Varilight Classic White, LED Dimmer Switch - V-Pro Series, 2 Gang (Single), 1 or 2 Way, 250 Watt (Trailing Edge)

I bought this dimmer switch to control 6 Philips Master LED 6W candle bulbs on one switch (gang, 36W total) and 2 old 25W tungsten lights on the second gang. It works fine with no flicker with the LEDs. Tungsten no problem as you'd expect. I researched this a bit as I read not all dimmers work with all types of LEDs and this one gives three modes. By default it is "trailing edge" (mode 1) which I assume is to do with the shape of the electric waveform that is produced and the waveform should be compatible with the lights. This works with the Philips LEDs. I found dimming kicked in during the last two-thirds of the rotation and the lights were still glowing dimly turned right down. I tried "mode 2". (the instructions don't say if this is "leading edge"). This also worked, tho it had the effect of the dimming kicking in earlier in rotation and the lights were completely turned down before the last quarter turn. I reset it to mode 1 as I preferred a small amount of light when it was turned right down. I could have got mode 2 to leave some light output too - as the switch allows you to alter the minimum brightness (yet another configuration thing). I didn't bother exploring mode 3. You put the switch into configuration mode by switching the lights on and off three times. After that rotation of the switch allows you to set the mode. It has "soft start". Meaning your lights gently ramp up to the set output over a couple of seconds. Neat. It is silent. I can't hear it at all with my ear right up to it, either with just the LED lights on and dimmed, or just the tungsten lights on and dimmed. Job done. Happy. Hope it lasts well. PS In case you were thinking about it I read somewhere you should not mix light types on a single switch. In my case the two types of bulb are on the two separate switches so no problem.

Works as advertised. Doesn't make a sound at all, quite smooth transition of brightness (apparently adjustable as well). Delay between push-on and light is something like 2 seconds though. And is not the brightest for 2 50 watt halogen lights I installed. A strange issue I had was the need to modify (saw off) the edges of a Chinese electrical box I had ordered. They were like 2 mm too wide for the switch. Not sure if that means the dimmer's edges were too wide or the box too small or Chinese and British electrical boxes have very slightly different standards. A happy customer. I just wish these things would come more universal (electrical dimmers and compatibility to electrical boxes) and cheap. As a Belgian the best deal I saw was to buy a dimmer from the U.K. and electrical boxes from China... Surely things can be more standardised and integrated.

I already had a single version of this for a 3 way lounge pendant - used with some older phillips bulbs, they dim great (although the colour is pretty bad - I semi tinted them). This double version I put in the kitchen with two spot lamp-bars - used with "Philips LED GU10 Light Bulbs, 5 W (50 W) - WarmGlow Dimmable" - they also dim great. (and incidentally, the colour on these GU10s is really good if you want "warm") No buzzing, flickering or other odd behaviour as the bulbs are good (Chinese filament LEDs I have had problems with in the past) So, the verdict is good and a deserved 5 stars as they just work, providing you use decent bulbs. Easy to fit, even I managed it - just make a note of where the original wires go, switch off the mains (!) and replace it. You may need a spacer with a shallow backbox - and potentially longer switch bolts, be prepared for that. If I ever get another I won`t bother looking at the different types as I don`t need to - I`ll just get one of these.

I couldn't resist the temptation of amending my reviews again and again every time I buy these gadgets, but this time I've decided to re-write and simplify this review just because there are way too many merits to bring out in full details. I first bought these in March 2019 and installed them back in China to dim a few Philips, Osram and IKEA dimmable LED bulbs and they worked smoothly, and so I would always bring a few back every time when I visit the UK. At the meantime, the soft-start feature feels very classy to me! A nice important feature is that the minimum brightness can be manually adjusted to suit different bulbs. Remember though, as different LED lights come with different circuitries (i.e. there're no global technological standards), by nature, there would be no such "universal" dimmer for all dimmable lights, e.g. these dimmers aren't normally compatible even with dimmable 24V DC LED strip drivers (unless with other compatible lights connected in parallel). My parents were pleased with these dimmers as they made it possible to set the bedroom lights to very dim levels. Whilst they were initially confused when they saw the lights stepping up and down on switching on the dimmer, this was easily fixed this by activating the child lock. I bought again in June 2022, some 3 years after my first purchase. Been a delight to see them packed in plastic bags rather than paper boxes. As one of the two units takes nine LED lights totaling 71 watts, it heats up significantly more than the other unit which takes only 5 watts. Hopefully that wouldn't be too problematic! (Proved no problem after 1.5 years of use) I last ordered it (again!) in December 2023, and they've returned to paper boxes. It's been nearly 5 years since my first use, and Varilight V-Pro has always been impressively reliable, and none have failed so far; especially in the light that they aren't simple switches but more complex electronic circuitry inside (which by theory are more prone to damage).

Had to replace my original dimmer when I switched from halogens to LEDs. This is a tad expensive and needs programming to get the appropriate dimming range. The programming did not work when I followed the instructions, but eventually it worked. It still does not dim down as far as I would like on the LEDs though. Only one of the 2 gangs is operating LEDs, the other light fitting is still using halogens, and I managed to program that one to dimn all the way down.

I have purchased several dual gang dimmers designed for dimmable LED over the past few weeks including the Zigtiger models. For my configuration the Zigtiger had issues with the dimming range (which would not go low enough) as well as a poor mechanical feel to the push switch. I had to program the LED dimming range with the VariLight units, which is fairly simple (maybe a short how to video would be beneficial) and it works very well with the 4 off 10W ceiling mount LED. The on/off action with these units have a positive, quality feel.

