a big shift though at least for my area with UL and they are very helpful and make suggestions but have stopped the threat of fines. I was never fined and its easy to stay compliant so not a big deal - but the attitude was not something I was happy with.

Now I feel like its just the price you pay to get the sticker on your sign and make everyone happy but there is no other value at all - more of a pay off than anything else.

[UFB Fabrication]

We had looked at switching when MET first came out with the new service. I spent a year going back and forth with them with questions which were never answered to my satisfaction. I also reached out to the greater community for experiences and did not really get any feedback. Especially that would push me to switch.

For the last few years UL seems to me they have stepped up their game and becoming more "friendly" and service oriented. They Have been exhibitors at the Tri- State sign show as well as all 3 years our our in house trade show. A few weeks ago some of the UL higher ups came to the shop for feedback on how they are doing. Pretty helpful and are trying to make further improvements. We have even been fortunate to have enough work to have a increased frequency of inspections. Its not been a bad thing. We have also had a couple project that needed additional help with and the got us all the info in a timely matter. I guess in short as long as UL continues in the direction they are going we will continue to have them handle our listing needs.

[alltex]

Like I said in another thread a few years ago. MET was dang near impossible to get a straight answer from. Their pricing was all over the place. It seemed like their sign program was understaffed, and disorganized. I tried to give them a chance at my business. But I never had that warm cozy feeling with them. Choosing a listing company that fits your needs is important. They're a vital link in your product. I'm very happy with UL.

[burkeenterprise]

We have a sign in our shop now for service with an ETL Intertek label on it. Anyone ever heard of them for sign listing?

This sign has a dynapac rotator on it that whoever fabricated it did not follow their recommended hanging method so it killed the rotator in about 1 1/2 year. Big label on the rotator saying "Do Not hang sign from this flange" Guess how the sign was hung...Yep by that flange. Now we have to rebuild the hanger. Guess that sign wasn't inspected.

[Deacon]

I wrote an article in Sept. 2012 (all the info is still relevant/current) regarding NRTLs (Nationally Recognized Testing Laboratories). The article explains what UL/ETL/MET/others are - what is "ok" to use, etc. When I've spoken with UL reps - using an MET/ETL labeled/listed product is fine in a UL-listed/certified shop SO LONG AS the ETL/MET/other product is:

1. Not part of the sign system (i.e. on a separate dedicated circuit and not integrated to look like part of the whole sign (i.e. you need a spacing/separator)

2. The ETL/MET/other sticker is visible to an inspector (if it's on the back and the access is narrow, get a picture of the stickers for the inspector to check/confirm).

With any listing, you want to make sure to check (online) what the sign is really listed for. I've seen stuff come from China which is "UL Listed" but it turns out the listing was for a modular system and not certified/listed for a completed sign system. The sign company had to sign-off on their UL# to certify the product (scary liability issues there). A simple check of the UL/MET/ETL number on the corresponding NRTL's website will confirm if the system is ok for install or if there's an issue to be resolved with the product provider. Hopefully this helps. As Eric has pointed out before, UL acts like they're the only option out there - but that's not true.

http://vantageled.blogspot.com/2012/09/electrical-safety-certification-marks.html

[UFB Fabrication]

From my research UL seems to be the only activly participating in the actual testing of the sign process and making sure crap works together. I have seen and heard of other listing NRTL's that will do what UL does. That sad I think that they are just coat tailing of what UL Does. Kinda like the difference between Pepsi and the genaric soda from the grocery store thats named cola. Yes it is "Pepsi" like it is not the real thing. Until one of the other places can give me a warm feeling that I am not getting a knock off cola version we will continue with Pepsi