Shawl in solid brass is bought for the material and it should be specified for the seal.The brass is genuinely solid, not plated it tarnishes to a deep warm brown outdoors, and Havit says soon the datasheet rather than hiding it. A scratch weathers back in instead of exposing somethingunderneath, which is why solid brass ages well in a garden and coated finishes eventually do not. Thenumber that decides where it can go, though, is not the metal. It is IP54.

IP54 on a ground spike read this before you place it

Most garden spikes in this range are IP65. Shawl is IP54, which means dust-protectedand splash-resistant, and that is a materially lower seal for something that lives at ground level. Inpractice: it is fine in a bed watered by hand or by drip, under eaves, along a dry path or in a raisedplanter. It is not the fitting for a spot a pop-up sprinkler sweeps directly, for a lawnedge that gets hosed, or for any low point where water sits after rain. If that describes the positionyou have in mind, choose an IP65 spike instead the metal will be the least of your problems.

The globe is replaceable, and it sets the beam

Shawl takes a 5 W MR16 tri-colour globe, supplied, with the socket rated to a20 W ceiling. Because the globe is replaceable, the fitting has no beam angle ofits own the beam is whatever globe is in it. The MR16 that comes with it is a 120 spread,which is a wash rather than a spot; if you want to uplight a trunk, buy a narrower MR16 and check thefigure on the box. Output is 270 lm at 3000K, 285 lm at 4000K and 300 lm at 5500K, andon brass 3000K is nearly always the right choice cooler settings fight the warmth of the metal.

The details that make it easy to live with

• Triac dimmable, from a suitable 12 V DC Triac-dimmable driver the dimming happensat the driver, so that is the part to specify carefully. This is specific to the solid brass version;the black and antique brass listings of the same model are not dimmable with their supplied globes.
• 90 tilt and 270 swivel re-aim it fully without moving the spike.
• An anti-syphon water stop on the cable, stopping water tracking down the lead intothe fitting. On an IP54 product this is not a nicety.
• Male and female connectors already fitted, so replacing a unit later does not meancutting and re-sealing a buried joint.
• A surface-mount base is available for a wall or deck rather than soil.
• The spike is plastic, not brass it cannot corrode, but the buried part will notmatch the head.

12 V DC, from a suitable 12 V DC LED driver; do not connect the fitting directly to 240 V. Twoconditions come with the low voltage and Havit states both as warranty terms rather than advice: thefitting must sit no more than 25 m from its driver, and the supply must staywithin 5% of 12 V. IK08, protection class 3, CRI above 80, a 225 mm spike, and a3-year replacement warranty.

Lights For You will tell you honestly whether IP54 suits the spot you have in mind it is the singlemost common reason a beautiful brass fitting fails early, and it is entirely avoidable.

Questions

What does IP54 actually rule out?

Direct and sustained water. IP54 is dust-protected and splash-resistant, so rain and incidental spray are fine, but a pop-up sprinkler aimed at it, a hose-down, or a low spot where water pools after rain are not. Every other spike light in this range is IP65; if the position is wet, choose one of those instead.

Is it dimmable?

Yes. This finish’s own datasheet records it as Triac dimmable, so it will dim from a suitable 12 V DC Triac-dimmable driver the dimming happens at the driver, not inside the fitting, so that is the part to get right. Note this does not carry across the range: the black and antique brass versions of the same model are recorded as not dimmable with the globes they are supplied with.

Will the brass stay bright?

No, and Havit states that on the datasheet the colour changes over time. Solid brass tarnishes to a deep warm brown outdoors, faster near the coast. Because it is solid rather than plated, that change happens in the metal itself, so a scratch weathers back in rather than revealing a different material underneath.

What beam angle does it give?

The one belonging to the globe you fit. It takes a replaceable MR16, so the housing has no beam of its own. The tri-colour MR16 supplied with it is 120 a wide wash. Swap in a narrower MR16 if you want a defined spot, and check the beam figure when you buy it.

Can I fit a more powerful globe?

Up to the 20 W socket ceiling. That limit was written for halogen; every LED MR16 sits far below it, so you can choose on beam angle and colour rather than worrying about wattage.

Is the spike brass too?

No the head is solid brass and the spike is plastic. That is stated on the datasheet. It keeps the weight and price down and the buried part cannot corrode, but the two parts will not match in appearance if the spike is ever exposed.

Does it need a driver?

Yes, a suitable 12 V DC LED driver, and do not connect the fitting directly to 240 V. If you want to dim it, that driver must itself be a 12 V DC Triac-dimmable model. The cable already carries male and female connectors, so a later replacement does not require cutting into a buried joint.