I've used a lot of these types of dimmers throughout the house - unusually, this one controls a fairly light tungston lamp load on one dimmer and LEDs on the other. They are certainly pricey compared to non-LED dimmers but I haven't yet found anything to beat them for controlling dimmable LEDs. They're quiet, have two controller modes (leading and trailing edge) and an excellent soft-start. They're not perfect, though. They occasionally (maybe once every two or three months) decide to go through a 'start of programming' sequence when switched on (ie) they increase the lamp brightness in defined steps, go off and come back on again. Leaving the dimmer alone results in the lamps coming on as normal after a very short delay, so this isn't a real problem, just a bit disconcerting. This behaviour is possibly due to noise on the mains supply but I've not got the equipment to verify. The other 'issue' is that the LED dimming isn't perfect. It's certainly a lot better than when trying to use a standard 400W tungston dimmer but at close to minimum brightness, there can be a distinct flicker from the LEDs (<10Hz). I assume this is always going to be a problem with dimmers that are only wired to the live mains supply (ie) where there's no neutral connection to the dimmer, but normal house wiring often precludes this option. However, I found a way to largely mitigate this by wiring one or two old lighting 'transformers' (the solid-state 240v ac to 12v ac converters used for 12v 50W halogen spots etc.) in parallel with the LED lamps. The 12v ac end is insulated and not connected to anything, so the 'transformers' don't draw much current but enough apparantly to stop the pronounced flicker.

I have 25 down lights in my large kitchen/diner so obviously 25 GU10 halogen bulbs at 50 watts each costs a small fortune to operate. I decided to replace all my halogen bulbs (and all my other bulbs in my house for that matter) for decent DIMMABLE LED bulbs. They must be stated as dimmable! Each GU10 bulb in my kitchen/diner is now only 4 watts each and they are a perfect replacement for my 50 watt halogens. This is a total change from 1250 watts down to just 100 watts. Go figure.... Anyway, as lovely as the lighting is, I wanted to create some "mood lighting" as 25 bulbs is pretty bright, especially if you host a party or just want a lower level of light for the evenings. I have 15 bulbs on one switch over the diner area and 10 on the other switch over the kitchen area. Out came my existing standard double switch and I wired this switch in exactly the same way my old switch was wired. It works fantastically! The dimming function works perfectly on both sets of lights (15 bulbs on one switch, 10 on the other- remember my LED bulbs are 4 watts each) and there is no flickering or buzzing even on the lowest dim. The push clicker to turn the lights on and off gives a satisfactory click and "feel" which is important to me. I had previously bought a more expensive LED dimmer switch of eBay for more money but returned it as the clicker was rubbish, plus the switch made a slight buzz when dimmed. All in all, a great switch but I would recommend that you buy good quality dimmable LEDS bulbs to be on the safe side. I get mine from a website called "LED Hut" which I highly recommend. Also, my LED bulbs are "day light" colour.

Fonctionne très bien chez moi (France) sur des halogènes d'un côté, des led dimmables de l'autre. Bizarrement, il a fallu quelques allumages pour que ça fonctionne, mais maintenant l'intensité est réellement calibrée du min au max. Attention à la boite d'encastrement murale : ronde chez moi, il a fallu tailler un peu les coins au cutter pour que ça s'encastre car il en faudrait une carrée mais sinon les dimensions générales étaient ok.

Researched substantially to arrive at this dimmer. As far as I know, only two-in-one dimmer switch available at the time of purchase. I had multiple circuits so tried with multiple loads and LED bulb combinations. Same bulb type/make is preferred in each circuit otherwise result is not 100% (meaning, some circuits would not go to the minimum or maximum output that I would prefer). I experimented with the digital programming routines which can be tricky, but they do help with combinations of bulbs. I also tried the switch with less than the recommended minimum load and works as well. Overall excellent price-value.

Di varilight ne avevo provati e tutti con qualche problema nel regolare le lampadine led. Questo varilight funziona veramente bene e ha funzioni intelligenti facilmente settabili...basta capire un po l'inglese. Lo consiglio senza problema per regolare la luminosità delle lampade led a patto che siano dimmerabili.

Estoy muy satisfecho. Aunque el aspecto del aparento no es muy elegante funciona perfecta mente. Opera como conmutador doble. Es decir, con este regulador se pueden encender, apagar y regular, y con un conmutador normal desde otro lado de la casa se puede tener la función de apagado y encendido. Además, este modelo esta pensado especialmente para lámparas led dimmables, así que ahí sin problemas. Tiene función de configuración para setear el nivel de intensidad mínimo y máximo de cada rosca reguladora y además entra perfectamente en el hueco que hay habitualmente en las casas para los interruptores de luz estándar lo que permite la fácil substitución de un conmutador antiguo por el regulador sin entrañar demasiados problemas. Incluye documentación de instalación y configuración aunque en inglés.

Die "V-Pro" Dimmer sind programmierbar ! Laut englischer Anleitung: Mode 1: "trailing edge" für die meisten Lampen, einschließlich dimmbarer LED. Mode 3: auch "trailing edge", für manche LEDs , Mode 2: "leading edge", für manche LEDs. Schaltet bei Überlast ab. Die minimale Leuchtstärke ist ebenfalls programmierbar. Ich habe die Dimmer an Standard-Halogenlampen ausprobiert: der Regelbereich ist perfekt, von kaum glimmend bis zu voller Leuchtkraft. An LEDs bisher nicht ausprobiert. Ein kleines Problem ist die Montage: der Schalter wird mittels zweier beiliegender Schrauben in der Gerätedose fixiert; die Abmessungen passen (62.5mm). In den 4 Ecken ist er aber etwas zu groß für eine normale Gerätedose, so dass man die Dose etwas ausbrechen muss. Das könnte Probleme mit dem Einputzen in der Wand geben.