Cheap PIR lights - any good or all bad?

[Mr. Clueless]

We're going to have an electrician replace our front & rear lights with new ones, PIRs.

The rear is no problem (other than selecting the correct LED wattage which we weren't sure about. We was advised 30watt but from google images i think this may be too bright, so the next one down was a 10watt. Again google images seemed to suggest this would be fine for our small garden).

We currently have a lantern style lamp on the front. Just no PIR.
Looking on Amazon, there's a fair few thumbs down on the cheaper units. Are they really that bad?

All i want the light for is to come on automatically when you step to the door & need to find your keys.

Any of you have used one of these (that isn't a football stadium floodlight) which you'd recommend fine enough?

LED is always preferred although not essential.

 

[PrenticeBoyofDerry]

10w LED floodlights for small area will be fine, they do do a 20w but 10w will do for keys and lock locating.
Lantern PIRs pay around £35.00 for quality unit, screwfix do a okay one http://www.screwfix.com/p/asd-60w-b...CQwS3WhgteCe0J08n0gIUMkgCAR-Jwcur4aAoG68P8HAQ but failing that buy local at an electrical trade counter if you can.

 

[OwainDIYer]

One or more of these
http://www.screwfix.com/p/iq-bh-1-pr-b-rectangular-bulkhead-with-pir-black-60w/39450
and put your choice of LED bulb in - that way the bulb's replaceable.

Probably £10 each tomorrow on deal of the day.

 

[Mr. Clueless]

Regards the 10w floodlight I have already bought (yesterday) - that one isn't actually for just finding your keys. I'm wanting that one to light up the rear garden, but at the same time not be too bright that it blinds the houses at the rear.

In this case will 10w be inadequate?

Thanks for the links. I'll take a look.

Oh & the 10w unit I bought is the 10w floodlight from LEDHut. Just so you're familiar with the one I've bought.

 

[OuterSpaceHopper]

I have a 30W led flood light in the garden (approx 28 meters long) it is just about good enough to help you avoid snails on the path, but I wouldn't call it a flood light. Also, mine are mounted up at the eves and point down, so as not to blind the neighbors. There isn't a whole lot of spilled light once you are 10meters down the garden.

I opted for separate PIR sensors, as it seems like it is always the PIR sensors that fail on these things! This is more of a head ache to install, as you need junction boxes and the correct outdoor cable, but should be cheaper to maintain down the line when the pirs fail.

Lidl has PIRs and lights from Thursday on special!

http://www.lidl.co.uk/en/our-offers-2491.htm?id=752

 

[JohnD]

When you say 30W, do you mean a 30W LED? Or do you mean "equivalent to a 30W incandescent?" Which would be very dim, like a child's nightlight.

I currently have a 5.6W (actual) LED lamp in my porch light, it is 470 lumens and about equal to a 40W incandescent.
http://www.wickes.co.uk/Wickes-5-6W-LED-B22-GLS-Frosted-Lamp/p/141656
and is too bright, so I am going to change it to a 3.4W (250 lumens). But my path is short, and there are streetlights.

30W of LED, if modern, would be as brighter than two 100W incandescents, which would be a lot for quite a long path.

I have noticed some suppliers, especially Philips, market their LEDs as "30W" "60W" etc, meaning the incandescent lamp they are roughly equivalent to. I find this misleading, but perhaps it is intended to help the elderly.

I am annoyed by makers that do not show lumens output on the packaging.

 

[OuterSpaceHopper]

Hi JohnD, I measured the current at the time, and I remember the LED seems to pull less than 30W, I think more like 22W. I suppose the regulator gobbles up some of this also, so yes, less than the 30W written on the box. I have one on each end of the house, so the output is OK for patio and half way down the garden. If I pointed them down the garden, rather than straight down at the floor, the result would be better for me, worse for the neighbors. Not that they return the favor! My bathroom has lighting akin to the surface of the planet mercury when the neighbors garden light is on.

These LED lights were cheap from amazon about 3 years ago. I'm told newer offerings are more accurately specified, or at least better earth! All the lamps had inadequate internal earth connections. But I bought an outdoor lamp from one of the diy sheds recently, and it was similarly under performing! The pir used a good proportion of the power!
I guess most people don't have the capability to check, so the risk or returns for the retailers is low.

I had a 100W commercial LED light from a pucker manufacturer and the output was indeed quite staggering. So, if you pay more, you might get what you pay for it seems.

 

[OuterSpaceHopper]

When plugged in inside the house, I guess the 30W flood lights are roughly equivalent to a 200W halogen type uplighter. i.e. easily enough to paint and plaster a wall with!

 

[JohnW2]

I had a 100W commercial LED light from a pucker manufacturer and the output was indeed quite staggering. So, if you pay more, you might get what you pay for it seems.

I must say that I would have expected that the light output from a 100W LED from almost any manufacturer would be "quite staggering"!

Kind Regards, John

 

[theprinceofdarkness]

No one makes a high reliabilty PIR, even in expensive lamps, the PIR module is a cheapo Chinese one, expect a 30+% failure in the first two years.
Frank

 

[ericmark]

Her in doors bought a cheap flood light when a local Aldi opened 120W with built in PIR less than £5, however the cable cost me nearly £5 and the tube lasted 3 days. So it was internet and a 5.5W LED bulb to fit the lamp. Arrived and fitted works A1 so with cable and new bulb cost has gone to around £14 but to my mind £14 well spent. And the 5.5W LED tube replacement is ample.

 

[Mr. Clueless]

This is the unit i ordered, but will be returning: https://www.ledhut.co.uk/led-flood-...line-led-flood-light-30-watt-replacement.html 10w

This is the unit i have just ordered now for the job. I think our garden is around 8-9 mtrs in length: https://www.ledhut.co.uk/led-flood-...ine-led-flood-light-100-watt-replacement.html