Good, when it works.
Written: Nov 15 '06
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Product Rating:
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Pros: Energy efficient, lots of light, nice design, easy to assemble
Cons: Poor quality/product fails, company does not respond for warranty service, uses 2W in standby
The Bottom Line: There are many fluorescent torchieres out there. Buy one of them- just not this one.
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| IronHelix's Full Review: Harmony Lightwiz Berkeley Torchiere H58110 |
I wanted a torchiere light but didn't want the high heat and power usage of a standard halogen fixture. I got this, as it seemed to be the highest output of all available models.
To start out with, this fixture is pretty easy to assemble. The connections between the sections and base have twist-lock connectors, not the usual screw thread. This greatly simplifies the setup. However, the connections appear to be made of plastic so I would question their durability compared with metal-screw types. Metal screw types can break apart, but they then usually screw back together. This I could imagine breaking permanently.
The design is pretty simple- all of the electronics (including the ballast) are contained in the upper part of the fixture dome. On top sits a 58W 2-C type bulb, which puts out 4100 lumens (equivalent to a 250W halogen). The CRI (Color Rendering Index) is 84, with 3000K color temperature.
CRI is determined by the phosphor in the bulb- 100 means colors will appear the same as under sunlight or hot incandescent light. Higher is usually better.
Color temperature is the 'warmness' of the light- 5000K looks very white (almost blue), like a hospital might have, while 2500K is very warm and yellowish. 3000K is a nice midrange and the light is quite pleasing.
The light starts up fast when you turn it on- partially due to the fact that the ballast uses a constant 2W to stay charged (even when the lamp is turned off). Once activated the lamp produces a good amount of light, but takes 20 seconds or so to reach full brightness. It can also be dimmed with the twist switch, however the dimmest setting is about 50-70% of full output (unlike a halogen, which can go all the way down to 0).
So after an easy assembly I plugged this in and it worked great.
...For about three months. Then it died and would not come on at all. Being well-shy of the promised 10k-hour bulb life, I ordered another bulb, which didn't work either. I figured my lamp was dead so I ordered another unit. I read the instructions and it said that since the electronics were contained in the dome, it was the only part that would require service. I simply switched the dome from the new light to the old light, and sent the old dome in for warranty service along with a description of the problem.
Their warranty procedure seems quite suspect. I couldn't find a phone number for the company and they don't have a website. So I sent the dome off, securely packed with a note describing the problem and a copy of my receipt. Several months later, I have not received a new dome, or any communication from the manufacturer. And the dome from my 2nd lamp has also died. I have given up on it (not worth the trouble) and bought another lamp of a different model (which has worked for several months).
I also note with interest that the company I bought it from, Energy Federation (which seems like a good company), has stopped buying these- as of 11/2006 the product page for this unit contains a note saying that once their stock is exhausted, the item will be discontinued. This is presumably due to low product quality.
Recommended:
No
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Epinions.com ID:
IronHelix
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Reviews written: 20
Trusted by: 2 members
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