The DUSK MR16 garden spike light is a lamp-holder spike light 58mm, 12V DC, MR16,6W, 500550lumens, 60 beam,IP65, in bronze or black.

It takes a replaceable lamp which almost nothing else here does

• The lamp is an MR16, a standard replaceable 12V lamp. Nearly every other spike light in this catalogue has an integrated LED sealed into thebody.
• THAT CHANGES THE ECONOMICS OF THE WHOLE INSTALLATION.
  • WHEN AN INTEGRATED SPIKE LIGHT FAILS, YOU REPLACE THE FITTING dig it out, disconnect it, fit a new one, re-aim it.
  • WHEN THIS ONE FAILS, YOU CHANGE A LAMP. The fitting, the cable, theconnection and the aim all stay exactly as they were.
• IT ALSO MEANS YOU CAN CHANGE THE BEAM AFTER INSTALLATION. MR16 LAMPS COME IN A RANGE OF BEAM ANGLES from about 10 to 60, so a planting bed that hasgrown in can be re-aimed with a narrower lamp rather than a new fitting. On a garden, which changes every year, that is a genuine advantage over a sealedunit.
• AND IT IS WHY THE 5-year warranty IS CREDIBLE. The partthat wears out is the part you can replace, so the warranty covers the housing rather than the lightsource. It is the longest warranty in this batch.

The trade: a lampholder is a maintenance point

• A SEALED FITTING HAS NOTHING TO CORRODE INSIDE. A LAMPHOLDER HAS TWO CONTACTS IN A DAMPGARDEN.
• THE IP65 RATING PROTECTS IT, but every lamp change breaks the seal and it is only as goodas how it is reassembled. Seat the gasket properly and check it has not perished beforeclosing it up.
• A SMEAR OF ELECTRICAL CONTACT GREASE ON THE PINS at each change is worth the tenseconds it is the difference between a lampholder that still works in five yearsand one that has gone green.
• AND CHANGE LAMPS IN DRY WEATHER. Opening a garden fitting in the rain putswater exactly where the rating exists to keep it out.

12 V DC and here the record matches

The sheet specifies a 12V DC constant-voltage driver, wired inparallel. This programme has found 12 products publishing a 240V record ona low-voltage fitting; this is not one of them. Size the driver with headroom, wire inparallel so a failure does not propagate, and site it somewhere reachable. AT 12 V, VOLTAGE DROP IS THE THING TO WATCH: the current is double what it would be at 24Vfor the same power, so the drop is roughly four times as large. On a long garden runthat is the usual cause of the far fitting looking dimmer than the nearone.

60 beam and 500550 lumens a wash, not a spot

• 500lm at 3000K, 550 at 4000 and 550 at 6500. The 60 beam is wide for a spike light.
• THAT MAKES IT A SHRUB AND BED LIGHT RATHER THAN A TREE UPLIGHT. A 60 beam at 1m covers roughly a 1.2m spread, which suits a shrub, a low wall or aplanting group. Uplighting a tall tree wants 1524, which is exactly what areplaceable MR16 lets you change to later.
• USE 3000K OUTDOORS. It flatters foliage, bark, stone and brick,where 6500K makes planting look grey and lifeless and 3000K is also the dimmest of thethree at 500lm.
• AIM AWAY FROM SIGHT LINES. A spike light visible from a window or a seatingarea is a glare source; the fitting should be seen in what it lights, notdirectly.

Its sheets are unverifiable, and what we did about it

Both datasheets held against this product are flagged unverifiable in ourtriage they could not be confirmed as belonging to this SKU. SO WE CROSS-CHECKED THE FIGURES AGAINST THE PRODUCT RECORD RATHER THAN TAKING THEMALONE, and they agree: 6W, 60 beam, IP65, MR16, and the same three colour temperatures. Two independent sources agreeing is what makes these figures usable despite theflag. The lumen figures appear only on the sheet, so treat 500550lm as indicativerather than confirmed.

What is published

Where it works

• Shrubs, beds and low walls a 60 wash.
• Gardens that change swap the lamp, not the fitting.
• Long-life installations the wearing part is replaceable.
• Not for tall tree uplighting fit a 1524 lamp instead.
• Not on a long 12V run without checking voltage drop.

Specifying it

Garden spike light with a replaceable MR16 lamp. 58mm. 12V DC, 6W.500/550/550lm at 3000/4000/6500K. 60 beam. IP65. Bronze or black. Requires a 12V DCconstant-voltage driver, wired in parallel. 50,000hrs. 5-year warranty. IT TAKES A REPLACEABLE MR16 LAMP, WHICH ALMOST NOTHING ELSE IN THIS CATALOGUE’S SPIKE RANGEDOES, AND THAT CHANGES THE ECONOMICS OF THE INSTALLATION. When an integrated spike light fails you replacethe fitting dig it out, disconnect, refit, re-aim. When this one fails you change a lamp, and the fitting,cable, connection and aim all stay as they were. It also lets you change the BEAM later, since MR16 lampsrun from about 10 to 60 so a bed that has grown in can be re-aimed with a narrower lamp rather than anew fitting. THE TRADE IS THAT A LAMPHOLDER IS TWO CONTACTS IN A DAMP GARDEN: seat the gasket properly,grease the pins, and change lamps in dry weather.

Supplied and supported by Lights For You.

Questions

Why does a replaceable lamp matter?

It changes the economics of the whole installation. When an integrated spike light fails you replace the fitting dig it out, disconnect it, fit a new one and re-aim it. When this one fails you change a lamp, and the fitting, the cable, the connection and the aim all stay exactly as they were. Almost nothing else in this catalogue’s spike range works that way.

Can I change the beam angle later?

Yes, and that is the second advantage. MR16 lamps come in a range of beam angles from about 10 to 60 degrees, so a planting bed that has grown in can be re-aimed with a narrower lamp rather than a new fitting. On a garden, which changes every year, that is a genuine advantage over a sealed unit.

Is the 5-year warranty meaningful?

It is credible precisely because the part that wears out is the part you can replace the warranty covers the housing rather than the light source. It is the longest warranty in this group of products.

What is the downside?

A lampholder is a maintenance point. A sealed fitting has nothing to corrode inside; this has two contacts in a damp garden. The IP65 rating protects it, but every lamp change breaks the seal and it is only as good as how it is reassembled seat the gasket properly and check it has not perished before closing up. A smear of electrical contact grease on the pins at each change is worth the ten seconds, and change lamps in dry weather.

What is the 60 degree beam good for?

Shrubs, beds and low walls rather than tall trees. A 60 degree beam at 1m covers roughly a 1.2m spread, which suits a shrub, a low wall or a planting group. Uplighting a tall tree wants 15 to 24 degrees which is exactly what a replaceable MR16 lets you change to later.

Which colour temperature outdoors?

3000K. It flatters foliage, bark, stone and brick, where 6500K makes planting look grey and lifeless. It is also the dimmest of the three at 500lm against 550, which outdoors is usually the right direction. And aim the fitting away from sight lines a spike light visible from a window or a seating area is a glare source; it should be seen in what it lights, not directly.

Are its specifications reliable?

Mostly. Both datasheets held against this product are flagged unverifiable in our triage, meaning they could not be confirmed as belonging to this SKU so we cross-checked the figures against the product record rather than taking them alone. They agree on 6W, the 60 degree beam, IP65, MR16 and the three colour temperatures, and two independent sources agreeing is what makes those usable. The lumen figures appear only on the sheet, so treat 500 to 550lm as indicative rather than confirmed.