After I purchased the KTracy Manor, I was on a tight budget to replace the light fixtures. As a result, I relied heavily on Patriot Lighting, the Menards store brand, to illuminate the rooms in my home. There's just one problem.

Patriot Lighting sucks.

This Patriot Lighting 7.5" Flush Mounted LED Ceiling Light, sold as the "Raiden" model, was the straw that broke this camel's back and forced me to make the decision never to buy Patriot Lighting products ever again.

I installed this light three years ago in my laundry room and after 20 minutes of trying to get the light's mounting system to engage, I realized the problem wasn't me, but the absolutely lousy, unworkable design of the mounting system itself.

The problem with the mounting system is that the clips on the fixture itself aren't big enough and can't reach the bracket; which mounts flush to the ceiling. To fix this, I added a few washers to the bracket that goes on the ceiling in order to offset it from the ceiling and let sit proud of the ceiling by enough that the clips can properly engage with it.

When I posted the above video about installing this on YouTube, I received a ton of comments from other people with the same problem (requiring varying numbers of washers to offset the bracket). Even more alarming were the number of people who said the Patriot Lighting 7.5" flush mounted ceiling light died a year or two after installing.

After three and a half years, my Patriot Lighting 7.5" Flush Mounted LED Ceiling Light is still in use and functioning well without any noticeable dimming in my laundry room. However, I have so little confidence in all of my Patriot Lighting products that I cannot in good faith recommend a trip to Menards to pick any up for yourself.

Spend a little more, try to find something not made in China, and don't buy the Raiden model ceiling light or anything else from the Patriot Lighting brand from Menards.