sitelights
06-24-2002, 09:14 PM
I have Vista's recently-introduced composite in-ground 5272 on my desk in front of me. I know the Hadco IL516 so well I don't need to see the actual unit. There is no real contest here. Both are injection-molded, glass reinforced polymer with apparently identical watertight bottom fittings for the 18 gauge lead wire. (Never dangle these luminaires by the 18/2 since you risk breaking the watertight seal.) The 5272 is heavier than the 516 and is appreciably more robust while being only slightly larger. The cavity of the 5272 is marginally larger than the 516 and both are rated for MR-16 50w max. The 5271 (which I will be using) differs from the 5272 in having a convex lens (the 5272 has a flat lens siliconed into the cover plate), an O-ring gasket (the 5272 has a flat silicone rubber gasket) and a short shroud integral with the cover plate. [The revised gasket/lens of the 5271/5272 (a flat or shrouded version of the UWL5217) was to occur in 2003 but has not changed so far; to date 5271 differs from the 5272 only in having a shroud.] If all this sounds a bit confusing it is because both Vista and Hadco use their moldings for an underwater version (Vista UW5217; Hadco UWL516). Vista uses different gasketing for the convex lens, shrouded model [not yet, see above] while Hadco relies on the same gasket to do double duty as both an in-ground and underwater fixture. Hadco for some reason pots the lower third of the cavity in epoxy on the UWL516 up to the base of the socket (try replacing this socket!) but all the leakage occurs through the top gasket (you can see the bubbles).
The Vista 5272 that I bought was connected to my home lighting system and promptly put into a bucket of water. This was unfair to the Vista fixture which is rated as an in-ground but after a week there was no sign of water penetration. This test was made at 11.7v and the 20w lamp was operating dusk to midnight (a total of about 30 hours). The Vista cover is secured by 5 slot-head stainless steel bolts that mate with threaded brass sleeves pressed into the housing. Hadco uses a twist-lock cover that ramps down onto the O-ring gasket; there is a totally extraneous set screw on the rim of the cover. When I stated that there was "no contest" at the beginning of this review I meant it.
The Hadco IL516 has no features to speak of: it is a housing, a socket and a cover and nothing else. The Vista 5272 includes a gimbal that allows 10 or 12 degrees of tilt with the fixture cover flat (you'd have to cant the 516 housing which would look accidental) and a lamp clip to hold the MR-16 in the socket. This clip is the first I've seen in a landscape lighting fixture even though I had a sample from Ushio 6 years ago (and showed it to Hadco). This spring clip mates with grooves cast into the base of all MR-16 lamps and holds the pins tight in the socket. This is the only improvement I've seen that addresses the problem of loose lamps when the lamp is tilted (in effect the lamp pins cantilever from the socket) or when the fixture receives a mild impact. These socket clips should be on every MR-16 landscape lighting fixture*.
Relamping is a snap with the Hadco units and it has to be since I have opened many and found the lamp lying inside the housing. Contrast that with the secure grip of the clips in the Vista units.
I timed a lamp change and the Hadco can be relamped without a tool if you discard that silly set screw in about 30 seconds. The Vista took about 2 minutes. In both cases you should take the time to wipe the gasket and channel clean of any debris.
We use about 200 in-grounds a year and about 12 UWL516s. I am switching from Hadco to Vista when my 25 unit supply is exhausted.
With an eye to improvement I suggest that Vista supply O-rings for their bolts on the 5271 to capture the bolts in the cover; this will take 30 seconds off the relamping time and prevent lost bolts. Hadco supplies these O-rings in their WAML floods for just that reason.
Note that fans of 50w MR-16 lamps will have to scrupulously follow the printed installation instructions that come with both units. NO shortcuts since the 50w lamps will cause a meltdown if the housings are set in insulating (read mulch) material.
We use basic black for all our non-appearance fixtures (those that you hide when you can). Hadco's IL516 is bronze-colored composite only while Vista supplies black, bronze, pewter and verde. Who cares? We use black only and don't cloud the issue (or needlessly expand our stock requirements) by allowing the client a choice.
You'll find the very slight (if any) premium you pay for the Vista items well worth the difference.
Be warned that Vista-supplied lamps do not have a front glass (go figure). Anyone that buys fixtures with MR-16 or PAR lamps is obviously purchasing each unit for a specific project placement. We work from our stock and much prefer to lamp in the field to match the lamp to the requirement of site conditions as we proceed from project to project.
