Bests & Worsts Reviews from Amazon

I purchased the Mr. Beams MB720A because it produces a soft AMBER light. THE GOOD For trips to the restroom during sleeping hours, an AMBER-color light is less sleep-disrupting than a WHITE-color light. Plus, an amber-color light is less likely to disturb a sleeping partner. I've tried a competitor's motion-sensing light that claimed to produce an "amber" light. However, the competitor product did not produce a true "amber" light (see photo). The Mr. Beams MB720A produces a soft and non-disrupting amber light; yet, it adequately lights a dark hallway or walking area. If it was wasn't the bad design of the MB720A, the product would have earned a 5-star overall rating. THE BAD The physical design of the Mr. Beams MB720A is where this product falls down. I found four design elements that need improvement. 1) NO OFF/ON SWITCH: The MB720A does NOT have a simple ON/OFF switch. (The competitor product I tested does have an On/Off switch.) There are special times when this product needs to be manually turned off - such as replacing batteries. There are also times when the light needs to remain on continuously (until turned off manually). Without a simple On/Off switch, (A) the product can not remain illuminated for specific occasions, and (B) the only means of stopping battery drain is to remove the unit from the wall and remove the batteries. (This is very inconvenient and increases battery cost - four AA batteries are required and they are not included.) 2) NO TIMER CONTROL: The MB720A does not have the ability for the user to control the amount of time the light remains on. The motion sensor turns off the light somewhere between 20 to 30 seconds of non-movement. Depending on where the light is physically placed, there are times when a longer illumination period would be helpful (such as walking in long hallways). Also, there are times when the light is illuminated for an unnecessary duration, thus wasting battery life. A simple 10/20/30 second timer switch, as I've seen on other motion sensor products, would resolve light duration issues and save battery cost. (A competitor product I tested does have a timer control switch.) 3) MOUNTING PLATE: The MB270A mounting plate does not cover the entire back of the product. Instead, the mounting plate only covers half of the backside of the product, which makes it impossible to mount the product completely flush to the wall for a more "built-in" look. The manufacturing material cost to correct this design flaw would be less than one cent per unit. 4) BATTERY COMPARTMENT: The battery compartment of the MB270A is secured by TWO SCREWS that are inconvenient to remove and it requires a screwdriver. The product is 100% lightweight plastic, so having two screws to hold a flimsy battery compartment cover in place is not only inconvenient, but it is also a waste of time when accessing the battery compartment. (The competitor product I tested has a convenient pop-off battery compartment cover that does not require a tool to remove.) THE CONCLUSION The Mr. Beams MB720A produces a soft, non-disturbing AMBER nightlight. The amount of light produced by the required FOUR AA batteries is adequate to illuminate a walking area or small hallway, but the light is not too bright to disturb a sleeping partner. If it wasn't for the designed flaws mentioned above, I would highly recommend this product. However, until these flaws are resolved, the Mr. Beams MB720A is on my "NOT RECOMMENDED" list.