HV3263T - Sako 316 Stainless Steel Recessed LED Step Light

The Sako is a recessed mini step light in 316 marine-grade stainless steel — the molybdenum-bearing grade specified for coastal work rather than the cheaper 304 that pits and stains within a season or two of salt air. It sits into the wall rather than onto it, so the fitting almost disappears and only the light it throws is visible.

Check the cut-out before you drill

This is the number to get right before anything else, because it is the one that cannot be undone. The installation sheet specifies a cut-out of Ø60 mm without a canister. A hole drilled undersize means the fitting simply will not go in, and on masonry or stone that mistake is expensive to correct. Confirm the aperture against the sheet before the first hole is cut, and cut one and test-fit it before committing to a whole flight.

IP65 and IK10 — and what IP65 does not mean

The sheet rates this fitting IP65: protection against dust and against low-pressure water jets from any direction. That covers rain, run-off and hose wash-down, which is what a poolside or coastal step actually meets. It is not an immersion rating. IP65 does not cover a fitting that sits under standing water, so it does not belong in a location that floods or ponds — for that you need an IP67 or IP68 fitting. It also carries IK10, the highest common impact rating, which is worth having on something recessed at shin height.

Wiring it, and the two things that void the warranty

It runs on 12 V DC constant voltage and needs a driver of that type — a constant-current driver is a different device and will not run it correctly. Wiring is parallel, and it is Protection Class 3, no earth required at the fitting. Two limits on the sheet carry warranty consequences and are worth reading before you set out a run:

• The fitting cannot be installed more than 25 m from its LED driver, and supply must stay within ±5% of the rated voltage. Outside that allowance the warranty is void.
• 316 stainless needs regular cleaning in a marine environment. Tea staining is explicitly not covered by the warranty, so an occasional fresh-water rinse is part of owning it.

Specifying it

The 1.5 W LED is built in — no globe and no socket. Tri-colour switching across 3000 K, 4000 K and 5500 K gives 100 lm, 110 lm and 105 lm; note the middle setting is the brightest, so pick the colour you want rather than reading the list as a ladder. Unusually for a fitting this small it is dimmable — but because it runs at 12 V DC, the dimming happens upstream at the driver, so the driver itself must be a dimmable 12 V DC constant-voltage unit. CRI is above 80.

Lights For You stocks the Sako in 316 stainless. On a coastal install, cut one aperture and test-fit before drilling the rest — Ø60 leaves little margin in hard stone.

Download Datasheet (PDF)