Kichler 44 Inch Sola Indoor/Outdoor Ceiling Fan with LED Light and Remote Control - Perfect for Living Room, Bedroom, Patio, and Covered Porch

Photo: Lutron Skylark SFSQ-LF Fan + Light Control (left gang)Photo: Kichler native remote control in-fan (left) and decora wall (right)Note: The Lutron Skylark control is *not* included, but can be purchased separately. This review focuses on using non-proprietary controls instead of the proprietary remote control system included.Picked up three (3) of these to replace several low-cost fans from another manufacturer. Intent was to maintain hardwired controls/switches. I loathe remotes and batteries and the industry trend of providing proprietary remotes and/or battery operated controls for ceiling fans is one I cannot abide as it's one more losable, consumable, less reliable, point of failure. Get up and change the setting if you desire.To that end I installed the Kichler Sola 44's *without* the in-fan housing remote control unit and therefore also without the wall remote control (photo attached).I prefer Lutron Skylark Fan and Light Controls - in this case Lutron SFSQ-LF. Reused two already in bedrooms and installed a net new one in a third bedroom. Wiring the Kichler Sola 44 to be controlled by the Lutron SFSQ-LF does require 3-wire (black-white-red plus ground branch circuit wiring) to the ceiling outlet.If using the Kichler native remote control, only 2-wire (black-white plus ground) is needed to the ceiling outlet but then you are stuck with remotes and batteries - see gripe above. The Kichler included remote gets permanently installed into the wall (fits in a decora slot), but still requires a battery as the remote is wireless and not tied in to branch circuit wiring or the fan by wire. Kichler does offer several other remote styles for additional purchase.The Kichler Sola 44 fan/light itself has black-white-blue wiring to mate up to the 3-wire branch circuit wiring and Lutron Skylark switch.Using the Lutron Skylark model noted provides three speed settings for the fan and single on/off for the light. The bottom small horizontal rocker switch turns the LED on/off. The upper 4 position slider (Hi-Med-Lo-Off) controls the fan. I don't care about dimmable LED's in these rooms (and have had very hit or miss results with dimmable LED's). If using the Kichler remote control, the LED's are dimmable.Using Lutron Skylark Controls on Kichler Sola 44Pros (when using Lutron Skylark controls):+ Hardwired controls+ No batteries to change. No interference to deal with. No lights or fans randomly turning on/off.+ Failure/loss/damage of remote does not brick your fan. In fairness, one can buy another Kichler remote control. In the rare occurrence where a hard-wired non-proprietary control fails, they are easy to procure and lower cost.+ Easier to install as the fan housing gets quite crammed with the in-fan housing side of the remote control.Cons (when using Lutron Skylark controls):- LED's are not dimmable with chosen Lutron Skylark (my choice). Other Lutron controls might work fine. The Kichler remote control enables dimming the LED's.- Cannot change fan spin *direction* as that feature is built into the remote control gizmos and not a physical switch. In the default setting, the fan spins with airflow going "up" (my preferred direction).- (Not really a con, but warning) Requires 3-wire wiring. Only 2-wire needed if using Kichler native control.Remaining Thoughts:The fans have nice build quality. They are whisper silent on Lo and Med with the only noise being that of air moving. On Hi one of the three fans does have a moderate "hum" but not bad. I am easily annoyed by garbage ceiling fan quality/noises - I am not going to return the one that hums as it is within my own personal acceptable threshold for an AC ceiling fan.The Kichler Sola 44 LED/light kit is optional. A separate bottom/cap in the same color as the fan, without LED's is included in the box if you want a "ceiling fan only" look.A safety/fall strap is included (required by code for installation in Canada?).Like all ceiling fans, longevity is to-be-determined. Personally, I think 10-years is the longevity floor for this ceiling mounted hardware. Time will tell.*** 6-Month Update ***All three installed fans continue to impress. The hum on one of the three fans, only present on HI, has gotten quieter with use (unexpectedly positive).Additionally, figured out how to reverse the spin direction of the fan despite the proprietary remote not being used. Here is the procedure when using standard 4-position controls (Off-Lo-Med-Hi) like the Lutron Skylark (others should likely work as well)... harness your inner 7-year old and move the switch/slider up and down a handful of times (like going up and down a piano... but with the switch... like a young curious kid would do before being yelled at)... 3/4/5 times up and down ending on Off. Wait a full second and then flip it to Low. You will hear a relay "click" inside the fan housing and voila the direction is reversed. May have to perform this procedure several times to get it work. I've been able to do it on all three fans successfully. Pretty wild, but it works.