Pentair GloBrite Alternative - Waking LED Pool Lights

[fpadar]

I purchased two Waking LED lights from China that are a direct replacement for Pentair GloBrite. They cost me $90 each plus shipping, and the total for two lights with shipping, sales tax, and a 3% fee for using a credit card on Alibaba was just under $300 ($150 per light). Took less than 2 weeks to ship from China to my house. Note that there is currently an exemption for tariffs for purchases up to $800 that will expire May 2, 2025, so you might need to wait until the tariff exemption is either extended or they bring it back.

They fit directly into the Pentair GloBrite Niche, are 18W LED, and are available with various length cords (15M, 30M, etc.). They will not sync with Pentair lights, so you need to change all of the lights to Waking. I only have two lights, so it was not an issue, but you might if you have a lot of lights. I am very happy with this light. Fix my two broken Pentair LED lights (one not working, one only working in “green” color) for under $300. They are RGB, not RGBW like Pentair, so the white will not be as true as an RGBW light. I typically don’t use white, so I don’t remember what it looked like with the Pentair GloBrite, but the Waking white looked good to me. It also works perfectly with my Pentair automation. I’ll try to update this at a later date if I run into problems, but my Pentair lights were only lasting 2 years (or less), so they can’t be much worse, and they are a lot cheaper.

Here their ulr: Home
You can purchase them on Alibaba.

 

[ajw22]

Thanks for sharing.

There is no indication on their website that the lights are UL 676 certified.

Many people assume that any low voltage is safe around pools and people. The NEC (National Electric Code) authors have a different view. They require that submerged equipment, with people present, be evaluated under "UL-676 Underwater Luminaries and Submersible Junction Boxes". Products approved for use by the NEC must be listed to the UL 676 and UL 1081 performance standards, which can be found on the UL Product Specification website.

Lighting Basics - Further Reading

www.troublefreepool.com

 

[fpadar]

Thank you for your information. I’m sure they have not been tested to UL since they sell to Europe, SE Asia, Asia, and the Middle East. I am using the Pentair transformer which I assume meets all us specifications and the branch circuit is a dedicated 120v line with a 15 amp gfic circuit breaker.

The main reason I did not want Pentair is that I have two light in the pool, had one replaced under warranty, and all three failed. Two completely, and one would only project green. When they fail they have cracks in the plastic housing, and water inside the unit. I even took pictures and sent them to Pentair on the light replaced under warranty, since this is a serious issue that needs to be fixed. They would not replace the others because they were out of warranty. I had them elevate it to a manager, and they rejected it a week later.

Maybe Waking is not the best choice, but Pentair GloBrite are not reliable in my opinion. The may pass the UL test when new, but they don’t last very long, and I’m concern about quality/design with the plastic housing cracking and letting water into the unit. It’s hard for me to believe this is a random failure. Having 3 out of 3 tells me it’s a special cause failure.

 

[mknauss]

FYI -- Pentair has a new version of the Globrites out now. They are stated to have a longer life. We will not know that for another 3-4 years.

 

[fpadar]

I’m glad Pentair came out with a new design. Too bad they won’t replace defective, cracked units with water in them since they had a poor quality product that would only last 1 or 2 years.

I contacted Waking and they confirmed they are CE certified for Europe, but not UL for the United States. They said the product meets all of the UL requirements, and they have applied for ETL/ Intertek certification. They expect to receive it next month, and they said they would send me a copy after they are approved. Time will tell if they really get certified.

 

[tucsontico]

Any TFPer tried these Globrite replacement bulbs?

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0D7JLKTCR/?coliid=I1EH2V8FOQGWT8&colid=SS2IAK2I2DLB&psc=1&ref_=list_c_wl_lv_ov_lig_dp_it

 

[vjc103]

Thanks for sharing.

There is no indication on their website that the lights are

UL certification is rather meaningless for lights whose enclosure cracks and water penetrates electronics. Likewise forc “certified” micribrites that burn and melt after 1-2 years.

At this point I could not care less about the “certification”. We know for sure that $400-500 Pentair junk burns after a short period of time of time exposing 12v to a swimmer.

The cheap Chinese stuff can hardly be any worse, it’s actually better at a price 4-5 times less even in if it self destructs at the same rate.

 

[ajw22]

UL certification is rather meaningless for lights whose enclosure cracks and water penetrates electronics. Likewise forc “certified” micribrites that burn and melt after 1-2 years.

At this point I could not care less about the “certification”. We know for sure that $400-500 Pentair junk burns after a short period of time of time exposing 12v to a swimmer.

The cheap Chinese stuff can hardly be any worse, it’s actually better at a price 4-5 times less even in if it self destructs at the same rate.

And how do you know that some cheap stuff does not expose swimmers to electricity even when it is not leaking?

You are entitled to your opinion and can choose to have a pool that follows safety codes or not.

Consumers should be aware of the safety ratings of what is put in their pool.

 

[vjc103]

And how do you know that some cheap stuff does not expose swimmers to electricity even when it is not leaking?

You are entitled to your opinion and can choose to have a pool that follows safety codes or not.

Consumers should be aware of the safety ratings of what is put in their pool.

It’s trivial to test any 12V LED light insulation.

Empirically, I know that a $500 Pentair LED light exposes a swimmer to 12V after a year or two despite the “certification” making the latter meaningless. So if a cheap LED light does the same after a while, there’s no practical difference in protection between those two.

I could agree that the certified Pentair junk would be better if it somehow insured protection against exposing 12V. But it does not do that. So what’s the point ?

 

[jerpa9]

So glad I found this post, because I was doing this exact research and found the same light from Waking. Although I have 4 total lights, and one is out, I may just replace all 4 now for the price of roughly 1.5 Pentair... this is absolutely criminal that they can charge THAT much for a pool light!