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[Brian H]

If you tried it with an LED bulb.
You may want to try a incandescent bulb. To see if the LED bulb is not compatible with it or it is noisy and confusing the sensor electronics.

[bkenobi]

It's not replacable. I tested it in the basement but only that it turned on/off with light.

[bkenobi]

I figured out why the motion sensor didn't work.  I bought a different fixture than I thought which had no morion control, only dusk/dawn.   

[bkenobi]

After testing 2 fixtures, I'm at a loss.  The lights look ok, but they are not very bright.  I have 100w bulbs installrd currently and the fixtures I'm thinking of swapping to are 6 and 10 LED units.  The current bulbs produce 1400 lumens while these LED units are limited to 500 and 700.  How are yall accepting this light shortfall?

[HA Dave]

...... I have 100w bulbs installrd currently and the fixtures I'm thinking of swapping to are 6 and 10 LED units.  The current bulbs produce 1400 lumens while these LED units are limited to 500 and 700.  How are yall accepting this light shortfall?

The orange I ate this morning had a genuine sweet taste and were very juicy. Whereas the apple I ate last night was almost tart with a fleshy texture.

It's difficult to compare apples to oranges. I remember the old sodium lights that lite the outdoors when I was a kid. I never got used to the yellow hue. The switch to sodium was made to save the village (street light) energy... period. color wasn't an issue of consideration... even actual brightness wasn't a main concern.

Decide your requirements. Then make the requirement the goal. Comparing old-to-new... never works that well. If the bulbs don't light what you need to light.... then they are too dim... even if the old bulbs were no better. IMHO... we make a big mistake when we start try to replicate yesterdays function with todays technology. I try real hard (and it's NOT easy) to set new goals that apply to what I realistically want or would like... and then strive to accomplish THAT with the available tech. 

[bkenobi]

I guess I was saying I like the light level that Edison provided and I'm not as happy with space age tech.  I have not used LED for anything beyond flash lights (which are better than old tech IMO).  These new fangled carraige fixtures seem to have the same number of emitters as other models, so I assume a similar light level.  I could care less about the technology behind it if it isnt bright enough to light my entrance to my needs.

[HA Dave]

....... it isnt bright enough to light my entrance to my needs.

And there you go. It really doesn't matter what I or anyone else thinks or recommends. You know what you want to be able to see when the lights go on. Once again.... Amazon does have brighter (higher wattage) LED bulbs that your local supply may not. But like with the flashlights.... LED is a bright clean light. I like the LED's very much.

[bkenobi]

I ask opinions of others to learn their experience and broaden my knowledge.  All I meant was that whether the technology is the latest fad or from 100 years ago, I simply want to understand my options.  I currently have a light level that meets my needs (safely lights my front entrance steps so people can navigate them at night).  The optioms I am seeing for new lights are screw-in bulb based (incandescent, CFL, LED, etc) and fixed (LED).  The fixed LED seem to be very popular, but they appear to be fairly dim.  These are the ones I was referring to though when I reread what I posted, it was not mentioned.

If I were to install screw-in bulb fixtures, I suspect I would have less of an issue as LED surely comes in multiple lumen outputs just as other types of bulbs do.

The fixtures style my wife has decided on seem to only come in the fixed LED variety and I was surprised by the light level and curious why others would prefer it.  Perhapse my query wasn't well formed though.

[HA Dave]

I ask opinions of others to learn their experience and broaden my knowledge............ and I was surprised by the light level and curious why others would prefer it.  Perhapse my query wasn't well formed though.

Absolutely nothing wrong with your post(s) or how they were worded. Sorry if I seemed critical (I didn't intend to).

I always try to mention my own experience and thoughts. As... I am not considered an expert in the electronic world... in ANY way. I really like the LED's. But have found that often I am more satisfied with a higher wattage bulb.

I've also found... that the cutting edge of technology can often also be called the bleeding edge.  As it can cost a lot more than waiting for the new tech to catch up with demand and production. LED bulbs have recently begun to drop significantly. But they still aren't cheap.

It won't (shouldn't) hurt to continue to use the old bulbs while shopping for cheaper higher lumens LED replacements. 

[bkenobi]

I was looking at the replacement being LED due to the price drop actually.  Costco has the fixtures for $15/ea whereas home stores and lighting centers compare at $50-100/ea.  I liked these better until I turned them on.

I am going to install the motion sensor spot lights as they cast a lot of light (2500 lumen IIRC).  Those were $30 vs $60 elsewhere.  Comparing either of these to standard Edison tech, it's still cheaper so it should have been a bo brainer.

[HA Dave]

I've been following your project because it interests me. I am reconsidering my own outside lighting... and of course will be looking exclusively at LED fixtures.

I always like to keep a home project on the back burner.... or at least in the planning stage. Maintenance, repairs, and updates are all part of ownership. I may be replacing the deck railings this summer... and new lighting fixtures would be nice to finish the project off right.