Mainly geared to contractors, and oh-so-much better than the big box store experience. You can order big stuff also, transformers and commercial panels. Right at BART, but parking is as easy as it gets for Oakland. But don't leave anything in a vehicle because, well Oakland. read more

They are well stock with all your plumbing and electrical needs Much better price and service than Home D*p#t . a real Oakland success. from one store in downtown to a big regional in providing services to builders and developers. read more

Chinatown electrical supply insanity!!! Crazy hodge-podge organization, high-end fixtures and cheapo China-factory knock-offs alike, seemingly endless collections of parts, and everything that an amateur OR a pro would need. There are employees everywhere who will guide you to whatever you need, speaking various degrees of english, spanish, cantonese, or mandarin. When you need a part RIGHT NOW, this is where you go. Now, about the prices. They're extremely reasonable, but contrary to what you might believe, they are not necessarily the cheapest you can find. I recently got excellent prices on garden-variety recessed Elco cans and trims here...but I found internet suppliers for Cree LED fixtures that were a full 40% cheaper. So do your homework on major purchases, and don't be afraid to haggle a little... read more

Emperor Electrical Supply - What you'll see from the street... - Lighting Fixtures & Equipment Near Me - Oakland, California

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Hell yes! This place has been around for ever. There is nothing electrical you can't find here, and decent prices too. It helps to do your research and know what you want before you come here. read more

I used to go to Home Depot until I finally had enough. Emperor has better prices and they at least will help you find what you need instead of standing around trying to wonder what the Home Depot employees are doing while they pretending to be busy. When I come to Emperor I know I'm not going to waste 10-20-30 minutes looking for something because they will help me find it quick. read more

They have what you need and they have a parking lot that sums it up. Don't go here or if you're some DIY person looking to get walked through the whole process is mainly geared towards contractors and know what they need and how to do it read more

I prefer to buy from and support local businesses. The prices here are very reasonable and just about the same as HD. This place is kind of an adventure and a little fun. It's a mad house of people and contractors coming together. Most of the staff is very knowledgeable of electrical product and are very willing to help. NOTE: I've overheard some staff giving the wrong information to customers coming in asking questions about electrical work. The staff are NOT electricians but product suppliers. The best thing you can do is consult the electrical code book. Go here with an open mind and some patience and your experience will be good. read more

Google can give wonky directions - best to take care and double check the yelp map to what they give you! That aside, I dropped in to track down some recessed lighting trim replacements (1 for bathroom, 2 for outside). I had the exact model for 1 and narrowed down the model number for the 2 others. I narrowed down to come here because they were a listed distributor for Juno, one of the trim manufacturers that I was looking for. From that perspective, they may not carry parts from the manufacturer you're looking for. My first mistake was using street parking when you can park in a big yard area surrounded by walls on the corner of 10th and Oak St. Sure, only change for 20 minutes, but then you have to walk etc. which could be an inconvenience, especially if it's raining and hailing as it has been the past few days. When I walked in, I wasn't sure where to start. Aisles upon aisles of various electrical supplies. There was some sort of organization to it, however I could not decipher it. After walking around for 5-8 minutes or so and staring at the walls/ceilings of recessed lights they had up there, I finally realized how it worked: find what you're looking for in the bins/shelves. Whatever you don't find, tell them and they'll send their staff members to find it for you. Once I realized this, everything went very quickly and I left 5 minutes later with exactly what I was looking for. I talked to the woman behind the counter (who ironically is a neighbour 2 houses down from me). She sent the first person to pick up the Juno recessed trim. I showed her the other model #'s I narrowed down - they only had 1 of the 3 model #'s so she had the staff member get the 2 of those that I needed. I could open up each package to double check it was exactly what I was looking for and she used tape to package them back up. My guess: if it's not what you want, they'll put it back on the shelf and you can resume your search. She got a box for me to carry my trim pieces away with even though I could have gotten away without it. Overall, the trip transformed from a confusing one (25 year old wandering around an electrical store, lost) into a successful trip. Hopefully this review will put you on the right track to find what you're looking for! Lastly, they seem to have much better recessed lighting options here than at home depot. I'd wager their prices are competitive and you can see them all next to each other. No reason not to support this great local company. read more

