JERDON Tri-Fold Two-Sided Makeup Mirror with Lights - Vanity Mirror with 5X-1X Magnification & Multiple Light Settings - White - Model JGL9W

How do you take the Jerdon Model JGL9W apart?DO NOT TRY TO PRY IT APART! That will NEVER work. I tried that. That is some tough plastic. I found out that the back is not made to simply pop off. And no amount of prying will get it off. The unit is held together by four (4) rather substantial screws.Where are the screws? On the back of the unit you will see four (4) round slightly recessed areas. The recessed plastic inside of these four circles hides the screw heads. If you take a medium size phillips screw driver and press it into the center of that circle you should penetrate through the 1/16 inch or so of the covering plastic, and find the screw head right underneath.(I used the word "if" and "should" because I removed the plastic with a 5/16 inch forstner bit on my drill press, not knowing what was under there. I thought it was a support post, internally glued, and I was going to separate it from the back by removing the plastic material around it. But, to my surprise, the drill bit hit metal quickly, and in that way I found the screw head.)Note: Before you seperate the front and the back of the unit, use the flat end of a screw driver to pop out the slider knob.With that caveat, when you get those four screws out, the unit comes apart easily.Why did I take it apart? This unit worked fine for one year, and 11 months, wherein, it came to pass, that both of the lights stopped working. Even if you held the switch down for a minute the lights would not light.Now, because both lights would not light, I figured it was probably not an issue with the lights themselves. I thought I might find something wrong with the switch. When I had the unit apart, and I plugged it in, I operated the switch, and it had a different feel to it, it clicked on, and it clicked off. Before I took the unit apart, the switch had no such mechanical feedback. I am not sure what I did to invoke that change in behavior. Nevertheless, I was rewarded for my efforts, as is often the case in situations like this, where you make the effort, but you are not sure exactly what you did to make it work, but by golly, both the lights come on now!And so, if I had not broken one of the small brackets that holds one end of one of the lense movement assemblies during my effort to pry the unit apart with a big screwdriver, I could simply put it back together and give it back to my mom, as the lights appears to work fine now. But because of this broken bracket issue I need to figure out how to glue it back on before I can put it back together. I don't see a major problem there. (Update: that was no problem. I made a new bracket, glued it on, and the unit is reassembled and functioning properly).While looking inside this unit, I must report to you, that it is well made, and quite substantial. I think people who buy this unit are getting a good deal. All electrical connections are made with solid crimp connections, and everything is well insulated. The ballast transformer looks to be so substantial that one might expect it to last for a century or more. And the lense movement assemblies are quite cleverly and substantially designed too.For those of you who want to know how to change the fluorescent light bulbs in this unit, i.e. if they ever did fail, well then, you would take the unit apart as described above. Beyond that, the rest is speculation on my part derived from looking at the issue from the inside. As noted I did not need to replace the bulbs in this unit.Inside the case, on a label close to the bulbs, it tells you what kind of bulb you need. However, the bulbs do not have sockets. They are hard wired in there with crimp connectors. To remove the old bulb or bulbs, you would have to clip the wires close to the bulb pins, remove the old bulbs, and put in the new ones, and then crimp the wires back onto the pins of the new bulb. I suppose you could solder the wires on, using some shrink wrap insulation to make sure that there is no bare metal showing after you are done.For a person to accomplish this successfully, you would need to have some electrical knowledge before hand. Not a lot, but some. Like don't work on the unit while it's plugged in. And how to crimp, or solder, and how to insulate the bulb pin connections. And how to keep track of where the wires go. You could take a digital photo first, before you disconnect anything.Moreover, the replacement of the light bulbs would be further complicated by the fact that these light bulbs are mounted inside of the lens movement mechanisms. It appears that the main mounting bracket (one per side) for the lens movement mechanism must be unscrewed and moved at least partially out of the way before you can get your hands on the phenolic strips which serve as the mounting structure for the bulbs, and through which the pins extend. I poked around in there and tried to see how these might come out. It is not clear. It Looks like somewhat of a mechanical puzzle. And when it comes to the lens movement mechanism, we are speaking about a string driven spring loaded apparatus, and it will take some mechanical aptitude to get it put back together and properly realigned, that is tracking from side to side.(To adjust tracking, you need to relieve the string tension on one side, and spin the lens into the proper position. I needed to do this before I put this unit back together.)Replacing the light bulbs in this unit is not impossible. But it would NOT be considered easy. Apart from the time it would take to find the right replacement bulbs, and have them at hand ready to install, I think you would be talking about a couple of hours of shop time, factoring in the time you will need to explore and fathom just how to get the old bulbs out of there.A factory technician who has done this a hundred times, who has the bulbs, the tools, and the experience, might be able to complete the job in about fifteen minutes. A person who sees the inside of this unit for the first time will take longer.If you are electrically and mechanically inclined, and have the time to spare, it might be an enjoyable project, which would pay some dividends, I think, in terms of making the end-user very happy. Giving new life to an old friend will certainly give her something to smile about.

