LIDL spotlight review Mk2!

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spotify95
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LIDL spotlight review Mk2!

Postby spotify95 » March 5th, 2018, 4:49 pm

Anyone up for a 2nd review of the LIDL "energy saving" spotlight? Well guess what, it's coming your way in the next few weeks!

Reasoning: had a look in my local LIDL store, and yes, they are selling those nasty lights again. The ones with the PIR sensor and the E27 screw in base, with CFL bulb supplied. I will go into more depth as to why this is a bad idea, as well as a test of it with various bulbs in use (40W incandescent, 23W curly, 6W LED). As obviously, it's not selling very well...


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pinkteddyx64
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Re: LIDL spotlight review Mk2!

Postby pinkteddyx64 » March 5th, 2018, 6:06 pm

spotify95 wrote:Anyone up for a 2nd review of the LIDL "energy saving" spotlight? Well guess what, it's coming your way in the next few weeks!

Reasoning: had a look in my local LIDL store, and yes, they are selling those nasty lights again. The ones with the PIR sensor and the E27 screw in base, with CFL bulb supplied. I will go into more depth as to why this is a bad idea, as well as a test of it with various bulbs in use (40W incandescent, 23W curly, 6W LED). As obviously, it's not selling very well...

Do Lidl think we're stupid or something? :rolleyes: :doh2:


Imageeriously, life's too short to be worried about retards on an internet forum. :eek2: :eek3:
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spotify95
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Re: LIDL spotlight review Mk2!

Postby spotify95 » October 20th, 2020, 10:20 pm

Update: October 2020

A second review of this Livarno Lux (LIDL) spotlight fitting will be going ahead in the coming days/weeks.

These fittings are no longer being sold in LIDL supermarkets, however, they are still being sold online on eBay (and possibly other sources too). Therefore, the original review is still relevant - and since the first review was made about 3 years ago, some improvements can be made by filming another video with additional features/information.
For example, I spoke previously about how a CFL bulb should not be paired with a PIR motion detector unit (and how the lifespan of the bulb would be affected); this time, I will test the fitting and review the brightness of the included CFL bulb, as well as other suitable bulbs that could be used (e.g. 60W/75W/100W incandescent, 42W/53W/70W halogen bulbs, 6W/9W/12W/15W LED bulbs).

Stay tuned for future updates on this - also, depending on how this goes, I may also test a couple of LED spot lights with in built LED panel lights.


spotify95
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Re: LIDL spotlight review Mk2!

Postby spotify95 » March 26th, 2021, 12:02 am

Update: March 2021

A review of the LIVARNO LUX outdoor spotlight will soon be uploaded; it has been recorded and is going through the editing process.
I've concentrated this time on the light fitting itself, rather than the theory behind the light fixture and the supplied light bulb (a 23W, 6500K daylight CFL light bulb).
I've covered the ease of replacing the light bulb, as well as the different types of light bulb you could use with this fixture, their brightness (including comparison to the 23W CFL), as well as bypassing the PIR motion detection unit in its entirety (and yes, this does work).
As for a suitable light bulb, I'd recommend a 60W/800 lumen equivalent LED light bulb (approximately 6-9W) or better, though for a softer illumination as a low intensity night light or backlight, a 40W/470 lumen equivalent (4-6W) LED light bulb would also be OK. For matching the light output of the supplied light bulb, a 1200 lumen LED light bulb (12W LED, equivalent to a 75-100W incandescent) is recommended.
I'd only recommend using a CFL light bulb if your intention is to disconnect the PIR motion sensor, and control the light bulb via other means (e.g. a timer, a photocell, or a switch) that leave the light bulb running for longer periods of time.

Note the following information from Wikipedia, that is relevant:

"CFLs are generally not designed for outdoor use and some will not start in cold weather. CFLs are available with cold-weather ballasts, which may be rated to as low as −28.8°C (−20°F). Light output in the first few minutes drops at low temperatures."

"Some CFLs are marketed as "instant on" and have no noticeable warm-up period, but others can take up to a minute to reach full brightness, or longer in very cold temperatures. Some that use a mercury amalgam can take up to three minutes to reach full output. This and the shorter life of CFLs when turned on and off for short periods may make CFLs less suitable for applications such as motion-activated lighting."

This information basically confirms what I mentioned in the first review video, as well as my overall viewpoint towards this type of product: the characteristics of the supplied light bulb does not match the characteristics of the light fitting, and the light bulb ideally needs replacing with a suitable LED light bulb.

Note that I would not recommend using a high power incandescent or halogen light bulb with this light fitting, due to power considerations. The light fitting is designed for use with light bulbs up to 23W, hence using a 60W or higher incandescent or halogen light bulb will likely cause problems with regards to heat generation and current draw. Having said this, you should be OK with a 25W incandescent lamp or a 28W halogen lamp, if used as a low power background light, for low intensity illumination - especially if used with the lower time adjustment settings (e.g. 5 minutes or less).

The main redeeming factor about this light fitting is that the lamp is user replaceable, thus easily allowing a conversion to a suitable LED lamp. The socket is a standard E27 screw in lamp socket, unlike modern slimline LED light bulbs which have non-replaceable LED panels.

Link will be posted when the video is up :)



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