MARCH 1, 2012 UPDATE==> Both lights, now nearly two years old, are still going strong, and there's no change whatsoever in the strength of illumination none. I bought two more about a year ago to remedy a couple other dark spots in my house, and they work just as well. It's worth mentioning that several overnight guests who have found their way in the dark from my guest room to the bathroom by virtue of these lights, were so impressed by them that they now have them in their own homes.
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This is a comparative review of three Maxxima night lights: the MLN-15 with 2 LEDs, the MLN-51 with 3 LEDs, and the MLN-50 with 5 LEDs. They are all similarly priced, and all have sensors to turn them on automatically when the room darkens.I was looking for a bright night light to illuminate a hallway for my elderly mother. Online product descriptions did not give me a good sense of how bright the different models were, and existing reviews raised concerns about whether they maintained their initial brightness over time, so I decided to find out for myself.
I purchased two of each, plugged them all in side by side, and compared them by eye. I did not use any kind of measuring instrument, but I did observe carefully. The differences in brightness were not as great as I expected; the 2 LED and 3 LED models, MLN-15 and MLN-51, seemed quite similar in total light output, while the 5 LED model MLN-50 was a bit brighter. The members of each pair were initially identical in brightness. All of them produced enough light to enable someone to safely navigate a darkened hallway. I left one of each pair plugged in, and set the others aside as controls. After three months, I compared them again.
My least favorite was the 2 LED MLN-15. It is the smallest (roughly 2" wide by 3" tall) and its bright white LEDs are enclosed in a frosted ivory enclosure, which gives it a slightly warmer light. There was no detectable difference in light output after three months of use. I did not like this model because of its sensor, which only turned off during the day when the room was brightly lit; it would come on when the sun went behind a cloud, and at night it would stay on even when the overhead light (two 60-watt bulbs) was lit.
I liked the 3 LED MLN-51 somewhat better. It is larger (2.25" wide by 4" tall) and has a similar frosted enclosure for a warmer light. The sensor worked correctly. However, this model's light output was noticeably dimmer after three months of use, when compared to the control unit, although the difference was not large.
My favorite was the 5 LED MLN-50. It is just under 3" square, and has a clear faceted enclosure, so its light is a bit cooler. Again the sensor worked correctly, and with this model there was no detectable difference in brightness after three months. This is the one I will be using in my mother's home.
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If you are tired of buying LED nightlights that don't put out any light, the Maxxima MLN-50's are the ones for you. I've bought 4 packs of the Maxxima MLN-50 NightLights so far and my only problem is I'm running out of outlets to put them in! I believe that the Maxxima is significantly brighter than a conventional 5-7 watt nightlight at a fraction of the power consumption. Works great on stairs and hallways or anyplace you want a light at night. The plug is not polarized so you can plug it in upside down if desired and has a built-in sensor to turn it off during the day. Works great for older people (or pets) that are getting a little night blind. I put one next to the dog door and water bowl. The Maxxima sell for about $5 each and the bulb should last for years. Not really that much more expensive than a conventional nightlight whose bulb only lasts about 2,000 hours or 6 months of use.Honest reviews on Maxxima MLN-50 5 LED Night Light With Sensor (Pack of 2)
We put one of these at the bottom of our staircase and the other on the landing half-way up. Now, the staircase is very well illuminated at night.The light looks white to me, not blue. The sensors are good enough, but would be better of they turned the lamps off with somewhat less ambient lighting.
Other LED's have grown dimmer over a 2-3 year period, so I don't know how long these will remain bright enough, but if they last five years, that'll be good enough.
UPDATE: bought these Oct. 10, 2010 and wrote the original review a few days later. Today is May 31, 2011, about 8 months later, and these lights are pretty dim. They probably are on 8-14 hours a day, depending on the season and other artificial lighting. Like other LED's, they became much less bright fairly quickly. I suspect we will have to replace them within a year of original purchase, and am thinking of going back to ante-diluvean 4-watt incandescent night lights. They also last about a year, but only cost $1 and stay bright until they fail.
FINAL UPDATE: October 27, 2011, one year after purchase. The lights now are too dim to be useful, so we are switching back to 4-watt incandescents. Pity.
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