Bests & Worsts Reviews from Amazon

I actually waited to write a review on this until I had used it a while. I really like it and would recommend it . . . but wouldn't give it 5 stars (for reasons coming up). Pros: It is bright, I'd say 3-6 times brighter than any I've had in the past. It lights up the entire area in front of my garage, but with a soft light rather than a normal spotlight. Even though I had purchased a light for the outside of the garage, I never bothered putting it in. It works. It is powerful, it draws in bugs for (literally) a mile or so, and it slowly clears your entire area of bugs. Keep in mind that, with any bug light, it isn't there to kill the bugs near you (nor instantly). You should put it a ways away from where you hang out, and it takes a few weeks to start reducing the bug population. It draws in more flies than anything, but then I put the Flowtron mosquito attractant on it to draw those in as well. Unfortunately a walking stick sometimes hangs out near it to get bugs, then will get electrocuted (it takes around 30 seconds for something that big) when it tries to catch one. You definitely hear it getting all of the bugs, and I want to cheer each time. :) I removed the bottom altogether, so bugs just fall out into the grass under where I have it mounted. The ants take care of them anyway and I don't have to climb a ladder to empty it each time. Cons: I presume that it takes quite a bit of electricity, especially since it needs to be on 24/7. However, if you want one this powerful . . . you have to pay the price. This isn't a design flaw, just a fact of life. The bulbs don't last terribly long. The first bulb went out after about 8 months, and the rest followed shortly after. The biggest bummer (mainly because it meant bringing out a long ladder and taking it down/taking it apart twice) was that all of the ballasts failed at the same time. They are wicked cheap (less than $8 and free shipping for 25 of them: Sunlite 37140-SU E740, FC8, Lamp FS22 Fluorescent Lamp Starter, 25 Pack(Pack of 25)), but it meant waiting a few more days and then going through the same process a second time. My recommendation would be to buy the box of 25, and just plan to replace one each time you replace a bulb. The transformers get *really* hot, too hot to touch. I think that this is part of what lead to the downfall of the ballasts, and also meant that the plastic on the ballasts got brittle and they wanted to come apart when trying to remove them . . . another reason for replacing them each time. So to conclude, plan to replace ballasts with lights, plan to replace the bulbs at least once per year . . . and plan to have all of your bugs annihilated in a satisfying way.