Customer Reviews

Intermatic CL635R Malibu Low Voltage Metal Capped 20-Watt Landscape Bollard Light, Black

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

 

 

When I first wired my backyard, almost eight years ago, I put in a dozen of these lights. They looked good, but didn't last too long.

Pro:
- Look great for a while.
- Easy to install
- Inexpensive

Here's what went wrong:
- Aluminum corrodes. In some cases, the stake almost completely dissolved an inch underground. In others, the screw thread joining the top section to the post corroded and the sections couldn't be separated to replace a burned-out light. And in still others, the sections could be separated, but wouldn't firmly fasten together again.
- The bottom is open for ventilation. Bugs get inside and carry dirt with them. The lamp reflectors serve nicely to push the falling dirt up against the bulb, which then promptly burns out...the lamps run very hot and it's important that the heat pass through glass instead of heating the glass. (Hence the warning not to touch the bulb when installing. The oil from your fingers interferes with the heat transmission.)
- If they last, the black paint eventually turns gray and flakes off.

A couple of people mentioned that they've had a hard time finding bulbs. That's surprising as they're standard MR-16 bulbs, available in all the big box stores, almost every hardware store (at least those where I looked!) and on-line at here at Amazon. (See Halogen Light Bulb, MR-16, BAB, GX5.3 Base, 12 Volts, 20 Watt, 36° Flood for one of many choices.) LED bulbs also work, but you need to be careful that you leave some regular incandescent bulbs on the lamp string...with only LED Lamps, the load is too low and the standard transformer's output voltage can rise and substantially shorten the life of the LEDs.

This is a solid landscape light at a steal price. I have not had problems finding lamps as the other reviewer mentioned. They are readily available at the home center and will last longer if you wear gloves when installing. the oil from your hands will cause premature failure. i usually swap out the lights for LED's found on E*bay. The leds last just about forever and let you get by on a smaller transformer.

I have several sets of these metal bollard style low voltage lights. They look great.

But perhaps most importantly they stand up to foul weather and heavy traffic. I have them lining my garden walk. Not inefrequently the dogs will run over them, I will kick them, or one will get hit by a wheel barrow. They stand up to the punishment. I note that after a few years the black surface needs renewing.

As is true with all low voltage, the weakness in these units is their electrical coonection. Unlike plastic lights, however, once a connection is made, it remains made!

We bought these to replace plastic Malibu lights that had lasted for many years but were starting to show their age. We thought that by buying the metal lamps they would last even longer. The two problems that I have with the lamps are the plastic clips to connect them to the wires are very difficult to pierce the wire and the clips can come lose.

But my biggest complaint is that the cylinder is separate from the base and screws onto it with little "nubs". These nubs have a tendency to break off if bumped by a foot, ball, lawnmower or even heavy snow. Once these have broken off the lights will no longer stay on the base and fall off.

We bought 2 of these systems for our back and front yards. After only a couple years they are almost all broken. I would recommend looking at a different model.

i ordered 5 of the lights. the price on amazon was very reasonable
compared to lowes and it was free shipping--what's not to like?
the lights are well made out of metal. they are much higher quality
than the inexpensive plastic ones. installation is very straightforward. if your 12 volt line is in place, all you do is squeeze the wiring prongs together, push the stakes in the ground, and wah-lah!

I've had these lights installed in New England, lots of bad weather, for the past year and a half. The first set of bulbs burnt out rather quickly. Replacements from Lowes or Home Depot have lasted much longer. These have withstood the elements very well. No fading, cracking etc. One does have a small dent in the top, probably where a tree brach fell on it in a storm, but the paint was not damaged. All metal construction with solid glass. Tried an LED version first but they were dim compared to these.

I've been using these lights in my back yard for about ten years. They're attractive and provide subtle lighting along the walkways. I have two concerns about them, however. As in all of the Malibu lights, the provided connection clips often tend to come loose from the feeder wire over time. I've chosen to hard wire all of my lamps. The other annoyance is that the base connection to the tubular part of the lamp will corrode in a few years, making bulb replacement virtually impossible. But generally, I find them attractive and reliable.

These lights give my landscaping the lighting they needed. The metal is heavy duty, well constructed and the stake is metal as well. Some previous reviews had some problems with the lights, but you must follow the directions. Do not touch the bulbs with your fingers, the oil from your hands causes them to burn out. So far like stated in another review I have had no problems with ants getting up into the lights. The only way this would happen is if you pushed the light down to far in the ground. There is an opening at the bottom to disapate heat from bulbs. You can't go wrong on price Home Depot sells them for 17.95 plus tax a piece

We purchased two sets of these a few years ago. The bulbs are so fragile and burn out so quickly, it is impossible to keep up with them. They are difficult to find in the retail stores and the price can be anywhere between $6 and $9 EACH! Another problem is that ants find them to be attractive homes. They fill the cylinders up with sand which eventually blocks all light from reaching the top of the fixture. It then becomes necessary to take the fixture apart to clean it out and then replace it ~ hoping that you don't blow the bulb in the process. Don't waste your money and always check the cost of the replacement bulbs before buying any set of outdoor fixtures.

Very well made lights. I bought these as replacements for the low end plastic ones and have been quite happy with them. Of course the bulbs are more expensive.