After being in the outdoor lighting business for over 9 years we have installed the good, bad and the ugly. You learn only by experience, asking questions and listening. We have offered a lifetime warranty since day one and with some of the fixtures that we installed 9 years ago we are just now having to do replacements. But to answer your question you should only install Copper, Brass and Bronze. Aluminum will only last if it is aircraft quality and correctly powder coated. The down side to CBB is the cost which is normally more expensive than aluminum. So with all that being said I will tell you what we are currently installing. FX Luminaire, Kichler (mostly aluminum), Stone Manor Lighting (bars and bronze), Escort Lighting (copper), Vista, Attraction Lights (stainless steel and aircraft aluminum)(also on Houzz). There are others but these are the ones that we use for those light that are meant to be seen during the daylight hours.

In addition to quality fixtures there is the concern with a quality installation. I was asked this week by one of my distributors "What is the most common errors I see in light installations that we repair?". The answer to that is the use of irrigation wire nuts. These wire nuts will protect the wire connections but they are designed for very low amperage. We use 3M DBRY splice kits.

I need to find something that will light up outdoor front steps at night. They are very hard to see. The steps do have soil on both sides of them which make it easy to stick something in the ground. Since this is a rental (my daughter's family lives in) we can't do any hard wiring. What would you suggest? Thanks! Ginny

Please take some time to look at Attraction Lights. They are listed here in Houzz and you can look at all their designs at attractionlights.com. You can buy here on Houzz or you can buy directly from them.

We are getting ready to install a new product of theirs in an HOA in Little Elm Texas. They are 11 foot tall pillars with the Aspen design. When we start the project we will be giving updates as to the progress of the project every other day.

These fixtures come in a number of different sizes so I am sure that you will be able to find some thing that will light up your steps.

In addition to the 11 foot pillars that we are installing the other new fixture is a 2X2 24 inch tall path light. In order to get more information on that size yo will have to call Attraction Lights direct because they are not listed on the website yet.

Good luck in finding something that like.

JP

PS: you might also look at FX Luminair, They are a California based manufacturer, you can't buy directly from them but you can get their fixtures from Ewing Irrigation. Google Ewing Irrigation to find a store near you.

JP

Thanks for the great information JP. I'll look at those two lines you suggest. I am very close to a Ewing Irrigation store here in San Jose.

The Ewing Store may have a limited time during the day where they allow home owners to buy from them. I know that the McKinney store will only sell to home owners after 2:00 PM. But do go in there and look at the FX display, pick the fixtures up and feel the quality. I think you will be impressed.

JP