I'm thinking of replacing 13 halogen light bulbs in my lounge for LED equivalents.
Has anyone got real life experience of using LED's - pro's/con's etc and what brands you would recommend.
There seems to be a big price difference on line for similar spec bulbs ranging from under £5 each to over £12 each.
I currently use halogens with a small bayonet fitting (S15) candle bulbs on a dimmer switch.
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This site may be useful:
trade.ledhut.co.uk/
(no connection)
8o)
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I've bought from here: www.thelightbulbshop.co.uk
We're currently (!) using LED downlighters in the kitchen to replace the old spotlight-type bulbs. Needed a bit of care to ensure the replacements were the same dimensions, so they did not stick out from the ceiling or the opposite. Very pleased - a lot of light for little power.
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Replaced the GU10 spot/floods in my kitchen with LED about 18months ago. The previous 50w halogens were OK for light output but seemed to fail on a near weekly basis. Examination of fitting showed it was at end of its useful life too - mostly heat damage.
Bought a new 4 spot from B&Q and 4 TCP branded non dimmable 50w equivalent GU10 LEDs from Homebase*. Slightly better light than the halogens and, touch wood, I've yet to have one fail.
OTOH I couldn't find a suitable LED equivalent for the 40w SES candle bulbs in my Mother's lounge/diner which also fail with monotonous regularity.
*B&Q Northampton Superstore's selection of LED bulbs at time was vastly inferior to the (small) Homebase at Sixfields. Don't know if that's general or still the case.
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you'll need dimable LEDs, and they are more expensive. Like Bromp, I have found the TCP branded bulbs from home base to be first class, tho a little "white" in colour.
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The dimmable candle ones ones are about £7.50 each as against 65p for an incandescent candle bulb which are still available but marketed as "heavy duty".. I think you many need to change the dimmer switch too if you go down the LED route.
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We've got virtually every light in the house converted. SWMBO hated the old-style energy saving lamps - colour temperature, and the delay in coming up to full light - but the LEDs behave pretty much as normal incandescent bulbs and you aren't likely to notice the difference.
As regards life, the GU10 LEDs are the only ones that fail on the odd occasion, and the failing ones are virtually always the cheaper ones bought from Hofer (Aldi in the UK). The Ikea ones seem to be fine.
The only problem is that it's difficult to get them with a decent light output, e.g. finding one with a light output greater than 40W equivalent is difficult. And it's compounded by the fact that a "40W equivalent" seems to mean different things to different manufacturers. And the 4W ones are sometimes brighter than the 5W, despite both being "40W" equivalents.
We have a much greater choice here in Austria, bayonet fittings are unknown, and there is an almost infinite variety with screw fittings in the E14 and E27 sizes.
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They're great. Buy them in bulk from Amazon, unbranded, dirt cheap. And choose the colour temperature you fancy. A smidgen over a pound each.
Haven't had much luck with the remote control colour change ones; the colours (particularly white) aren't very good.
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Ignore the 90% hype - you need about 25% to get the same light output. I swapped the 20W halogens in my kitchen for 4W LEDS - which increased the light output significantly. If they're low voltage then you probably need a new transformer as well. A 10W LED makes a good replacement for a 60W incandescent. I can't find replacements for small screw fitting globes though - the incandescents are about 600lumen, whereas the LEDS are only 250-300. I buy mine through LED hut - they often have 25% or more offers, and they do another 10% through topcashback. They sent a replacement for one of the kitchen ones that failed by return, no questions asked.
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It's also about the spread of light isn't it? Some lights (LEDs and the old sort) are strictly downlighters and have a fairly narrow beam. So if you are looking for something to light up a room then that's not what you want (usually!!)
It was Richard's opening remark which made me think of this. my old lights were not downlighters but being a bit ignorant about it at the time, I bought a couple of LEDs to replace them, which were downlighters. Suddenly I had pools of darkness in my hall!!
They cost significantly less to run, in the year I replaced them there was a significant drop in my leccy bill - though not all attributable to the LEDs.
Last edited by: smokie on Wed 2 Sep 15 at 13:31
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>> It's also about the spread of light isn't it? Some lights (LEDs and the old
>> sort) are strictly downlighters and have a fairly narrow beam. So if you are looking
>> for something to light up a room then that's not what you want (usually!!)
>>
>> It was Richard's opening remark which made me think of this. my old lights were
>> not downlighters but being a bit ignorant about it at the time, I bought a
>> couple of LEDs to replace them, which were downlighters. Suddenly I had pools of darkness
>> in my hall!!
you can buy bulb shaped, and hence bulb light spread, LEDS. You can buy LEDS in any format you can currently get incandescent bulbs*
(yes I know about architectural bulbs and there may be some of them you can't get LED version)
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I've noticed small bayonet (B15 sbc) are rarer but can still be found. I shall enjoy trawling the websites provided and comparing. Thanks all.
