Customer Reviews

Angelo Brothers 70801 Halogen Dimmer for Torchiere Lamps

5 star:		(12)
4 star:		(7)
3 star:		(2)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

The switch comes ready to wire together with existing lamp wires. Very easy. ONE NOTE HOWEVER: I purchased two switches to repair both of my lamps. One was 500W and the other 300W. The new switch went inside the 500W lamp pole with plenty of room. It would not insert into the 300W. My 300W pole inside diameter was too small and the switch height from base to toggle(?) top was too tall.
I measured both outside diameters of each of the lamps. The 500W was 1.5 inch outer diameter whereas the 300W was 1.25 inch outside diameter. Approximating, you will need a outside pole diameter of 1.35 inch or larger for this replacment switch to install.

This Westinghouse unit is a great in-line dimmer to keep your old Torchiere running (and they literally don't make them like they used to so this is an important fix!).

This product is superior to the Westek one (Westek 6079BC 500W Full Range Replacement Dimmer, Black) because it easily fits into the 1.5" post of a 500 W Torchiere (and this switch is designed up to 500 W, though you can use it easily with 300 W bulbs). The Westek one was more difficult to install into the 1.5" post because the tolerance of fit was about zero.

However: unlike the Westek unit, you will need electrical twisty connectors for this product, because it is literally just a switch, no connectors included. A #5 connector will do just fine.

Also, unlike the Westek, this doesn't come with good instructions for installation. Here's the important hint: the two wires inside your lamp aren't the same. One outside insulation is smooth, the other has a ridge to it. Make sure when you install the dimmer, you connect the smooth wire to the smooth wire and the ridge wire to the ridge wire.

Lastly: the press fit for the brass colored knob was too tight on this unit and it was impossible to slide off for installation without marring it. Good thing I kept the original knob from the original dimmer that was being replaced. Of course, the original knob fit perfectly on this Westinghouse dimmer.

Even with all these issues (1) no connectors (easily gotten at Home Depot) (2) no instructions and (3) brass knob fit, I would still recommend this unit over the Westek because it was far easier to slide into the lamp for installation.

I have 2 Torchiere style lamps - they look the same but are slightly different/bought about a year apart. Coincidentally both of them developed the same problem with the dimmer about the same time. I was ready to throw them out till I found out the 300 watt units are hard to come by now at reasonable prices.

While searching Amazon for replacement units I came across the replacement dimmer units by Angelo Brothers/Westinghouse.

Ordered 2 - easy to install, I would have given this item 5 stars except for the problems described by others having done these reviews already:

1. Hard as hell to get the plastic replacement knob off the new switch without defacing it so the switch body can be installed inside the pole. (the knob should be in the package and not shipped on the switch)

2. Would have been nice for Angelo Brothers/ Westinghouse to have put 4 wire nuts in the package, this necessitated a trip to Home Depot.

This did work in a floor lamp with a 1.25" outside diameter after I used my dremel an cut some of the protruding switch off. I cut about .25" inch off. Before I made the cut I placed the switch in a freezer to cool it down just to get it cold and protect the electronics while making the cut (about five minutes). After cutting just over half way, the switch was hot from the cut and I again placed it in the freezer to cool it down for a few minutes. I then completed the cut and cooled it down once more. I smoothed the edges, wired it up and placed it in the lamp and it worked perfectly. There is enough of the switch left for the knob that goes over it. I used the original knob which was silver and matched the lamp. The knob that came with this was gold. Since I have three other floor lamps that matched this lamp and because I couldn't find this style lamp anymore it worked out great. I didn't have any luck finding a dimmer switch that had the shorter switch knob, but if you can, it would be easier and you wouldn't risk damaging the electronics on the switch making the cut.

It was a great idea to provide a replacement dimmer switch for us DIYers, but the knob is fused or glued on and it has to be removed before you can install it. Given that the actual mechanical switch is what fails, (not the circuitry), and it is rather flimsy to begin with (I know because I took the old one apart to try to repair it) you are stuck trying to get that knob off without damaging the one important part of the dimmer module. What should have been a easy 10 minute repair turned into an hour long ordeal from messing with that knob. It's made of soft plastic so if you try to pry it off you end up chewing up the bottom part. What I should have done is pull out my dremel cutter and sliced it into two halve to peel it off the shaft since I'm having to use the old knob anyway.

It would have gotten 5 stars if it wasn't for that knob.

I hate overhead light, but fortunately had a great 300W halogen torchiere in my office that gave me tons of illumination in a very nicely indirect way. Until, one day, it didn't. It was incredibly frustrating--the bulb was fine, the plug was fine, there were no fuses--what could the problem be? Finally I realized the only unevaluated potential point of failure was the dimmer switch. I took the pole apart, cut out the switch, bypassing it altogether, and voila, light!

But, I was left with a problem--sometimes 300W is too much (they do get hot in an office, and I don't necessarily need full brightness at night). So a quick google led me to Amazon and the Angelo Brothers replacement switch. I got one, took apart the lamp, wired it into the place where I'd spliced out the old one, and Bob's your uncle, it was as good as new!

I had half a mind to start posting on Craigslist to have people donate their old dead torchieres to me for rehab--I know there are a lot of folks out there who will be sad when their irreplaceable (literally) high-watt lamps give up the ghost. But if you're reading this, you'll know the secret and your lamp won't have to be consigned to the scrap heap. With a little elbow grease and this handy replacement switch, you'll be back in business in no time!

Just ordered this unit to replace my "frozen" switch. I haven't installed it yet so I will return if I have any additional wisdom. But I am excited to tell you that I figured out how to get the knob off without damaging anything. First, put a piece of packing tape around the circumference of the knob. Then put a dry, fluffy washcloth around the knob. Apply regular pliers gently with a rocking motion. It comes right off and the knob is perfectly unmarred - a good thing since it matches my lamp to a T.

Dimmer installed. Works great. It's important to match the smooth wires to each other and the ridged wires to each other but I couldn't feel or see any difference until I examined the wire under very bright light. Hope that helps you.

I want to thank everyone for their tips on installation. They helped immensely. Everything went fine since I factored in some aggravation on cutting off the knob that came with the switch and then re-used the old one from the broken switch (thus my 4 instead of 5 star review). I will be ordering two more for other halogen lamps that I also have whose switches will eventually fail.

The specs were not exactly the same as what I needed to replace, but the illustration was so sharp, I went ahead and ordered it...it worked perfectly.

Thanks to these replacement dimmer switches, we can continue to get high output indirect light for our dark areas with old torchiere style lamps, the kind of light that just isn't available from any current fixtures.