LED Light Dimmer recommendations

Siliconslave

Siliconslave

Siliconslave

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I'd like to add a dimmer switch to one of my lights, its a 3 8w LED bulb fitting (& the bulbs are dimmable). I'm just looking for a simple 1 way, 1 gang switch in white with a twist switch (and maybe a click to turn on and off) - every review I read of the offerings in screwfix / tool station etc suggest they are noisy, stepped, don't work or flash.

Anyone have a recommendation for one that actually works?
 
The thing that put me off those was the 'soft start' reviews are talking about - seems to suggest they take upto a few seconds to kick in, might just bite the bullet and try it though.
 
Siliconslave said:
The thing that put me off those was the 'soft start' reviews are talking about - seems to suggest they take upto a few seconds to kick in, might just bite the bullet and try it though.
Click to expand...

I had those before switching to https://www.samotech.co.uk/products/zigbee-dimmer-switch-hue-compatible/ and the soft start was a nice thing with halogens but seems pointless with LEDs. It meant that if you set it low, the LEDs wouldn’t come on sometimes as they needed a minimum voltage to start. Turning them up and back down resolved it and I guess that even without that soft start it would do the same, what it really needed was the opposite and to give it a blast of voltage first!
 
I've never had issues with the soft start thing. In fact, I quite like it. Certainly not seconds. I would say about 1 second ish for mine to go full. Is that still soft start? Not sure.
 
I bought the cheaper Lap one from Screwfix about 6 years ago for our front room in the flat that we were renting at the time. When we bought our current house 3 years ago, I removed it from the flat and installed it in the front room of our house and it's still going strong.

I get the soft start thing. For a couple of weeks after switching on I'd instinctively think the bulb had gone, only for the light to turn on a moment later, however you soon get used to it and as mentioned it really is only a second or so.

I prefer this one to one that you turn to switch on because it it's already at the desired brightness, you just push it to switch on and off.
 
jaybee said:
I've never had issues with the soft start thing. In fact, I quite like it. Certainly not seconds. I would say about 1 second ish for mine to go full. Is that still soft start? Not sure.
Click to expand...
I would have said the same until 2 years ago, but we installed one for our en suite, it takes 4/5 seconds for the lights to come on. Can be annoying sometimes
 
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