So Much Junk Being Sold - Now landscape wiring connectors

[xrunner]

So much junk being sold ...

Installed these new landscape wiring connectors in the Spring when I did a small project fixing up and cleaning up the landscape lighting outside my front door. I replaced the crappy connectors sold years ago which were starting to fail with this new design being offered by many sellers. They claimed this -

22Pack Low Voltage Waterproof Replacement Landscape Light Cable Connector

Waterproof? They have already failed. Yesterday I had to see why some of the LED lights were flickering. Turns out the connectors were completely ruined by water ingress. Corrosion ate them alive in less than a year.

Like I said - so much junk being sold out there I can't keep up anymore. 

[Siwastaja]

by many sellers.

You mean, like Aliexpress / Ebay? If yes, I'm not surprised.

[xrunner]

by many sellers.

You mean, like Aliexpress / Ebay? If yes, I'm not surprised.

The usual suspects of course, but these came from Amazon. I'm working on a product review with pics ... 

[Analog Kid]

Were those filled with any kind of gel, or just supposed to be a better (presumably water-resistant) design?
The gel-filled ones are supposed to be pretty good, though I've never used them.
A friend who did landscape lighting wiring said the hell with any connectors like these and just soldered everything. Sounds to me like the way to go.

[xrunner]

Were those filled with any kind of gel, or just supposed to be a better (presumably water-resistant) design?

Turns out they were not filled with gel. I didn't take them all the way apart when I installed them because I didn't have to, to get the bottom wire in (the wire going to the LED light). The top of the thing connects to the main supply line with needle style probes like has been done forever for this type of wiring. The bottom is not filled with gel at all, and so there is nothing at all to keep out water. Anyone claiming these are waterproof or even water resistant needs to put away the crack pipe while writing.

The gel-filled ones are supposed to be pretty good, though I've never used them.

Irrigation wiring uses gel-filled connectors which work well to keep out the water.

A friend who did landscape lighting wiring said the hell with any connectors like these and just soldered everything. Sounds to me like the way to go.

Yes and that's what I'm contemplating doing from now on. I dunno who comes up with these types of designs for landscape lighting wiring connectors, but I don't think they hang out on this forum.