The Vista 5272 was purchased through our local Vista distributor. The Vista UW5217 referred to in the review was sent as a free sample by the Vista rep for my area. I issued a P.O. for 100 5271s (convex lens) and 6 UW5217s prior to writing the review. The Hadco IL516H is an item we have used in quantity for the past 10 years and came from our existing stock of 25 units. The Hadco IL516H will be replaced by the Vista unit when our stock is depleted; the underwater version UWL516H has had a failure rate of 100% and we've been skating on their "replacement under warranty" policy for years and eating the labor costs but all things come to an end.
See "product samples" for additional details on this and related topics.
*This clip is shown as an attachment to "MR lamp clip" on this forum.
The Vista 5272 that I bought was connected to my home lighting system and promptly put into a bucket of water. This was unfair to the Vista fixture which is rated as an in-ground but after a week there was no sign of water penetration. This test was made at 11.7v and the 20w lamp was operating dusk to midnight (a total of about 30 hours). The Vista cover is secured by 5 slot-head stainless steel bolts that mate with threaded brass sleeves pressed into the housing. Hadco uses a twist-lock cover that ramps down onto the O-ring gasket; there is a totally extraneous set screw on the rim of the cover. When I stated that there was "no contest" at the beginning of this review I meant it.
The Hadco IL516 has no features to speak of: it is a housing, a socket and a cover and nothing else. The Vista 5272 includes a gimbal that allows 10 or 12 degrees of tilt with the fixture cover flat (you'd have to cant the 516 housing which would look accidental) and a lamp clip to hold the MR-16 in the socket. This clip is the first I've seen in a landscape lighting fixture even though I had a sample from Ushio 6 years ago (and showed it to Hadco). This spring clip mates with grooves cast into the base of all MR-16 lamps and holds the pins tight in the socket. This is the only improvement I've seen that addresses the problem of loose lamps when the lamp is tilted (in effect the lamp pins cantilever from the socket) or when the fixture receives a mild impact. These socket clips should be on every MR-16 landscape lighting fixture*.
Relamping is a snap with the Hadco units and it has to be since I have opened many and found the lamp lying inside the housing. Contrast that with the secure grip of the clips in the Vista units.
I timed a lamp change and the Hadco can be relamped without a tool if you discard that silly set screw in about 30 seconds. The Vista took about 2 minutes. In both cases you should take the time to wipe the gasket and channel clean of any debris.
We use about 200 in-grounds a year and about 12 UWL516s. I am switching from Hadco to Vista when my 25 unit supply is exhausted.
With an eye to improvement I suggest that Vista supply O-rings for their bolts on the 5271 to capture the bolts in the cover; this will take 30 seconds off the relamping time and prevent lost bolts. Hadco supplies these O-rings in their WAML floods for just that reason.
Note that fans of 50w MR-16 lamps will have to scrupulously follow the printed installation instructions that come with both units. NO shortcuts since the 50w lamps will cause a meltdown if the housings are set in insulating (read mulch) material.
We use basic black for all our non-appearance fixtures (those that you hide when you can). Hadco's IL516 is bronze-colored composite only while Vista supplies black, bronze, pewter and verde. Who cares? We use black only and don't cloud the issue (or needlessly expand our stock requirements) by allowing the client a choice.
You'll find the very slight (if any) premium you pay for the Vista items well worth the difference.
Be warned that Vista-supplied lamps do not have a front glass (go figure). Anyone that buys fixtures with MR-16 or PAR lamps is obviously purchasing each unit for a specific project placement. We work from our stock and much prefer to lamp in the field to match the lamp to the requirement of site conditions as we proceed from project to project.
The Vista 5272 was purchased through our local Vista distributor. The Vista UW5217 referred to in the review was sent as a free sample by the Vista rep for my area. I issued a P.O. for 100 5271s (convex lens) and 6 UW5217s prior to writing the review. The Hadco IL516H is an item we have used in quantity for the past 10 years and came from our existing stock of 25 units. The Hadco IL516H will be replaced by the Vista unit when our stock is depleted; the underwater version UWL516H has had a failure rate of 100% and we've been skating on their "replacement under warranty" policy for years and eating the labor costs but all things come to an end.
See "product samples" for additional details on this and related topics.
*This clip is shown as an attachment to "MR lamp clip" on this forum.