Tivah LED Spike Spotlight

Solid copper is the one that changes the most. Havit's own datasheet does not describe the colour as copper — it describes it as "copper (will age over time)", which is unusually honest for a spec sheet. Out of the box it is bright and pink; within months outdoors it deepens to a warm brown, and given years and moisture it heads towards the green-grey of an old roof. If that progression is what you want, nothing else in the range does it. If you want a fitting that looks the same in five years, buy the aluminium or the polycarbonate version — this one is bought precisely because it does not.

One thing to know before you install it

Havit's installation sheet is specific: "When installing copper fittings, gloves must be worn to avoid any oils transferring to fitting." Fingerprints on new copper oxidise faster than the metal around them, so a fitting handled bare-handed can carry visible prints for its first season. It costs nothing to avoid and it cannot be undone afterwards.

This is a 12 V fitting, and two conditions come with that

Tivah runs on 12 V DC from a suitable 12 V DC LED driver. Its installation sheet does not hedge: "Use an appropriate 12v DC LED Driver — DO NOT CONNECT LIGHT FITTING DIRECT TO 240V." Two further conditions are stated as warranty terms rather than advice — the fitting must sit no more than 25 m from its driver, and the supply must stay within ±5% of 12 V. On a long garden run that usually means a driver in an enclosure partway down the bed rather than one back at the house.

The globe, the beam and the output

The light comes from a 5 W MR16 tri-colour globe, supplied and replaceable, with the socket rated to a 20 W ceiling. Because the globe is replaceable, the beam belongs to the globe rather than the fitting — the supplied tri-colour MR16 is a 120° wash, so fit a narrower MR16 if you are uplighting a trunk. Output is 270 lm at 3000K, 285 lm at 4000K and 300 lm at 5500K. On copper, 3000K is almost always right; cooler settings work against the metal. The head gives 90° of tilt and 270° of swivel, so the aim can be corrected fully as planting fills in, and it arrives with a 2 m reinforced cable. It is not dimmable with the globes supplied.

IP65, protection class 3, CRI above 80, and a 3-year replacement warranty. Low-voltage garden wiring is licensed electrician's work.

Lights For You keeps the copper, brass and aluminium Tivah side by side — ask us what the copper looks like after a year outdoors before you commit, because the finish is the reason to buy it.