Review on X-Sense SD01 10-Year Battery Smoke Detector with Escape Light - UL 217 Compliant (Not Hardwired) by Gary Stringfield

I've bought several Kiddie and First Alert smoke alarms over the years and they all claim ten years of battery life but not even once for 5 years. The last two were First Alert dual chamber smoke detectors that used AA batteries and both failed after a few years. I had never heard of X-Sense before buying this model, but it had excellent reviews, including from the people it saved. When I received the product I was impressed by the level of clarity of the instructions and noticed two things that weren't even mentioned in the instructions that came with the brand names - that photocell smoke alarms are not on the wall near the ceiling to be mounted like my last ones and that 3 feet was not enough clearance to fit behind the bathroom door. Humidity was probably the reason for the failure of the other units. Well-known brands hardly mention it. The X-Sense block is a quality product, made from higher quality plastic than big brands and is much more durable. The emergency light is a nice feature - I just hope we never need it.