Where to buy outdoor lighting

[Jim Neal]

I'm sick of buying flimsy rubbish from DIY shops & screwfix etc etc that doesn't work properly and fails after 6 months.  I need to renew some outdoor lighting and wondered if anyone could recommend somewhere to purchase from that's not rubbish quality.

I'm looking for a corner PIR detector, standard PIR, a few standalone manually switchable lights, that sort of thing.

Thanks!

[Diver One]

PIRS? STEINEL!

as for light fittings...ASBAC Fumagali are good but 💰 💰💰💰

[ditchman]

i feel your pain.....alot of stuff (the plastic stuff) is not UV protected..and after a couple of years they warp ....bend...let water in etc.....

i really got fed up with the carp that was about ....in desperation ...until i could get something better.....i made security lights for aroung the shed and worshop out of large pickled egg jars....with low energy light bulbs in them....that was 10 years ago and as far as i know they are still in place ..lol

[Dougy]

https://www.onlinelighting.co.uk/easyfit-12v-garden-lights-fern-led-12-spotlight-kit.html

 

I have similar to these, (10 years ago) upgraded from what where 20w halogen to 4w led that you can change colour using a small key pad, connected a wifi switch that i can control up to 100mtr

 

 

[Wilts#Dave]

Pir’s, as already mentioned above Steinel are the best if you don’t mind spending more! 
outside lighting is a minefield though, I’ve fitted ‘designer’ lights worth hundreds of pounds that are equally poor in design as cheaper ones but there are better out there…..Jim Lawrence is good stuff but pricey, I have to say lights without sensors built in if fitted well shouldn’t fail in 6 months! 
The classic up/down lights for example, I’ve fitted loads of Screwfix specials as well as more expensive variants and they’re all the same really but generally fiddly to install which is where a lot of the issues arise (outside lighting is the biggest thing I’ll attend to failure wise, it’s amazing how harsh the weather is and where water will find it’s way in).

[udderlyoffroad]

Two tips

1. Go to your local electrical wholesaler and ask for what his regulars are using.  It's a problem electricians have too, per @Wilts#Dave 's post. As soon as they find a brand they like that doesn't cause 'call backs', the manufacturers will invariably decide "oh hey, we're making these things too well.  Let's add a point of failure".

2. Do what the professionals do.  Have you noticed how these days sparkies are fitting a plastic junction box next to the outside light, so that if the light fails, it's a five minute job to swap out the light.  Get a quality JB which is made from decent plastic, i.e. a Wiska.  Don't, whatever you do, try to run twin and earth straight through a gland into the light fitting.  That's just asking for trouble.

[Wilts#Dave]

12 hours ago, udderlyoffroad said:

Two tips

1. Go to your local electrical wholesaler and ask for what his regulars are using.  It's a problem electricians have too, per @Wilts#Dave 's post. As soon as they find a brand they like that doesn't cause 'call backs', the manufacturers will invariably decide "oh hey, we're making these things too well.  Let's add a point of failure".

2. Do what the professionals do.  Have you noticed how these days sparkies are fitting a plastic junction box next to the outside light, so that if the light fails, it's a five minute job to swap out the light.  Get a quality JB which is made from decent plastic, i.e. a Wiska.  Don't, whatever you do, try to run twin and earth straight through a gland into the light fitting.  That's just asking for trouble.

Point 2 arose mainly due to the led flood lights being fitted with pre-wired flex, where the old style halogen floods allowed cable entry to the fitting. The pre-wired flex on the new lights is so they can sell them as a specific ‘ip’ rating. It’s a much better idea as you say, if you use a wiska box or similar with a stuffing gland for the flex. 
Sloppy workmanship is the biggest cause of outside light issues! 

[Jim Neal]

Thanks everyone for taking the time to reply.  That's some great advice, I appreciate it 👍

In buying this house, I've inherited a lot of workmanship that's "interesting" to say the least!  I'll eventually rent the house out so it will need to pass the recently introduced electrical test - which it won't at present!  The biggest nightmare I've got is I'm going to have to lift a load of patio slabs and do some digging, then reinstate afterwards, to run an armoured cable to the outbuildings.  The previous owner's attempt at supplying the outbuildings was to run a not very thick twin & earth spurred off the house ring main, inside a plastic conduit, just below surface, which I put a garden fork through the first time I dug the weeds up in the flower bed by the house!  To be fair it runs a fridge, freezer, 4 strip lights, battery chargers plus whatever else I'm using and it hasn't caused fireworks yet.....