Cheapo Heath Zenith. They're not bad and they last just as long as any of the rest of the junk on the market. I typically only see a 5-year lifespan on any motion sensor. Yes, even the RAB.
I'm not a big fan of spending extra for a lifetime warranty. These days, that means it's just as good as the cheap junk, but you paid for your "free" replacements up front.

 

I’ve been using mostly Rab super stealth when I can, but I’ve even had some trouble with them. In that case, I went to a cheaper Heath Zenith type and the problem went away. Something else on the circuit it didn’t like or on a multi wire branch circuit, I’ve forgotten.

I installed six Lithonia wafers last week in a family room with dimmer. They were happy until they discovered the motion sensor outside on the same circuit now blinks. Take out the dimmer and the problem goes away. I’ll probably get them another one of those Heath Zenith ones.

Motion sensors aren’t my favorite things to install.

 

RAB site says 10 year sensor warranty with no listed exclusions except the contact rating of 8 amps/1000 watts. Where did you see the LED bulb exclusion?


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I had a RAB Stealth Sensor fail and I contacted them about a warranty replacement. They told me the sensor "is not compatible with LED lamps".

When I asked them if they had a sensor that was compatible with LED lamps they said:

"We did come out with STL200-LED (and STL110-LED) for use with LED lamps (they are just the sensor head only – they currently don’t ship with lampholders)."

I have searched for these sensors but they seem to be in very short supply for the color white.

 

I have been using the RAB 360's for a decade and not a single callback. It is true that they say you can't use LED's in them due to the quick startup draw or something like that, but I never had an issue with the dozens that I have put LEDs in.

The price could go up to $125 at the supply house, but Amazon often sells them for as low as $75. Right now they are $99.

This is one of the few situations in which I sell the customer on a better product because they do last much longer, so the customer is willing to pay the premium, which I double so I make more too.

It's funny because in many situations I can point to one of their neighbor's houses and show them the Heath Zenith light in which the sensor or bulb holder is literally hanging by the wire due to the wind blowing the cheap light apart. That sells it for me.

 

.....

The price could go up to $125 at the supply house, but Amazon often sells them for as low as $75. Right now they are $99.
......

That is how I have been buying them as well, usually the whole assembly. I have had call backs with the 360 sensors though and the whole not approved for LED bulbs thing bothers me. In addition it would be great if it came with integrated bulbs so that I did not have to provide them separately.

 

I've had the same track record as Hack with the RAB's.


No other brand that I've worked with acts the same in test as it does in auto. When I leave, I'm confident the fixture will perform exactly as I intended.


I tell people I'll install any brand they'd like to provide, but if I'm providing it, it's the RAB.

 

I tell people I'll install any brand they'd like to provide, but if I'm providing it, it's the RAB.

And I am very specific with customers when I tell them that if they provide a light I will have to charge them for a service call to come back and make adjustments or fix something.

 

If it’s Heath Zenith, I tell the customer my responsibility is over once I get power to it. Those fixtures are garbage. He gets the instructions and he can screw around with it and then toss it in the dumpster where it belongs.

 

What fixture do you provide instead?

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RAB does not guarantee their Stealth sensors paired with LED bulbs.

Buy the correct Stealth and it has a ten year warranty with LED bulbs
https://www.rablighting.com/product/STL200-LED
If you need the complete fixture, pair it with this
https://www.rablighting.com/product/H2W
Both are available in white or bronze

 

Buy the correct Stealth and it has a ten year warranty with LED bulbs

https://www.rablighting.com/product/STL200-LED

Yes, I mentioned that model above. However it seems to be in short supply, particularly in white. I cannot find it available anywhere.

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As far as I’m concerned, motion sensors are a crap shoot. Even expensive occ sensors are a crap shoot. For outdoor lighting, photocontrol is more reliable. LED’s cost very little to operate.

 

As far as I’m concerned, motion sensors are a crap shoot. Even expensive occ sensors are a crap shoot. For outdoor lighting, photocontrol is more reliable. LED’s cost very little to operate.

This is what I tell my customers.

 

I've also used these for outdoor lighting,

https://www.leviton.com/en/products/vpt24-1pz

Punch in your longitude and latitude and your lights come on and off based on sunrise and sunset where you are located. Good for where adding a photocell is not easy, such as soffit lighting.

 

My preferred and favorite motion fixtures is the one the GC buys instead of me. (no warranty) ....

And... it's the one that has the terminal board on the backside of it instead of wire leads. The fixture package has this little screwdriver in there to tighten the teensy screws on the terminal block. That screwdriver is terrific at prying out the slug from your 1/2" shockwave holesaw bit. That is the reason I love that brand of motion sensor light. I think they come from Lowe's. Or maybe it's H.D.

 

It seems like all the manufacturers promote super bright lights. I would like to find some lower output and smaller lights for this purpose. For example, when someone wants a motion light on each side of their house in case someone walks thru. Instead of using the motion light, use small lights that are on all night which will help prevent someone from walking thru there in the first place. But these do not need to be very bright so that they look odd or bother the neighbors.

 

I use a mini-flood and point it straight down.

 

I had no I idea that the RAB motion sensors were not rated for LED lamps. I've been putting Satco LED par38's in them for the last five years!

 

I have used the Defiant 270 in a few places and have had no problems with them. They are much less than the RAB's. I did have an issue when I put 2 motion sensors on one switch.
"Wall Switch Manual Override: (to keep lights on)
Flip the switch twice slowly (off-on-off-on) within 1–2 seconds. If you set this
during the sensor will become “ready” for the Manual Override Mode and will
start Manual Override at dusk."
This caused one light to stay on and the other to sense motion. Had to disconnect one fixture flip the switch on off then reconnect the second fixture so that they would function properly. I guess it would have been best to put each fixture on it's own switch but this was an afterthought as the 4 wall packs were already in place and wired to 2 switches. The defiant sensors claim to work with LED's. They worked well for me and have been in place for a couple of years now.

 

I used rab many years ago, they were not any better than box store brands. I tell my customers to supply their own now. Because if I supply it, there can be difference of opinion that its working satisfactory. None of them are perfect.