Comparison
IP68 vs IP65 Outdoor Lights
The two protection grades split the Lesan range by position: IP68 models are built to sit in water; IP65 models are built to face weather and wash-down above the waterline.
What the grades mean in practice
The second digit of an IP rating describes water protection. A 5 means the enclosure resists water jets from any direction — rain, hose-down, fountain spray blown sideways. An 8 means the enclosure is built for continuous immersion under conditions the manufacturer specifies — the fitting lives underwater, not just in the splash zone. Dust protection (the first digit, 6 in both grades here) is complete in both cases. The practical line is therefore not quality but position: a luminaire that will be submerged needs the immersion grade; a luminaire on a wall or a bracket needs jet protection and gains nothing from an immersion rating it will never use.
Which models sit at each grade
| IP68 | LX-UD005, LX-SC009, LX-BG84786 and LX-UD-001A — the four underwater models |
|---|---|
| IP66 | LX-LNW465P spot light — jet-tight and dust-tight, and it is not submersible |
| IP65 | LX-XT-001 wall washer, the bar flood light family and the LX-TG-010 flood light |
| Shown two ways | LX-SC-002 fountain light: IP68 in its title and body, IP65 in its technical table — both values stand |
The LX-SC-002 case
One family in the range carries both numbers on a single page, and it is the clearest argument for reading grades model by model instead of assuming them by category. The LX-SC-002 is a fountain light, a category buyers naturally associate with immersion, yet its own technical table states IP65. Until it is confirmed which grade applies to the configuration being quoted, an order for submerged positions is not settled. The full background sits on the LX-SC-002 page, and the families at each end of the comparison are LED underwater lights and LED flood lights.
Confirm before ordering
State the installed position — submerged, splash zone or open weather — in your inquiry, and confirm the protection grade for your configuration in writing, especially where a model shows two values.
A worked example: one water feature, three grades
Picture a hotel courtyard fountain. Inside the basin, below the waterline, the fittings live submerged: only the IP68 underwater models belong there. On the basin rim, aimed at the surrounding sculpture, a spot light stands in the spray zone and takes wind-blown water all evening: its IP66 grade, and its explicit not-submersible limit, match that position honestly. On the wall behind, washers graze the stone and take rain and wash-down only: IP65 is the correct, sufficient grade. Three positions within five metres, three different grades, each right. The example is the argument of this comparison in miniature: grade follows position, and a buyer who specifies one grade across the whole feature has over-bought in two places or under-bought in one.
Decision checklist
- Will the fitting be underwater in normal service? IP68, confirmed for the model.
- Will it stand in spray, rain and wash-down only? IP65 or IP66 suffices; spend the difference on optics and control.
- Does the model's own document state any limit (such as not submersible) that overrides its grade's general meaning? The document wins.
- Does any source for the model show two grades? Confirm the applicable one in writing before ordering.