Customer Reviews

Intermatic CL10304T Malibu Outdoor Four-Light Lighting Kit with 300-Watt Power Pack/Timer, Black

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

 

 

This is my second Malibu/Intermatic light set, and I have found both to be very difficult to keep lit. I'd love someone who considers this to be an easy-to-use set to tell me what I'm doing wrong. The device used to connect each light to the central cable requires squeezing two spiked halves together to pierce the cable, and hoping the spike on each half makes AND holds contact with the wire beneath the outer insulation. I'm pretty good with my hands but getting this connection setup to work - AND hold - has proven next to impossible. Once connected, if the light is moved or knocked over there's a good chance the connection will have to be redone. Often it is difficult to tell whether the light bulb is burned out or if you just haven't made connection exactly right. I started to invest the time this spring in getting the set going again (only its second season) and after half an hour without getting ANY of the four lights to work I realized this just isn't worth the trouble... even thought when it works the lights are really nice. I'd love to know if there are wired 4-light sets out there with a more reliable connection device.

PS - I contacted Intermatic/Malibu via email to ask what 4-light sets they make that do NOT have this type of connection device... after receiving a canned reply promising a response within 3 days, they failed to follow up within even 5 days and to date they have continued to ignore my inquiry. I guess they either don't have any or have more business than they can handle. Another 'customer service' failure...

PSS - After the above I called Intermatic/Malibu but my only option (even during business hours) was leaving a message, which no one returned. On another attempt I reached someone who surprisingly admitted to me she also had lots of trouble with the connection device. She suggested stripping away insulation on the main cable to help those spikes make contact with wire, or after stripping the cable removing the connection devices and hard-wiring the light unit. Although willing to give either a try, as I stripped away insulation I began thinking "what's wrong with this picture...?"

By the way, when I opened the light units to try changing bulbs, two of the four units were corroded in the bulb chamber... after being outside about a year.

Speaking of bulbs, I had forgotten to mention that when trying to replace bulbs last summer, nothing in the owners' manual that I could find tells you what kind of bulb it takes. Two had burned out LONG before any reasonable bulb life. I bought what appeared to be the right type (the commonly used MR-16, which has a built-in reflector). When I tried to remove the old bulb I found that what looks like an MR-16 bulb in the Malibu unit is actually a bolted-in reflector and a separate tiny Christmas-tree-sized bulb.

Easy to install, powerful converter in the kit, good hardware. The only thing I didn't like is that water accumulates on the lens when using them in "uplight" configuration (facing up to light a palm tree for example). I don't think it's a problem, but water accumulates there.

As long as you have a descreet waterproof electrical outlet you will love this product. Heck you could put a potted plant in front of the power box too. Anyways, I could'nt wait for day light when I brought mine home so I set it up in the dark (except for attaching the cord to the transformer box which I did inside the house)otherwise outside in the dark I held a flashlight in my mouth and connected the lights to the cord in NO time at all. The lights really are very easy to attach and relocate along the cord with no visible harm to the wiring, and the quality of light effect is fantastic! Not the anemic dull glow of everybody's elses solar lights, but bright clear light with a nice wide radius. The halogen light also reach a very nice height up into my trees for a dramatic effect. I selected to illuminate key focal points in my yard to avoid looking like a mini airport. I have heard it can be a good thing to run the cord through PVC if you think your gardner goes cracy with the shovel. But I can't be bothered. All I don't know is how well the electrical connections will last from year to year. For now I'm sold on this product for Halogen lighting in my yard!!! 30-40 minute installation the first time, 20-min with my second purchase! Excellent value.

I've owned these lights for the last year and they are reliable but if you point them up, water accumulates on the lense and the glass becomes clouded over. I've tried to clean them but the mineral deposits become too thick after a period of time. They should make them with drainage holes in the outside cover.

I purched this Malibu lighting kit before they
sold the company to Intermatic almost 10 to 20 days. But
Intermatic did not honor werrenty b/c it was purched 10 days before
their owner ship of the company. I think this company is a joke... they
should produce better product to make costomer satisfy or replace transformer
if it is under werrenty.

I received the Malibu pack of 4 lawn floodlights kit and found that all the gaskets had fallen behind the the bulb lens during shipment. I called Malibu and was told that this was not their product but a product made by Intermatic even though all the labeling and information on the box and instructions only had the name of Malibu. So I contacted Intermatic and was told that all of their products did not have a loose gasket but were sealed to fixture lens. So I purchased a tube of silicon adhesive and attached all the gaskets to the fixture glass lens. I still do not know if the product I bought is a Malibu or an Intermatic product. I really think that the product is a Malibu product but feel I should know in case of a warranty issue.

I have read some reviews that indicated that water was found in the fixtures-I would recommend you check the gaskets and make sure that they are sealed to the glass lens of the fixture.

I got these lights a few months ago. They do have a quick connect feature which I do not need because I could hard wire the lights, but the quick connect is easy to do and makes a solid circuit. The quick connect feature includes two locking pieces that makes the set-up simple. The lights are bright and I have not needed to replace a bulb yet. I picked up an extra light after getting the kit and added it on without any trouble since the transformer has extra capacity.

It's now November and no trouble with the lighting, not even a light bulb has needed to be replaced. The price of $64.80 is now amazingly low for the lighting system.

I purchased 4 sets of these for the front and back of my house. I've put 6 lights on 1 converter with no issues and these are very easy to setup. I've had these for 3 months and so far, no complaints.

This product was so easy to install that I myself could not believe. For a similar job, contractors were asking for $2000 or more. If you are self-doer, go for it!

I've always enjoyed outdoor lighting. It adds beauty, safety and most imprtantly, security to my house. I started like most people, and got a plastic 20 piece set with an 88 watt power pack. That was fine for up close things, using most of the pathway lights around the garden, and used the spotlights directly on the vehicles, while everything else was left in the dark. I was very happy to throw that set away once I came across this set. I bought it for myself on Christmas in 06, and had it installed within minutes that night. It's durable, stands up to the most careless of weed-eating, super bright, and adds all the beauty, safety and security I could ever ask for.

I have five spotlights now, and although it dims just a small amount going from using 200 watts to 250 watts, the overall brightness and coverage makes you forget about how the origional four spotlights aren't as bright. I don't have problems with water getting into the case, but I only have them facing up a slight hill towards the house, rather than straight up on a tree. The only repair I've had to do after being careless with a weedeater is using the kit with the wires and connectors, and just splicing the wires. I am the only homeowner that I've seen in town that has this style of landscaping lights, making my house and car the only one glowing from dusk to dawn. If you're considering this set, put aside any doubts, any concerns, and buy this... you will love it!