Collingwood SL220 LED Spike Light - Stainless Steel - Low Voltage

A marine grade spike light that disappears into the planting

The SL220 is Collingwood's compact garden spike light, and this is the stainless steel version, the one you specify when salt air, sea spray or persistent damp would quietly ruin a lesser finish. It stands 440mm from spike tip to head, and 240mm of that is spike, so most of the fitting is under the soil once it is in. What you see above ground is a 62.5mm cylinder on a slim stem. Point it at a tree trunk, a rendered wall or a bank of shrubs and the light does the talking while the fitting stays out of the conversation.

Stainless steel 316, brushed and quietly industrial

Grade 316 is the marine specification of stainless steel, with molybdenum added to help it shrug off chlorides. In practice that means a coastal garden, a poolside or an exposed clifftop plot will not pit and streak the way lesser grades do. The finish is a soft brushed satin rather than a mirror, a cool mid grey that reads as understated instead of shiny. A small polished knuckle joins the head to the stem and is the only bright detail on the whole fitting. It sits comfortably against grey stone, weathered timber decking, rendered walls and gravel, and it is a natural match for other brushed steel ironmongery already in the garden.

How It Works

This is the low voltage SL220, so it runs on a separate LED driver rather than plugging into the mains. The driver is bought separately, which is worth planning before you order, because how many fittings you can run from one unit depends on the driver you choose. Collingwood's own guide pairs it with the DRV150 for up to six fittings across its settings, or the DRV350700, which carries two to six fittings at 350 and 500mA and two to four at 700mA. The fittings wire in series.

Driven at 700mA it pulls 4.6W and puts out 515 lumens at 2700K, 520 lumens at 3000K or 538 lumens at 4000K, depending on which colour temperature you pick. Run it at 350mA instead and it drops to 2.2W for a softer, lower output. Colour rendering is CRI 80 and colour consistency is held to 3 SDCM, so a run of them looks like one set rather than a mixed bag. Rated LED life is 70,000 hours to L70.

Beam angle is chosen at the point of order rather than adjusted later. The 12º option is a tight spot for picking out a single feature from a distance, and the 40º is a flood for washing something broader. Once the spike is in the ground the head tilts through 90 degrees, so you set the aim by hand and adjust it whenever the planting grows. Each light comes with 3m of H05RN-F rubberised flying lead, 6mm in diameter, ready to join into your run. Waterproof connections are essential outdoors, and Collingwood's JB2, JB4 and JB6 gel filled connectors and junction boxes handle that job. The GH220 hood and GS220 snoot are separate accessories if you want to cut spill light or create a moonlighting effect.

Where It Works Best

Coastal gardens are the obvious home for this one, but so is anywhere humid or salt laden, including poolsides and gardens near an estuary. The narrow 12º beam throws roughly 200 lux at 5.3m, which suits uplighting a mature tree, a chimney stack or a tall specimen from a distance. The wider 40º gives around 200 lux at 2.4m, better for grazing a wall, lighting mid level planting or brightening a border alongside a path. Because a spike simply pushes into soil, you can lift and move the whole scheme as beds mature or as the garden changes through the seasons. Layering a few of these at different distances gives a garden depth after dark rather than a flat wash.

At IP65 with a SELV Class III supply, this fitting is sealed far beyond what indoor wet areas ask of a light, so it is suitable for bathroom use as well, though a garden is where it genuinely belongs. If you are working indoors, our guide to bathroom lighting zones explains how the ratings map to each zone.

About Collingwood Lighting

Collingwood designs and manufactures its LED lighting in Sywell, Northamptonshire, and has worked with LED technology alone since 2002, which is a long time in a category that has changed as fast as this one. The brand states it was among the first to bring fire rated, fully sealed for life and mains dimmable LED products to the UK electrical wholesale market. It also holds an EcoVadis Gold medal, putting it in the top 5% of companies assessed worldwide for sustainability. The outdoor range, this spike light included, reflects that engineering first approach rather than a styling exercise.

Good to Know

• Backed by a 7 year guarantee.
• IP65 rated, meaning it is fully protected against dust and against water jets from any direction, which is what you want for a fitting living permanently outdoors.
• Class III, SELV. It runs at safety extra low voltage and must be fed from a suitable LED driver, sold separately.
• Dimmable, but only with a driver that supports it. Collingwood lists the DRV350700 as dimmable and the DRV150 as not, so choose the driver around whether you want dimming.
• Constructed from 316 stainless steel and rated by Collingwood as suitable for coastal areas. Weight is roughly 1.1kg.
• Maximum ambient operating temperature is 55ºC.
• Beam angle is fixed by the version you order, either 12º or 40º. It is not switchable after installation.
• Every joint in the cable run needs a waterproof connector. Moisture getting in at a poor joint is the usual cause of failure in garden lighting, not the fitting itself.
• Care is simple. Rinse the head with clean fresh water now and then, particularly in coastal settings, and wipe the lens so light output stays true.
• Moonlight Design recommends installation by a registered NICEIC electrician.

Questions People Ask

Does the Collingwood SL220 low voltage spike light come with a driver?
No. The low voltage SL220 needs an LED driver, and it is bought separately. Collingwood recommends the DRV150, which runs up to six fittings, or the DRV350700, which runs two to six fittings at 350 and 500mA and two to four fittings at 700mA.

How bright is the stainless steel SL220 spike light?
Driven at 700mA the SL220 draws 4.6W and produces 515 lumens at 2700K, 520 lumens at 3000K or 538 lumens at 4000K. At 350mA it draws 2.2W and the output drops accordingly.

Is stainless steel 316 better than aluminium for a coastal garden?
Grade 316 stainless steel contains molybdenum, which improves its resistance to salt and chloride corrosion, and Collingwood rates this fitting as suitable for coastal areas. It is the finish to choose for gardens near the sea or anywhere with high humidity.

Can the beam angle on the SL220 be changed after it is installed?
No. The 12º spot and 40º flood are separate versions of the fitting and the lens is set at manufacture. The head itself does tilt through 90 degrees, so the direction of the beam can be adjusted at any time.

How deep does the SL220 spike go into the ground?
The spike is 240mm long and sits below the surface, with the fitting measuring 440mm in total height and 62.5mm across the head. A 3m H05RN-F rubberised flying lead of 6mm diameter runs from the base.

62.5mm diameter x 440mm height (refer to spec for details)

• Collingwood Spike Light Guide 2025

We offer free standard delivery on orders within the UK Mainland* (an additional fee applies for the Isle of Wight, the Isle of Man, the Scottish Isles, parts of Scotland, Northern Ireland, the Republic of Ireland, the Channel Isles and International).

*Collingwood orders under £150 incur a delivery fee of £9.95 inc. VAT.
*Any order under £49 incurs a delivery fee of £9.95.