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iliya1

Lutron Maestro Dimmers PITA factor?

19 years ago

Hi. We are getting ready to purchase all the finish electrical for our new house. We are considering Lutron Maestro vs. Lutron Diva dimmer switches. The Maestro switches look cool with all the little green LED's and the way the lights fade on and off. However, I have some concerns about the Maestro line. I'm worried the operation of them could be somewhat tedious. Tap once - tap twice - hold the buttons down and wait around to adjust the dimming. Is this a pain? The Diva switches turn on and off normally and the dimmer works with a conventional slider. Could someone who has the Maestro switches in their house comment on whether or not you like them? Thanks!

Comments (2)

  • 19 years ago

    If you have any 3way situations then Maestro with accompanying remote is the way to go for full control from all locations. The Maestros are a bit more sensitive due to the mechanical parts behind the button. People that like the fading up and down and press softly will enjoy many years out of them. Others that are ignorant of the way it operates and impatient may not like these and seem to think that tapping harder is required or will make it work faster. It's a personality problem if you ask me. I prefer Maestro to Diva. You missed a cool feature where you can hold the Maestro for one second and on release it will fade to off over a 10 second period to let you leave the room or climb into bed.

    The new Maestro's can change color if needed. Once you own the base unit the face can be purchased in another color should you change your decor or mind.

  • 19 years ago

    I have put the Maestro master and slave configurations in a few locations, along with only the master switch in others. Now, I live in a household that is very old fashioned in mindset and where often "new fangled" things are not liked.

    No one complains about how these work. In fact, everyone really likes them. I think it has become natural for them to come into a room, tap the switch and see the light come on. Also, the masters are so easy to set an optimal light level and have it always come on to that level.

    For instance, the home office has a master switch inside the room and a slave in the hall outside (two entrances to the room). In general, the office is used by people on the computer, playing computer games, watching videos, etc. The (4) overhead cans are set at a medium light level. However, when paperwork needs to be done, etc., it's easy to turn the lights up full and bright. When the next person comes in to use the computer, they just touch the dimmer switch until the light level is right. No problems. They work beautifully.

    I'd recommend them highy. Just be sure your electrician understands what they are. For the first installation, my installer kept calling me to tell me that the switches were broken and to get more. I printed the install sheets, highlighting how they work and forced him to read them. He rewired them correctly and Voila! they worked.