since when did the retail versions come with a bit of three core cable attached ?...ones I bought a few years ago didn't...was it because people were making a bad job of sealing their flat twin and earth cable into them causing water ingress and failure?...not that I would do such a thing
The cable is only a few feet long at best. I've seen more than one connection to this short cable by choc block wrapped in electrical insulation tape. Worse is the connection has been at a low point so that water runs down the cable to the choc block join.
I've also seen then installed using grey twin and earth where the insulation exposed to the sun and weather had become brittle and was flaking off.
quality
Not just retail. I bought some like that from TLC a couple of years ago. I'd guess that it is cheaper to make them like that. I got a nice external junction box to connect to, which was a much better experience than trying to connect to miniscule connectors concealed in the back of a small item that needs to have its cover replaced.
But looks much worse.
A longer piece of cable would help though. I didn't want an external junction box for the light on the front of my shed and, as it was a replacement, there was already a junction box fitted in the shed. I was forced to position the light to suit the existing entry through the shed wall and the junction box inside and only just had enough length to fit it at all. With the old type, without the flying lead, I could have fitted any length that suited me.
Yes I am in two minds what is best
I'm not. A well designed light should be easy to fit an appropriate cable to and be completely heavy rain proof.
I simply mount the light onto a weatherproof plastic enclosure fixed to the wall or post. I fitted a 20 watt led light with pir yesterday using a 100 x 100 x 50 enclosure to mount it on.
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