The Accord is a compact square up-and-down wall light in black or white, and the thing worth knowing before you buy it is that the light comes out of two replaceable GU10 globes rather than a sealed LED module. Both globes are in the box, both are tri-colour, and in ten years you re-lamp the fitting for the price of two globes instead of replacing it. The trade-off sits in the IP rating: at IP54 the Accord is built for splashing, not for standing weather, so where you put it matters more than it would with a sealed fitting rated for direct weather.

Sheltered positions only

IP54 covers splashing water from any direction. It does not cover rain landing on the fitting, and it does not cover a hose. In practice the Accord belongs under an eave, in a covered porch, along a roofed alfresco wall or in a carport anywhere the roofline keeps water off it. On an exposed facade water eventually finds the globe cavity, and that is not a warranty claim. If the wall is open to the sky, choose a fitting rated for direct weather instead.

Where it works

• Under a deep eave beside a front door, washing the wall up and down.
• Covered porches and verandahs, spaced along a wall to graze the render or brick.
• Roofed alfresco and outdoor-kitchen walls, where the up-wash lifts a dark ceiling.
• Carports, breezeways and covered side paths on an internal wall line.

Specifying it

The Accord runs on 240V AC, so it wires straight to mains and needs no driver. It is a Class1 fitting: the earth is connected first, and an electrician is not optional. Two 5W GU10 globes are supplied, which is 10W and 540lm at 3000K, 570lm at 4000K or 600lm at 5500K for the fitting as a whole Havit’s own figures are per head, 270, 285 and 300lm, and the fitting has two of them. Colour temperature is set on the globe, not on the fitting: you take the cover off, slide the switch on the side of each globe, and put it back. Set both to the same temperature. The socket accepts up to 35W per globe, and a GU10 is a twist-lock two-pin base that nothing else adapts into.

Installing it so the warranty survives

Havit is specific about three things. Aluminium fittings must not be installed within 5km of salt water. Every o-ring and seal has to be seated correctly to keep the warranty, and silicone goes around the edge of the fitting where it meets the wall so water cannot track behind it. Exceeding the globe wattage on the label is the third it is a fire risk and it voids the cover. None of that is unusual for an outdoor fitting; all of it is easy to skip.

Lights For You stocks the Accord in both finishes with the globes already in the box, so the fitting works the day it is wired.

Questions

Does it need a driver or transformer?

No. It is 240V AC and wires straight to mains. As a Class1 fitting it does need an earth.

Are the globes supplied?

Yes two 5W tri-colour GU10 LED globes come with the fitting.

How bright is it?

540lm at 3000K, 570lm at 4000K and 600lm at 5500K, counting both heads together. Per head that is 270, 285 and 300lm.

How do I change the colour temperature?

On the globe. Remove the cover, slide the small switch on the side of each globe to 3000K, 4000K or 5500K, and refit the cover with its seal in place. Set both globes the same.

Can I fit a brighter globe?

Up to 35W per globe. Going past the wattage on the fitting’s label is a fire risk and voids the warranty.

Can it go on an exposed wall?

No. IP54 is a splash rating, so it needs shelter an eave, a porch roof or an alfresco ceiling.

Is it dimmable?

Not with the globes supplied. Dimming would depend entirely on a different GU10 globe and the dimmer paired with it.

How close to the beach can it go?

Havit excludes aluminium fittings within 5km of salt water. Closer than that, choose a 316 stainless or solid brass fitting.