Customer Reviews

Westek SLC6CFL 100W Programmable Screw-In Light Control, White

5 star:		(18)
4 star:		(6)
3 star:		(6)
2 star:		(3)
1 star:		(33)

 

 

I really liked the specs of this item and bought two from Home Depot (several variations of the same can be found in Fred Meyer and other stores).

As couple of others have pointed out, it doesn't turn off at dawn in the dusk-to-dawn mode, as advertised I did some experiments indoors and it turns out that while it can turn on correctly in low light conditions, the logic is faulty in detecting ambient light while the light is ON - perhaps it is a difficult problem. I contacted the Company via email and they confirm it will not work if the outside is cloudy - which is most of the time in the Seattle area.

I tried to use it in the 8 hour mode recently, but even that seems to be faulty - it works for about a week, and again does not turn off after 8 hours.

I hope the company can fix this annoying bug.

I purchased this item after reading the negative reviews, so I was prepared for the worst. The reason I bought it was that it was the only device of it's kind (after lots of searching) that worked with CFL lightbulbs. I bought two of these for the lights in front of my building and it works fine with the timer turned on (for 8 hours). The CFL bulbs I'm using shine at their normal brightness. Out of curiosity I tried it in the default dusk-till-dawn mode, and like other reviewers noted, the light control has trouble knowing when to turn off. One of the lights did turn off on it's own, but only because the sun was shining directly on it. The other light stayed on all day. Another thing to mention is that when you flip the light switch off then on, or have a power outage, the light control resets back to the default mode. So if you leave it in a timed mode and notice one day that the light stays on, double-check that the timer wasn't reset. I've had these two light controls for a few months in 8 hour mode and they work great. I also bought a plastic cover that goes over the light switch so no one accidentally switches the light off and it works great. 12 each: Ace Switch Guard (3017746)

Environmentally minded as you are you search high and low for one of these timers that is CF-bulb compatible. And then you come across this one: it looks sleek and simple, has basic features, is not too expensive. Finally you've found what you want! But then there are all the negative reviews: "doesn't work," "disappointed," "wont shut off." But you just wanna believe that you're different, that it is gonna work for you. And with high hopes you buy one, and install it, and moments later find yourself shaking your head and writing a review just like this one. This is my story. Don't waste your time with this.

Length:: 1:08 Mins

I installed this product with a 60 watt incandescent light bulb facing upwards in an ordinary floor lamp.

The product seemed to be working ok as far as timer functionality but after approximately two hours of operation I could smell an odor of something burning. I turned off the lamp and noticed that the receptacle was blackened at one of two solder joints on the bottom of this product.

Unfortunately, I am past the 30 day return date.

The quality of the solder joints on the bottom of this unit look "cold" and defective....I will hesitate to ever purchase another product from Westek or Amertac in the future.

Like all the other reviewers, I took a chance that they had resolved this issue but they haven't. I sent them an email saying it won't shut off at dawn. They replied that the photo eye has to point towards the area where the sun shines and also that it won't work with frosted glass. I have frosted glass on my outside lights so intended to replace them with clear glass so I took the frosted panels out so there was nothing in front of the photo eye and made sure the eye was facing towards the light of day and they still would not turn off. The only way to reset them is to turn the power off to them and then back on and then they stay out until it gets dark again. Kind of defeats the purpose of having photo eye control, doesn't it. Since I have returned these I found one that does work and will accept CFL's. Go to Touchandglow.com and search for model S-751MG. They come in a pack of one or pack of two. The only catch is you have to have clear glass on your lights, not frosted. They work like a champ, I just ordered another one.

This product was a total waste of money. I had a problem that seems to be common: the unit would never shut off. I wanted something for a cfl, and this was the only thing I could find. I ended up throwing this thing away because it is literally totally useless, and I installed a wire-in photo cell that was cheaper and worked like a charm.

I followed the very easy instructions to program the control to remain on for 8 hours - it would go on but not shut off. I tried the random setting, which also didn't work. Honestly, the simple (and less expensive) dusk to dawn sensors work better - at least they turn off.

Great idea for a photo sensor - just wish it worked.

I purchased two of these bulbs from Amazon because they were rated to accommodate CFLs(Compact Florescent Light bulbs). I was extremely disappointed after replacing my existing incandescent screw-in light control adapters (which had always worked well) with these new adaptors. The photocell sensors in the unit were positioned as described in the instructions. However, while the lights turned on at dusk, they failed to turn off at all during the daytime. Each day I had to turn off the lights to reset them so they would come on again at dusk. I'm back to using my incandescent screw-in adapters which I can rely on.

We wanted to use these for our outdoor front lights and for our indoor living room light (next to a window). When installed indoors, even next to a window, the light remained on all the time. When we moved on to install it outdoors, in full Arizona sunlight, the light still remained on at all times. Do not purchase.

no luck! I hoped that the other reviewers got a bad unit or something about their setup made it not work but if that is the case then it is true at my place too! First of all I was thrilled when I screwed it in and the bulb was just as bright as w/o this adapter as that is the problem I have had with other options. I programmed it (which was easy) at night so it was on from the start. When I got up the next day it was off Hoooray! but it never came on again and when I tried to re-program it nothing seemed to happen (i.e. the light flashing indicator did not go off. So back in the pkg it went!
I was using an incandescent bulb which it says is ok (also works with CFL). I had no problem getting the sensor to face away from the house and my fixture has clear panels and is open in the bottom so there is no reason it should not work. My old adapter had no trouble sensing day and night in this fixture so it should have worked! If only my old one did not dim the light to look like a candle!