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I know I know it's dull as dishwater. But stay with me...
A year ago I bought a couple of Screwfix LED security lights, they were cheap but on inspection they looked ok for the money and once up and running I was pretty happy.
12 months on both have failed.
So I'm looking for something else that will last a few years at least. Both of them seem to have blown LED's, which aren't replaceable.
What have you got?
You got 12 months out of those? Well done. With mine the PIR died in a couple.
Ha Ha, yeah you could be right, I'm in the highlands so I'd never see them on for months anyway!
Saxby are fairly decent, maybe had a couple fail prematurely over the last year when customers have chosen them for jobs, though they seem to of changed the design recently which could be a good or bad thing.
Personally use time guard ones at home, a lot more expensive but not a fan of going up ladders when not being paid
Which screwfix ones did you have? Also have the same problem with them breaking after a year, it was the Luceco ones. Currently have the LAP ones which so far are still alive.
I did look around for higher quality options but it seemed a bit like anything pricier was fancy rather than just a higher spec light. Sadly almost feel like they're just going to consumables.
Enail screw fix with your receipt and complain. Although might be out of warranty they might give you a voucher against a new different one.
03330 112 112 iirc is the SF helpline. Try it, there was an issue with a line of PIR lamps with a lower IP rating. They either failed through water ingress or some had visable seal -casing erosion. Can't remember the style , but Westminster sticks in my head. either way , now discontinued with a new design and IP65 rating . Crazy cheap for what you get at around £10.
If around a year old try a store return , ask for a supervisor and explain whats happened . Be nice, calm and reasonable ask for a few pounds off the new ones. You will either get them replaced for free , or its very easy to knock £5 off a pair of PIR lamps to keep customers happy.
SF aim high for customer staisfaction and have very good NPS ( net promotion score ) which is from independant feedback ratings.
I would warrenty them after checking with a manager , please dont turn up 2 mins before closing with a bag full of busted pir's though thats slightly annoying . Sunday morning early is best really, open at 0900 , most people think is 1000.
Also had 2 failing screw fix cheapies before I ended up with this which has lasted about a year to date:
https://www.screwfix.com/p/lap-weyburn-outdoor-led-floodlight-with-pir-sensor-black-50w-5000lm/408pg
50w is very bright…
I splashed out on 2 Steinel? pir led outdoor lights to try and over come the problem of failing pir sensors and buy cheap buy twice economics. 1 floodlight is working fine, the other one seems to be acting up with random on off lighting. The light is still under warranty so I think I'll be aiming for a replacement considering the cost, £80 each!
Wow I've got screw fix ones that have failed the driver looks like it's failed pir works but just a bright flash for a millisecond
Are any of these being recommended "pulse override" for keeping the light on while working outside?
I have about 8 of these in the garden, put them in about 7 years ago and the first one failed this year - the PIR sensor bit died. About £20 from Screwfix (or probably £15 when I bought them).
[url= https://live.staticflickr.com/8606/15932496202_2042270744.jp g" target="_blank">https://live.staticflickr.com/8606/15932496202_2042270744.jp g"/> [/img][/url][url= https://flic.kr/p/qgUd3o ]Outside lights[/url] by [url= https://www.flickr.com/photos/brf/ ]Ben Freeman[/url], on Flickr
I also installed one of these, lasted 7 years and the the PIR died as well.
I've also installed three MEIKEE PIR LED floodlights, one last year and two today. They seem pretty well decent, but too soon to tell how well they last.
https://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/B08Q32BC8B
Both my failures were screwfix LAP models, 20w from memory. Mrs K also reminded me that we had a third go too, a while ago, I can't remember what make it was though.
Looking on line there are a lot of lights and sensors that basically look identical or very similar. All around the same price point so it's a bit of a lottery
Might be worth a shot going to an electrical wholesaler that stocks a better brand. Thorn, Osram, Phillips/Signify etc. Most will come with 5yr warranty but are higher quality than what screwfix have on the shelf.
Not that much more expensive either
I've had 2 Screwfix LAP lights going for two years. Been faultless so far. One caveat is they're both sheltered under substantial eaves overhang so not getting drenched. IP rating probably more of a factor if they're going to be exposed.
After getting fed-up of the seeming annual replacement of Screwfix's offerings, I got a couple of Philips 'Ledinaire' lights (BVP154) and they've been OK so far (2 - 3 years?).
Might be worth a shot going to an electrical wholesaler that stocks a better brand. Thorn, Osram, Phillips/Signify etc. Most will come with 5yr warranty but are higher quality than what screwfix have on the shelf.
Not that much more expensive either
I'd suggest avoiding Osram, based on our experiences over the last few years. We replaced all our ageing halogen bulb PIR's with largely 50W Osram LEDVANCE PIR's, with a few 20W versions, from lampshoponline and all the 50W's have failed. We had several replaced by them under warranty. It wasn't the PIR's that failed but the LEDs arrays; they'd die off in random patterns and start flickering. I dissected one and you could see where the LED's had blown.
We're getting a local electrician, one that knows our house well as he rewired it when we bought it, to replace them all with a make that he has used.
I dissected one and you could see where the LED’s had blown.
Had a few 10W LED floods do the same, I just bought a set of LEDs off Ebay for about £2 and replaced the blown ones.
I splashed out on 2 Steinel? pir led outdoor lights to try and over come the problem of failing pir sensors and buy cheap buy twice economics.
I did the same, we have a Steinel light thats probably 20 years old and still going strong so when I needed to replace a Screwfix cheapy and an industrial CFL lamp I bought 2 Steinels with a 5 year warranty in the hope they'd be fit-and-forget; both failed within a year with the diffuser coming away from the body leaving the LED array and its connections exposed to the elements. In their defence Steinel didn't quibble about replacing them but it just shows that the expensive option isn't always the best.
I've had a couple of Mieke one's from Amazon over the years and they tend to die after a few years I find. Looks like the driver or some of the LEDs die.
Latest one just died and I could see it was still sensing as there was the faintest of light coming out of it when triggered, but 4 or 5 of the individual LEDs looked like they were dirty/ burnt out?
I’ve got a solar powered led security light from Costco and works well.
No wiring needed and it’s been great for the last 4 years.
This is the latest one from Costco
Sunforce 2000 Lumen LED Motion Activated Solar Security Light