Hunter Watson Indoor Ceiling Fan (Open Box)

Some comments and observations based on an installation yesterday [30 Apr '15]:- The outlet box here is fan-rated, but the mounting holes are 2-3/4" apart. The ceiling bracket for this fan requires a minimum of 3-1/8", so I ended up tapping two 10-24 holes in the outlet box. The style of the box allows for that, so I am lucky in that regard.- Also, I added split/lock washers over the flat washers when I secured the ceiling bracket. Prefer those for vibrating conditions.- The diagram for the shipping blocks in the manual is incorrect. Shows only one screw, where the are two. The block and screw in the diagram also don't look like actual ones on the motor body.- I used the standard downrod, so no comments on any variants.- I used a crescent wrench rather than pliers for the set screw to avoid scuff marks.- Only one 8-32 canopy screw was supplied. Luckily, I have a box of random machine screws from break-downs. I had to "paint" the head of the screw with a black magic marker to make it blend in.- The fan blades have different colors on each side. I would have preferred the lighter color, but that side had "distress" marks that looked more like someone mishandled the blades, so I ended up using the dark sides.- One extra rubber grommet and screw supplied for the fan blades.- Before inserting the two switch housing screws, look at the way the switch housing will be positioned when the housing notches are aligned with those screws - primarily the forward/reverse switch.- Before putting the globe on, route the fan switch chain through one of the plastic holes in the metal plate at the bottom of the switch housing.- NOTE: Routing the fan switch chain in this fashion, causes a lot of friction at the point the chain leaves the switch. I'm thinking about how I will address that, as that point is destined to fail in the future.- Because this fan rotates so well, balancing the blades took a while. Put the clip on one blade, fire the fan up to Ludicrous Speed, see how much the fan wobbles, turn the fan off, wait probably a minute for the fan to stop rotating, move the clip to the next blade, and repeat the process. Fortunately, there was a load of dishes to put away, so I was able to multitask.- Once balanced, the fan was pretty stable at high speed. Not sure we'll use it at that speed, as it practically lifts the ceiling it's mounted to in vertical take-off mode when spinning that fast.- Ended up with two extra screws above and beyond what I mentioned, plus a Hunter emblem. Maybe I'll turn that into a head cap for our cat and take her out bicycling.- 03 May '15 Update: One of the two light bulbs burned out last night (very odd marbling effect inside the glass - vacuum leak?). This makes for a dim corner of the kitchen. Yes, I can call some 800 number for a replacement, but my rule for bad-out-of-the-box is it's a negative against future orders. Ordering LED replacements. Down one star.- 09 Sep '15: The pull cord light switch locked up in the ON position in the beginning of August. I replaced the cheap Zing Ear E89885 switch with a super-expensive $3.49 GE switch. One week later, the 3-speed fan switch locked up in Low position. The next morning the motor (even when turned off at the wall switch) rumbled like a cement mixer. Dead bearings.I called Hunter just before heading out for a long Labor Day weekend. They offered to send me a link to a web site for discounted fans - rebuilt? I returned on Monday to find the offer was for less than 24 hours.I have 30+ year old Hunter fans made long ago with quality parts. I appreciate the need to placate stockholders, but I can't in good conscience recommend a Hunter fan until they return to parts made to last longer than the warranty period.Erik