This company is well known for providing all the tools and ironmongery supplies you could want to the trade, as well as the general public. But how well do they fare when it comes to providing you with the kind of lighting you’d like to have in your own home?
Where can I find the website?
The Screwfix website is very easy to find – it’s parked at www.screwfix.com. There is a lot of information on the home page, but the different departments of the website are easily seen at the top of the page.
How do I find the lighting section of the site?
If you glance down at the left hand side of the page, you will see a long column which lists all the categories the website has. Just over halfway down you will see an entry for ‘lighting and lamps’. That takes you into the home page for that category, which breaks it down into more detail.
To reach this page directly, simply go to http://www.screwfix.com/cats/A154524/Lighting-Lamps.
What types and brands of lighting do they offer?
As you might expect from a company like Screwfix, you can buy practically everything you could want here. There are floodlights, internal lighting, external lighting and all the energy saving products you need.
For example the internal lighting section is broken down into even more detail, which makes your online shopping experience very easy to handle. There is a whole section on recessed lighting, offering everything from complete kits to single lights. They also give prices for buying certain items in multiples, so keep an eye out for those.
You can also look for standard ceiling lights, track systems and much more besides. When you spot an item you are interested in, you can click on the item to get more information about it. This will provide you with technical information as well as more practical advice such as which bulbs you will need to make sure you have. Alternative products are also displayed on this screen, and you can enlarge the picture of the light you are looking at to see it more closely.
As for brands, there are some big names here including Philips and Halolite. Screwfix clearly believe in stocking the best lights available at reasonable prices too.
Are there any buying guides or useful sections of information about lighting?
On the page for internal lighting, there is a link right at the top which tells you all you need to know if you are fitting bathroom lights. This brings up another screen which shows you how important it is to work out which lights should go where.
You should also check the Health and Safety section in the Help part of the website. This has a key which shows you what risks could apply to all the products on the site. Watch out for codes next to each lighting fixture and make sure you look them up to see what they mean.
There is plenty more information within the help section, but most of it relates to the website in general, and to ordering items from it.
If you are thinking of swapping your bulbs for the energy saving variety, don’t miss the link on the home page of that particular section. It’s at http://www.screwfix.com/cats/A254540/Lighting-Lamps/Energy-Saving-Lamps. This links with a table that shows you just how worth it energy saving bulbs are. You might save more than you think.
Is there anything else I should know?
It is always worth looking in the new products section and the clearance section too, if you are looking to buy a light fitting of some kind. You might find something you like here and you could save some money in the case of the latter part of the site.
It’s also interesting to note that the website has a forum as well. The link for this can be found at the top right hand corner of the screen. Look for ‘Talk Forum’.
In conclusion
Screwfix is known as the place where trades people of all descriptions go to get the items they need at the best prices. As such it might not be the first place you think of when you want to buy a light fitting.
But you might be amazed at the huge range that they do. And since the prices are very competitive you can browse around knowing that they won’t break the bank. If you haven’t tried Screwfix lately, maybe it’s time you did.