LED driver reliability?

[newshound]

A couple of years ago I picked up three 5 Watt PIR floods, I think it was an SF special offer (but possibly TS).

In the end I didn't use them at the time, but trying one out this week I find none of them work, and they all have failed driver units (6-12V 400 ma). I bought some nominally identical 12 volt ones at the same time, and they have been fine.

Is that common? If I try to repair them, should I avoid the cheap eBay drivers? (I might re-purpose them as a workshop light on one driver, without the PIRs).

[Tim Watts]

One of the reasons I prefer voltage based drivers (standard 12 or 24V) - I can go to RS and buy a decent quality PSU with over8everything protection and not worry about it setting fire to my house...

[newshound]

Yes so do I in principle, but when the light which lives outside on the wall has a driver inside a sealed and earthed metal box, with the supply protected both by a fuse and an ELCB then the risk to the house is rather small (at least given that I don't have Grenfell type cladding).

[Tim Watts]

Indeed - a metal box helps. I have seen some right crud supplied as drivers though, which have gone in the bin.