Service is fast and efficient. I usually bring the items that need to be replaced and they are able to find what I need in no time. Very convenient as they have a parking lot as well. read more

Yep, they are the real deal. Five stars may seem a bit much, but what else do you want? They've got all the conduit, wire, fittings, boxes, even Christy boxes, that most of us will need at good prices. Breaker panels? They must have 25 different configurations. Specialty electrical tool too. I'll be back. read more

I went in for cabinet lighting that my electrician said would cost $500+. Emperor had it for under $100. They tested it first and gave detailed directions on what other parts would be needed. Also glad they tested it, because one of the parts was not working correctly. When my electrician got to my house, he was impressed with the light kit and the parts that I got to convert it for our situation. The lights still work great six months later. IKEA was sold out of a similar item and they were at least twice as expensive. Home Depot offered to special order it and they were more expensive. I wish I knew about Emperor earlier. read more

Good place to get electrical things they got everything , price is similar to Home Depot maybe 2, 3 dollar cheaper for example AFCI breaker 20A 36.99$ Home Depot 38.87$ 250romex 12/2 58$ Home Depot 60$... read more

This store is an electrical supply store. Anything electrical they'll have or can order You'll find specialty items in abundance here that HomeDepot or OSH run out of or don't carry. Like a mud ring for a 4 11/16 box or an extension box from single gang to double gang. Emperor would be my only electrical supply store, if they were closer to me. Grainger is near me, but even if they are a known construction material supply store you'll have to be able to look up your product on their website otherwise the front desk folk can't help. I like knowing I have a for-sure place if I absolutely need a specific electrical piece. I like being able to find the item on my own on the shelves. I can measure it and make sure it works without having to talk to anyone. read more

The coolest store for Electrical supplies in Oakland. They blow the electrical department at Home Depot . They sell alot of things individually, including wire nuts. And best of all they are reasonably priced compared to a small hardware store. read more

These guys are total pros. We found this company using google and followed google's directions. We ended up near the Oakland Army base (not correct location - they're at 10th and Oak in Chinatown) 15 minutes before Emperor was about to close. We called them, told them what we wanted and told them we'd be showing up just at closing time. We made it there barely 2 minutes before closing. They put together our order of various sized recessed lights, bulbs, and dimmers like they were the A-Team on a mission. They even had nice brushed nickel trims for the lights. Barely 7 minutes later, we had finished our transaction. So in summary: they had exactly what we wanted and were able to help us extremely quickly. Very impressive! read more

Literally the rudest most condescending sales person I have ever had the displeasure of dealing with. Opening a new business in a couple days and needing a light fixture for a lounge, I went to emperor lighting for a hanging light fixture. Myself and 2 employees walked into the area where there were 2 desks and several hanging light fixtures. We inquire about hanging lights , but are berated and insulted by an ugly and bitter post middle age Chinese man sitting in the corner. Unless you enjoy doing business with bitter old men with a bug up their rear, AVOID THIS BUSINESS!!! Literally the worst I have ever been treated in a store. read more

You have to be prepared for basically a warehouse full of stuff - on cold days it is cold. but they have everything and are very helpful. It is an Asian outfit that caters for electricians and so they don't have an aweful lot of time to help out with questions, but they do their best. You cannot really browse anything, but they will show you catalogs and let you choose stuff. Very well priced equipment and really everything. It's also located in the center of Oakland and parking is not an issue. read more

By far the cheapest for supplies. Getting my 2nd round of recessed lights for my new home.... :)

More commercial style place but they probably have just about anything you might need for small repairs or just new light bulbs.

I highly recommend this place! Very professional called them 20 minutes before close and told them I was 15 minutes away got there at closing they waited helped me out when I was in a jam. read more

They stock a good amount of products and the prices are the best! The staff is very friendly and very knowledgable!

very unhelpful. intellectually vacant staff. these people have a fast food sense of customer service. you go in wanting to spend money and they give you reasons to avoid doing business with them. very unprofessional. read more