I am taking the time to write a review for this make up mirror because I feel someone may benefit from my experience!Although I have used it only a few days, I am very pleased with it overall. The feature that I thought would not be available (having side mirrors) makes such a difference. I had to replace a similar make up mirror that I had for many years and did not think I could find something like it. This product is sturdy, & well made. Just like my previous mirror it has different lighting for applying make up properly. (day, office, evening) It has an adjustable bar in the back so that it is positioned just right for the height of the person using it.I am very happy that I chose this to replace my old one!

O.k. this is my second update. After I wrote the last update I contacted the company and they were great. They sent me a new mirror in about 1 day (don't know how that happened but I got it the next day (but they are only in the next state)). Anyway, the new mirror works fine and I'm very pleased with it. So I do recommend this mirror after all.I'm just adding an update to my prior review. About two weeks ago, the light started flickering when I turned the mirror on - eventualy the light stops flickering, but even so, it's not as bright as it was. The right bulb looks about ready to blow out - the top 1/5th is not lit. I tried to return it, but the 'return window' is over and I couldn't find a number to call to complain.I just wanted to warn would-be buyers. I'll stick with stores like Costco next time that have a better return policy.This was my prior review.I purchased this mirror about 1 month ago and have used it daily since. I am very happy with this purchase. It's not quite as large as it looks in the pics, but it's still a very nice size.I've had lighted make-up mirrors for a very long time. I would rate this the best for several reasons.1. I keep it propped open on a dressing table. I think it is very sturdy. As I recall, the piece that props the mirror up is the most flimsy (in other models) and one of the first things to go. This feels solid and there are two pieces used to prop it up.2. The lighting is very good. You have the ability to choose Day, Home, etc., but I generally only ever use Day.3. I especially like the fact that it has two side mirrors so you get to see the parts of you that you never see (and maybe never want to see:)). I've had compliments lately on how I look and I think it's because I apply better make-up.4. The reverse side of the mirror has 5X magnification, and it likewise is a very good mirror - not distorting as I sometimes find magnification mirrors to be.I read some of the other reviews before purchasing but I don't find some of them to be true. The light turns on with a switch very easily; you don't have to press and hold. I've seen that in other models but not this one. Perhaps the manufacturer improved the product since the first reviews were written.All in all, I'm very satisfied with this purchase and I would recommend it to anyone. I believe it is a quality product and I think it will last - it's sturdy, solid and seems to be made of good materials (not flimsy).

I've been wanting to get make up mirror like this one and I'm so glad I finally did. Such great quality for the price too. Love the size of it and the ability to flip the mirror to a magnified mirror. Love the settings too. Recommended.

I had an old mirror like this and it finally gave up. I tried getting a few others to take it's place but none had 3 mirrors and a flippible magnifier side. Plus an outlet for another styling tool. The lights aren't too bright like some LEDs and I feel half blind trying to do my makeup, this one has a slider which actually gives some in-between lighting besides the Day, Evening, Home, Office. I like being able to see the sides of my face better for blending and chin line with the side mirrors. This is the closest one I have found to replace my old favorite. I gave this four stars only because I don't know the longevity of the product since I just received it but I will try to add an update. So far I am happy.

Great light and magnification