Malibu 1W LED landscape light

[CM]

Was at the Home Depot this weekend and spotted "1W LED" Malibu lights like this:

http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0015DM1N0/?tag=cpf0b6-20

Anyone seen/try this? Those MR16 LED replacement just doesn't cut it because you can't get the heat out. These look to be designed specifically for LED so it should do a lot better. It was only $45 for a pair. If thermal design is good, I may boost the drive a little bit, or just replace the weak luxeon with a Seoul P4.

 

[CM]

Well, I was a sucker and bought one. It wasn't a luxeon in there. But that's not where the problem is. Quality sucked. LED was not only off center but set back so far I doubt if more than 50% of the light coming off the surface actually made it out the front. Also, heatsinking sucked big time. The LED had very little path from die to the body of the light.

The idea was great but the execution was extremely substandard. I can see why it's only $22.50 per light. It probably cost a thousand bucks for development and $4-$5 for BOM and the result shows it. It went back for a refund.

 

[LukeA]

I've never seen anything from Malibu that wasn't total crap.

 

[SafetyBob]

I would recommend you look at them as expensive, prefinished housings for YOUR led project that you make the heatsink, ect for.....or just make your own.

For that kind of money you could buy every junk M@g at garage sales and use the head with reflector to make your own little Malibu type light....and have twice the light when you are done. I just gave myself another project....arrrrr.

Bob E.

 

[CM]

I would recommend you look at them as expensive, prefinished housings for YOUR led project that you make the heatsink, ect for.....or just make your own.

For that kind of money you could buy every junk M@g at garage sales and use the head with reflector to make your own little Malibu type light....and have twice the light when you are done. I just gave myself another project....arrrrr.

Bob E.

Yeah, I was hoping to use them as hosts if things weren't as advertised but they suck even at that. There is very little thermal path from the LED to the housing body. I'd have to machine something to transfer the heat out and at that point, I might as well make the whole damn thing. I should write them and tell them what they did wrong but why waste my time.

I need to go find some garage sales...

 

[JohnR66]

OT: a bit

I was at Lowes looking at the landscape lights. There were the ones with 3 white 5mm LEDs. The LEDs were very dim and purplish in every lamp. I was surprised to see these LEDs have failed. I wonder how hard these are driven or if there is just bad LEDs in the mix out there.