Customer Feedback

"We have converted about 75% of our lit red and green buoys (175) to LED - some 701/2 and some 704 series...The benefits we have seen greatly outweigh any negatives."

"Another benefit is reduction of our AtoN workload...we have been able to shift just about all of our buoys to 3yr cycle so far...We also find that we don't get diverted for discrepancy response during our LMR patrols because the LEDs are so reliable. Any discrepancies we get nowadays are buoys that haven't yet been converted to LED."

"LEDs better withstand blows by f/v outriggers, large waves and submersion, and since solar panels are vertical vice horizontal, they are less susceptible to guano issues. If a buoy with a LED has a lot of guano on it, we can blast it with a fire hose from about 10 yards away - I wouldn't want to do that to a flimsy solar panel..."

"A testament to LED effectiveness, pilots are very much against any changes to AtoN, but have fully embraced LEDs and our complete conversion of waterways in and around NYC."

"I am a VERY satisfied previous customer having bought an amber marine light for a turning mark...It survived both Hurricanes Katrina and Rita, being submerged for hours during the storm surge... I am certain it has surpassed the number of years of expected use and is still on station, working to this day!"

"We have had excellent service from three units we purchased in 2000 (still going strong even in winter at -40C!) "

"I have used them [Carmanah lights] before at the Oleander Point Yacht Club in Cocoa, Florida when I was President of that Club. You have a great product. "

"[Carmanah's solar lights] are a godsend to us in shore maintenance, saving us a lot of time and money. "

"We, at Padstow Harbour on the North coast of Cornwall, have been using Carmanah Lights for many years. In total we have 8 [Model] 601s on our channel buoys and beacons and have recently purchased 2 [Model] 501s to use as anchor lights on our two pedestrian ferries. We are more than satisfied with their performance and have had great backup from your supplier [Hydrosphere] in the UK. "

"...I am impressed with the ease of installation, also with the way the [501] unit is protected from the elements. You have a good product. "

"...[We] mounted [Carmanah Model 501 Lights] on two weirs that are partially obstructing a river to warn potential traffic. The weirs guide salmon through a confined area for imaging acoustic enumeration...We have used these lights before and found them to be very long lived, some much more than five years... "

"We installed a 501 white light on our aft mast of the museum ship the USS ORLECK DD 886 located in Orange, Texas. This was the last US Navy Destroyer commissioned during WW II. It is the only museum ship in the US that left it's birth place and has returned to it's final berth. It can be viewed on our web site at www.ussorleck.org.

The Model 501 is well constructed for all types of applications and for the price you can't go wrong. As well, customer service at Carmanah is the finest I have encountered... "

"I have been a user of your 601 (amber) lights since they first became available and have recommended them to other similiar institution uses for installation on their research buoy or platforms. I currently have 15 601 units mounted on yellow oceanographic research buoys outside my facility here at Marine Operations awaiting deployment this month off-shore Delaware in the Atlantic Ocean... I also have two 601's in the middle of Delaware Bay marking simular buoys... I have found the 601 lights to be extremely reliable, rugged and have survived submersion when some smaller buoys have been occasionally pulled under by high currents.

The College also owns a wave buoy manufactured by Neptune Sciences, Inc. that has the smaller model 501 light installed and it has also functioned flawlessly on recent deployments off Hawaii and Delaware Bay... Please feel free to use the University of Delaware/College of Marine Studies as a major user of your lights for oceanographic research...Thanks again for a great product... "

"...impressed with the quality of service provides by Hydrosphere UK Ltd. and the Irish Agents "All In A Shell". The 501's are an exceptional piece of engineering. We installed a number of 501 units about 4 years ago and they are still flashing away. They have exceeded all of our expectations. "

"We purchased our first 501 light in 1999 and installed it at the top of a 40 metre meterological measuring mast, at an elevation of 250 metres above sea level. The site is extremly exposed with strong winds which regularly reach 70 mph with driving rain (structural class 1) . The light has functioned perfectly from the first day it was installed, and has now been moved to another site which is in an exposed coastal location. This site also has an extreme maritime regime. The light provides a reliable and trouble free navigation warning to this day. "

"We just had Hurricane Isabel come thru Norfolk, VA last month, September 18, 2003, and we were with out power for several days. We have a 701 series on the end of our 1800’ pier on the Elizabeth River and several 601 series located on a drawbridge down river. They worked great! "

"We purchased 8 of the 702 lights for use on a bridge / fender system on a heavily travelled portion of the icw in S.E. GA. The lights have exceeded our expectations, they have remained charged even in overcast skies and allowed us to eliminate the utility company power expenses from the operation / maintenance of the bridge. In my experience, seldom does a product exceed what the manufacturer tells you. This product does. "

"I found an amber 501 among some beach debris 20 miles west of Bella Bella (British Columbia). Although very beat up, it was blinking away. Pretty good product. "

"Socidad Estatal de Salvamento Marítimo (SESAMAR) has recovered a piece of handspike with A Carmanah series 700 LED lantern (characteristic, East Cardinal Point) attached to it. The handspike was recoverd from the sea near the Port of Tarragona, Spain.

