sitelights
05-11-2008, 12:30 PM
Lightcraft East "Surface Eyebrow" SD406B-T3 is similar in appearance to some other domed deck lights a number of which are reviewed in this forum. Purchase and shipping are discussed in the post on Lightcraft's micro bullet.
The attachment is an "exploded" view slightly less than full size on my screen. The interior is very near to flat black; most fixtures of this type have a gloss white paint finish on the backing plate to increase light emanating from the frosted lens. Fortunately this fixture comes with a JC12V-20W/G4 C-6 halogen lamp so light output is as good or better than fixtures with gloss white back plates that are limited to 10w. The frosted lens is not uniformly bright as it would be if the interior was more reflective. The thick frosted lens is well attached and neatly siliconed to the body; this cannot be said for the competition but fit is inconsequential compared to the design flaws exhibited by the Lightcraft product.
Unlike the other deck lights of similar appearance the attachment to the backing plate is with three short Phillips head machine screws rather than the pair of tiny Allen head set screws on the outside edge of the circumferential flange. The screw/threaded hole interface has the same problem as the socket mount on the micro bullet i.e. no tapered entry point. A close examination of the screws protruding from the fixture cover will show that they are captured with O-rings I added as an assembly aid. As the fixture came out of the box it had no O-rings to capture the screws and consequently in the field they fall out of the cover and scurry under something never to be seen again. If the flat gasket was formed to capture the screws (as is the case on gasketed weathertight J-boxes) the O-rings would not be necessary.
The topic of installation ease is addressed in the 2002 post "White Lab Coats" in the Engineering Forum.
The screw heads spoil the appearance of the face plate giving it an unintended industrial look. The backing plate, face plate and gasket sacrifice utility for novelty since this design is inferior to the competition's. Product differentiation serves no purpose in this case except to punish the installer.
The 16/2 lead wire is covered by a protective sheath which does not fit into the groove cast into the backing plate; this groove ostensibly serves the purpose of allowing the back plate to fit flush against the mounting surface but it doesn't. This is apparent in the attachment where the wire exits the plate at an angle that cannot be corrected.
The CAST version of this fixture has the same problem. The 16/2 serves a purpose if it is 25' long. Lightcraft has an option to equip the fixture with a 25' lead but the standard 3' lead could easily be 18/2 with a better chance of fitting in the groove.
The Lightcraft website quotes the company owner "I spent years installing outdoor lighting fixtures and I knew exactly what I wanted to produce...".
The attachment is an "exploded" view slightly less than full size on my screen. The interior is very near to flat black; most fixtures of this type have a gloss white paint finish on the backing plate to increase light emanating from the frosted lens. Fortunately this fixture comes with a JC12V-20W/G4 C-6 halogen lamp so light output is as good or better than fixtures with gloss white back plates that are limited to 10w. The frosted lens is not uniformly bright as it would be if the interior was more reflective. The thick frosted lens is well attached and neatly siliconed to the body; this cannot be said for the competition but fit is inconsequential compared to the design flaws exhibited by the Lightcraft product.
Unlike the other deck lights of similar appearance the attachment to the backing plate is with three short Phillips head machine screws rather than the pair of tiny Allen head set screws on the outside edge of the circumferential flange. The screw/threaded hole interface has the same problem as the socket mount on the micro bullet i.e. no tapered entry point. A close examination of the screws protruding from the fixture cover will show that they are captured with O-rings I added as an assembly aid. As the fixture came out of the box it had no O-rings to capture the screws and consequently in the field they fall out of the cover and scurry under something never to be seen again. If the flat gasket was formed to capture the screws (as is the case on gasketed weathertight J-boxes) the O-rings would not be necessary.
The topic of installation ease is addressed in the 2002 post "White Lab Coats" in the Engineering Forum.
The screw heads spoil the appearance of the face plate giving it an unintended industrial look. The backing plate, face plate and gasket sacrifice utility for novelty since this design is inferior to the competition's. Product differentiation serves no purpose in this case except to punish the installer.
The 16/2 lead wire is covered by a protective sheath which does not fit into the groove cast into the backing plate; this groove ostensibly serves the purpose of allowing the back plate to fit flush against the mounting surface but it doesn't. This is apparent in the attachment where the wire exits the plate at an angle that cannot be corrected.
The CAST version of this fixture has the same problem. The 16/2 serves a purpose if it is 25' long. Lightcraft has an option to equip the fixture with a 25' lead but the standard 3' lead could easily be 18/2 with a better chance of fitting in the groove.
The Lightcraft website quotes the company owner "I spent years installing outdoor lighting fixtures and I knew exactly what I wanted to produce...".