My original review was not for the product, but for Current, the manufacturer.I have updated this review May, 2013 to talk about the product, too.
This light has been in service for almost two years, now. It has performed well and provides adequate light for my entire freshwater tank.
It has not failed. Maybe you will have good luck with it, too. I have found it to be superior to their earlier product in every way.
I was loathe to buy it, because I was very unhappy with the manufacturer. It was the best product available for my specific application.
As I explained in my original review...
I have the previous generation Powerbrite LED systems. I have 2 10K modules, about 16 months (warranty is one year), and one module just went bad two out of four LEDs failed (so far).
The other module is still working OK, so I assume I got a defective module. OK, this sort of thing happens. It's always especially frustrating when it happens just a little ways out of warranty.
Since it's really just a small period out from under warranty, I contacted support to see if it could be repaired. No. And it cannot be replaced, since that model is out of production. Too bad. Throw the whole thing away.
Overall, until the failure, I was relatively satisfied with the product, which I realize was a very early LED solution I was an early adopter.
But the company is a different story. I contacted customer support, and expected them to do something anything at all to make me happier or at least feel better about about doing business with their company.
Support was professional, but offered nothing beyond, "sorry can't help you."
And it's really kind of a total loss, because I can't even carry over the old power supply to their current offerings.
For me as an unsatisfied consumer, there is a surprising hole in that there is no way to pass feedback on to the company about my consumer experiences.
I guess it's another immature hi-tech engineering-oriented company whose focus is really just on developing new products.
Although their products do not have the water depth penetration of some of their competitors, they have an alluring product line.
My experience leads me to caution potential buyers that Current may not offer much support for what they sell if you run into trouble.
And a year goes by pretty quickly these days.
I would like to write the CEO to very politely tell him what my experience was with his company's product and why I chose to replace it with a different manufacturer's product.
This consumes my personal time and energy, but I frequently do this just to make sure the management has a good picture of what's going on within the company they head.
He/she's not possible to find in fact no individual is and the company offers no avenue for customer feedback.
I have a message in to support asking who I can contact to pass on my feelings about their products. No response.
That's not a corporate culture I want to encourage with my business, which is a shame I think they have innovative products.
Maybe support has gotten better with time.
After a lifetime in hi-tech, I think these companies have a vested self-interest in helping the aquarist community feel ready to make the leap to LED lighting solutions.
I don't know what it is like to deal with some of the companies offering higher-priced solutions, but with Current, it looks like you are on your own, working without a net. Offering me a partial trade-in would have gotten these guys my support. Giving me someone to talk to would have been a good start. Being unwilling to even explain why they were unwilling to do either is just a good way to lose my business.
What do you think?
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