Buying a gas light can be very confusing. It's something most of us will only do once or twice in our lifetime and our best source for knowledge unfortunately is the sales person selling us the lights. Here we try to objectively address the most important factors to consider when choosing your gas lights. Tempered Glass Tempered glass is seldom offered, manufacturers will explain single or double strength glass is adequate. Truth is tempered glass is better, it's more durable, ships better, harder to break and if it breaks it's less dangerous, but it cost more. Primal uses tempered glass. Flame Size vs. Operational Cost Can we agree, everyone would like the largest flame possible for as little cost as possible? Fact is Primal's proprietary burner assembly offers the largest flame while consuming the least fuel. Riveting vs. Soldering Guess how this debate began? Right, the companies that rivet fixtures together either by hand or machine, claim riveting is stronger and holds up to the heat longer. The companies that solder their fixtures together claim soldering created a stronger fixture, more precisely made, and their hi-temp solder will not break down with heat. Truth is besides liking the looks of the rivets, as we do, strength and durability do not seem recognizably different in either. Primal hand rivets fixtures. Brackets Some manufacturers make their brackets of copper, not a bad choice because it won't rust, but the downside is strength, copper is not strong enough to support many fixtures. Most manufacturers male their brackets out of iron. Good choice for strength but anyone who has seen the rust stain from an iron bracket running down a stucco wall understands the downside. Some manufacturers handle this problem by offering premium paint or even galvanizing at a significant up charge (up to $100). Primal uses more suitable materials, i.e. rustproof metals with adequate tensile strength. Copper Tubing Some fixture styles require gas lines made of copper tubing rather than hard pipe. In some areas the odorant added to natural gas deteriorates copper, so local code requires tin-lined copper tubing. Many manufacturers charge for the addition of tin-lined copper tubing (up to $100). Primal uses tin-lined copper tubing exclusively. Style vs. Design We can't help much here. When referring to style, we like what we like. Most manufacturers have one or more styles that are "right". "Right" can mean proportionally or historically correct or simply your favorite style. Design on the other hand is more objective. A fixture can be attractive just not well designed resulting in a less durable fixture that requires more maintenance and relighting. Also, conversely a seemingly unattractive fixture can be well crafted to last a lifetime. Primal fixtures are designed to last a lifetime.