Part of the spike was floating, and part of it was submerged, including the portion with the light attached. Undoubtedly, it had been pulled up from some distant place during a recent wind storm, as no one had any such device in Tarragona.

Surprisingly enough, the lantern was in perfect condition and functioned correctly in spite of the harsh sea and wind conditions it has been exposed to.

After completion of appropriate inquiries, it was discovered that the lantern came from a buoy located some 80 kilometers away from Tarragona in the mouth of the Llobregat River. The buoy belongs to the Barcelona Port Authority and the lantern has now been returned to them. "

"The Model 501 is perfect for our area. We purchased about 40 and have installed them on buoys that guide boat owners that travel their areas during the night. Comparing the previous navigation lights to Model 501, they are perfect. There has been several times that a buoy has sunk into the water and boat owners have discovered that the Model 501 remains on even while submerged. The Model 501 has been so helpful to our areas and has reduced a number of accidents. We are looking forward to ordering more of these products. Thank you. "

"I have a Carmanah 501 light mounted on the roof of my crane, which is mounted permanently on a barge. Well, the barge sank on the 9th of December, 2001. We re-floated the barge on the 9th of January, 2002 - the light was under about 5 to 6 feet of water for about one full month. The air temp has been around minus 1°C to minus 8°C since it's been back on the surface. The light has not malfunctioned in any way and comes on at dusk every night. "

"I am writing to express my total satisfaction with the Carmanah solar powered lights that we purchased for lighting our mussel lease located in Southern Tasmania. We have been using the lights for about 2 years trouble-free without requiring any maintenance. We find the design to be good with the minimal weight of the light ideal to place on existing day markers and with no batteries to change they will pay for themselves and ensure that the lease area will always be well lit during the night. Congratulations on a well designed product. "

"Last year I purchased a Carmanah Model 501 as a birthday gift for my father. We installed the light on the end of his private dock and have been very pleased with its performance to-date. There have been a number of evenings when we have been out fishing until after dark and the flashing Carmanah Light has guided our way back to our home with ease (previously, this was not such an easy task!). Anyway, thank you for making such a great and useful product. We have received a number of inquiries about your light from my father's neighbours, and we have recommended they come and purchase one from you. "

"We are a major Mussel producer in the South Island and have a large number of Mussel farms that require lighting to meet Marine Regulations. Three years ago we tried Carmanah lights on farms and they have exceeded our expectations for reliability. Since then we have purchased over 60 lights... We have been impressed with the technology and robustness of the new generation of lights. Our ongoing service problems have disappeared and we are looking forward to trouble free lighting for our Mussel Farm lighting "

"...as you are well aware we did purchase the existing solar powered navigation lights from your company some eighteen months ago, these have proved very reliable over this period and have not required any maintenance at all. I am pleased to notify that we will within the near future require additional navigation lights of a larger and stronger range and look forward to your quotation for two additional lights of the new 700 series "

"We are informing you that the above mentioned lantern [Model 601] has satisfactorily passed field testing based on specifications submitted and that we are able to recommend the lanterns for use as maritime signals where maritime traffic requires a visibility of 3,500 meters or 1.8 nautical miles of distance, such as for use on channel buoys, or moors and wharf beacons. "

"For several years we had been trying to locate a suitable navigation signal system for our waterway entrance. Approximately one year ago we received some information on Carmanah lights at which point we contacted Eng. Jorge de Dios Dominguez who kindly sent us a trial light. After deployment of the light for a test period of 3 weeks, we decided to change our lighting system in favour of Carmanah lights and, in addition, purchased double our requirements to maintain an inventory of lights for future deployment. At this time, we have been using Carmanah lights for about one year and the problems of maintenance and reliable functioning of our navigation lighting system has become a thing of the past. The only thing we do now is check the lights intermittently to make sure that they are working. "

"I am writing to inform that the Carmanah lights we recently acquired have fulfilled our previously held expectations for this type of product. The product's light output is superior compared to traditional navigation lighting and its ultra compact form makes it possible to use higher buoy towers thereby increasing the radius of our navigation lighting. As well, the minimum maintenance (or none at all) makes it possible for us to recoup product costs quickly. For all of the above reasons, we wish to express to you our complete satisfaction with this innovative product. "

"I am pleased to inform you that we use your solar powered products and find them an excellent alternative to conventional methods of illumination. "

"People at Superior conducting the test wanted to see if the lights could withstand Superior's sub-zero temperatures. Winter frequently leaves conventional lanterns dead in only a few hours. It passed with flying (blue) colors! "

"In a comparison of lights with visibilities up to 3.5 nautical miles, the Carmanah Model 601 and 701 lanterns proved to be the lowest cost of acquisition, the lowest cost of installation, as well as the lowest cost of operation for up to 3 years. The Model 601 also provided the lowest cost of operation for both the 6 and 10 year intervals in the 2 nautical mile category. "

"...its 2 nautical mile range, 6 year rated life and user programmable flash rhythms make it an ideal signal for discrepancy buoys... to date, the buoys and [Carmanah] lights are performing satisfactorily and are well received by servicing personnel and mariners. "