Customer Reviews

Heath Zenith SL-5630-BZ-D 180 Degree Halogen Motion Sensing Security Light, Bronze

5 star:		(27)
4 star:		(3)
3 star:		(6)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(3)

 

 

I now have 4 of these lighting areas around my house. I had been using cheaper lights that didn't have the low-high motion detector settings, and they just didn't last. Finally started using these 6 years ago. Should have done that long before. So far I have changed 2 bulbs in 6 years, with one only lasting 4 years. These have paid for themselves in savings on electricity and just working faithfully for years! When I think back to those other lamps I was using, and having to replace them every year or two, these are a dream come true! I used my ladder to mount two on the back of the house 3 years ago, and I haven't been on a ladder for lighting since! Durable, efficient, and fairly easy to install and set up. I would recommend using a hookup that is controlled by a light switch, just in case you have to replace a bulb in a few years.

This light is great. It does two things I wanted - it has a high/low setting so there is dim light around the door at all times (enough when your eyes are used to the dark) and it has a motion detector to increases the brightness when motion is detected. It does use a weird sized halogen bulb, but it should last a while.

I have a few minor complaints about this light. First, the mounting bracket it came with is kinda flimsy and didn't perfectly mate with the electrical box into which I needed it to screw. I'm not sure if the box was an odd size, but the bracket wasn't "universal." Second, as some other reviewers have mentioned, the finish isn't exactly "bronze." It's more "grayish brown plastic." While it does include some metal components, the main body of this fixture is plastic. Not exactly what you think when you see something advertised as "bronze." The only other thing is that I was somehow expecting the light to be brighter than it is. Don't get me wrong, it's just as bright as any 100W lamp, but the fact that it's a halogen doesn't mean anything special in terms of brightness.

That said, I got the thing up and in place in about 20 minutes, including the time necessary to remove my old fixture. I don't even think about the porch light anymore. It's on half-brightness when it's dark outside and goes to full power when I go out after dark. It therefore does exactly what it's supposed to.

I give it three stars not because it's not good, but because it's just average.

Purchased this unit in March and it stopped working by May. At 1st I thought the bulb had burned out prematurely but the electronics failed in this unit.

Product has good, clean lines and is appropriate for side of building or shed. Sensor picks up movement from quite a distance; there should be some type of setting to restrict or focus the sensor but there is not. Adapter plate that came with the unit was useless and undersized. Had to visit the local hardware store and purchase a universal adapter that works. However, am pleased with affordability and good looks.

This has got to be the biggest PITA to install. They took an excellent light and screwed it up with
a crappy mounting bracket. It didnt fit a "remodel" box or a "metal" box without having to take a
Dremel and extend the slots in the bracket. When its finally installed it is held off the wall approx
1/4" due to the thickness of the bracket, and no way to caulk around the fixture, only the bracket.
I just hope the damn thing doesnt leak or the wasps start to build their nests behind it. Dont these
Manufacturers ever try to install their products?

This motion sensor light was an ideal purchase for me. One of the main reasons I selected this product (besides the complimentary reviews I read about it before making my own order) was its unobtrusive low-profile dimensions. The location on my home where I installed the light was adjacent to an exterior door from the dining room out on to the raised deck we have in the backyard. The door swings open to an exterior brick wall of the house, and there was a light there that was too big for that location - it obstructed too much of the swing of the door when trying to exit the house that way. This light is perfect for that reason alone. It's small enough to let the door swing properly. In its function the light has performed flawlessly. It comes on automatically at dusk, and turns itself off when daylight sun reaches adequate intensity. The low-level light function works perfectly. The light is manufactured very nicely. It looks appropriate on a nice home. The installation instructions are easy to follow - according to my son - and it took about 30 minutes of unhurried work to put the light in place. There are screws and mounting brackets included, of course, but my son opted to go the local hardware store to pick up corrosion-resistant stainless steel screws to mount the lighting fixture. The screws off the old light had been in place for about 17 years and had rusted to the point that there almost was not enough "head" left on the screws to give the screwdriver enough purchase in the slots to back the screws out. You folks might want to consider getting better screws for that reason. My son also wore clean nitrile gloves when assembling and installing the light. This helps keep the polished reflector free from dirty smudges from fingerprints when assembling the light. The quartz-halogen bulb is not to be touched by bare fingers as well so using the nitrile gloves is a very good idea. All in all, I highly recommend this motion sensor light.

This seems like a nice light, but I had lots of problems with the mounting setup.

Maybe everyone here has new homes or just have the proper boxes to mount this to--but I was mounting this on a stucco wall where I have a smaller box than the ring provided--and the "my way or the highway" ring essentially gave me no good way to mount the ring to the wall with what I have. Even after I spent a long amount of time rigging up the mounting ring to the stucco wall, accessing to the screws/holes in the unit itself to screw the light to the ring was difficult. I bent up the shiny mirrored surface with the screwdriver I was using accessing them. I suppose I could have used a right angle screwdriver and spent 10 minutes putting the screw in one quarter-thread at a time, but I was already annoyed with all the trouble I had with the ring and just wanted to finish the job.

The finished mount of the light has it mounted but protruding loosely 1/8" off the wall. I clearly am going to have to put in a whole new electrical box if I want this light securely adhered to the wall. I am going to see if all these outdoor lights are designed this way--a more flexible mounting bracket that would mount to various size boxes would have been appreciated.

Also--no fault of the light design--be sure you really want a light this sensitive and with this wide a range. I have this midway towards the back on the side of our house--and passing cars on our street kick this thing on. Also the neighbor's dog on the other side of the fence sets it off as well. In general, with its great sensitivity, it seems to really be on close to all night long. I guess this could be a great thing for some--but I guess I really wanted something that would come on if someone walked past or came into our backyard--I did not need *this* kind of range.

Overall I think the mount was an "F" and the light is a "B" -- but perhaps there's just something about my house that makes using this light particularly difficult.

Needed to add another security light after my dog was attacked by a coyote. Went to the big box stores, they didn't have what I wanted. Tried the local hardware store, they didn't have what I wanted either. Looked online and found them here. These lights are low light dusk to dawn ( it comes on at dusk and goes off at dawn) and motion sensors. While the low light is enough for the old dog to see, when she gets out there the bright light comes on and illuminates the whole yard. Because it's d to d I don't have to turn it on or off. I have had this same unit on the side yard for over ten years and other than changing bulbs there has been no problem.

I wanted a security light to cover the area around my patio door and deck. This fixture is on dusk to dawn at a 60 watt level with a slightly amber light that is pleasant and when a person approaches it at a distance of 15 to 20 feet, it switches to 100 watts and illuminates a larger area, allowing neighbors to see any activity around my door. It uses a cartridge type halogen bulb, and the fixture is relatively large, so take the measurements into consideration, but is lightweight. It has two internal switches to set the time on bright when tripped, and to turn the auto bright/dim feature on or off. So far (1 month) it has been a good choice at a good price. The free shipping was an even better value.