Long time listener, first time caller. I’m currently converting some of my incandescent fixtures to LED’s which means I have to give up my lovely “pre-lawsuit” Leviton Vizia RF RZI06’s. I really, really like the RZI06 design – the push-on push-off curvy paddle that always “turned on”, always happy, and always glad to see you, as well as the separate dim/bright bar. I can’t find anything on the market that looks and feels as good – the “stuck in the middle with you” paddles look broken, and I insist on separate power and dimming controls, instead of a single paddle with context-sensitive functions.
All that means… if you folks decide to release a premium line – call it… Purple Series? Platinum series? – of controls based on the LZW36 design, with really nice quality plastics, momentary on/off paddles that feel clicky, tactile, and responsive (unlike the weirdly vertically-hinged paddle on Eaton Aspire RF devices, where you have to have to know to push on the right side and not the left), make sure dimmer ramps S-M-O-O-T-H-L-Y with just about any LED load currently sold, and make switches, dimmers, and AC fan controllers available… I’m going to need about 3 fan controllers, 8-10 switches, and about 30 dimmers, Name your price.
Wait, is that why Leviton stopped making that design? They got sued? Those were my favorite dimmers for a long time. I gave them all to my sister for her house, actually.
Apparently the vertical dimming rocker was patented by Lutron for a while. I think the patent has since expired (this lawsuit is from 2007), which is why Leviton is using the design again for latest Decora Smart / RF line. But that was why the Vizia RF+ line had the horizontal dimming rocker and LED strip.
I doubt Inovelli would license the patent just to use the design in one niche product and nowhere else…
So, guys, make a nicer Z-Wave dimmer than either the current Leviton or Eaton/Cooper designs, assuming that you can.
I currently have mostly Leviton Decora Smart Zwave switched in my home. The separate dimmer toggle is amazingly simple and intuitive. I wish the Levitons had more features, but they are tough to give up because of the strong WAF.
I think Inovelli is married to their current design, for now. But, I would LOVE if they would consider adding a separate dimmer control to their designs in the future.
Absolutely. So, something all the Vizia RF devices can do that I miss in Decora Smart Zwave devices is keeping the level indicator turned on while the switch is off, and being able to adjust it up or down without turning on the light. Pushing dim up on a Decora Smart dimmer will turn it on. I hate to think it’s a Lutron patent workaround, it might just be that’s what Leviton considers “helpful”. I humbly disagree.
That said, I think if Inovelli was married and completely monogamous, the LZW36 would have two half-size up/down paddles. They came up with a new design for the LZW36, so they’re ever so casually seeing someone else. And I, for one, would financially support them having a full-blown affair with that design.
I’m currently converting some of my incandescent fixtures to LED’s which means I have to give up my lovely “pre-lawsuit” Leviton Vizia RF RZI06’s. I really, really like the RZI06 design – the push-on push-off curvy paddle that always “turned on”, always happy, and always glad to see you, as well as the separate dim/bright bar. I can’t find anything on the market that looks and feels as good – the “stuck in the middle with you” paddles look broken, and I insist on separate power and dimming controls, instead of a single paddle with context-sensitive functions.