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I buy the occasional LED bulb to see if they've improved, but keep coming back to halogens. No LED has lasted anything like as long as claimed, and the colour temperatures are still not right. The outputs are also wildly exaggerated.
They'll probably be OK in ten years' time.
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>> They'll probably be OK in ten years' time.
I'll probably be gorn by then.
:}
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Likewise, Dog, but I would like to spend my declining years in well-lit surroundings. The 'waste' heat from incandescents helps offset my heating bill, and therefore isn't really wasted at all.
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>>I would like to spend my declining years in well-lit surroundings. The 'waste' heat from incandescents helps offset my heating bill, and therefore isn't really wasted at all.
Same here Bonington, you wont find a single LED light bulb in my house but, I've recently purchased a cheap Ring Cybalite Sprint LED head torch headlamp for when I'm walking the dog after dark and, I must say I'm most impressed with it.
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Talking of dogs, Dog, unless I missed it elsewhere, you slipped just a line about burying Milo into another thread. Perhaps you didn't want to start a new thread about it that might be viewed as just self indulgent, but if you are now finally down to one dog, not two, sympathies of course.
Last edited by: Crankcase on Wed 2 Sep 15 at 16:36
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All LED bulbs in my house (even the fridge...). I've spent more on bulbs than I'll get back in saved electricity, but LED technology is running on about 18 month cycles and improving every time.
Dimmable lamps:
So far the best I've found are Philips, which will dim perfectly with a trailing edge dimmer (Varilight do one specifically for LEDs). Osram lamps will dim, but flicker at low intensities. The Philips GLS style are very bright, but the 2700k temperature might be a little warm for some, as it's quite a yellow light and gets warmer as it's dimmed).
Looks quite yellow in a bathroom, but to be fair doesn't appear to have ropey colour rendering as previous lamps have.
GU10s:
The cob style from LED Hut are leaps and bounds above the competition in terms of value for money.
Be exceptionally vary buying from eBay, might be cheap but some extremely ropey designs. I took one apart to discover that the only thing stopping the case from becoming live was a thin layer of paint. Your mileage may vary etc.
Other notes:
The Philips Hue system is not worth the money - it might look nice in photos but in practice is deeply irritating to use and the default white is horribly pink. The "Lux" version is OK though and quite useful for a single room (network linked so you can have it automatically dim the lights as a film starts).
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Thanks Crankcase. 15 years we had Milo. I saw him take his last breath and his body twitch, dug his grave and buried him.
Bringing home an 8 week-old Beauceron tomorrow, as a friend for Cody, who is now 6 months old :)
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well done Milo. A good innings. commiserations.
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I wish he was still here of course ^_^ but I had to let him go in the end because he was suffering too much.
While I was caring for him, carrying him outside & back to do his business, I got to thinking against euthanasia.
But when he developed a nasty ulcer on his rear thigh, and became doubly incontinent, I changed my mind and am all for it now - in extreme circumstances.
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My sympathies Doug. But you tried to be the best owner you could be, which is all anyone can do.
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.
Last edited by: Dog on Wed 2 Sep 15 at 17:31
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Sorry to hear that Dog, another old friend gone.:(
Pat
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Thanks Pat and Mark. I expect Colin Fry is taking him walkies 'as we speak' :)
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>> I expect Colin Fry is taking him walkies 'as we speak'
>> :)
I would suspect milo has bitten his goolies and told him to stop talking out of his ass.
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Colin Fry gave comfort to many people over the years. I believe in everything, and nothing.
Here he is in one of his 6ixth Sense TV programs. "Angel in the Window"
www.youtube.com/watch?v=XrSOIgXGQc4
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Wifey used to watch Fry on the telly then got the opportunity to go to a live show. Came back disillusioned saying the whole thing was a put up job and a load of old fanny.
I hope Milo savages his leg when he eventually snuffs it !
Commiserations about the late pal....he had a good long trot. He won't be forgotten.
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>>the whole thing was a put up job and a load of old fanny.
www.tonyyouens.com/colinfry.htm
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>>I hope Milo savages his leg when he eventually snuffs it !
He's gorn Teddy, too many ciggies:
www.telegraph.co.uk/news/obituaries/11831077/Colin-Fry-medium-obituary.html
>>Commiserations about the late pal....he had a good long trot. He won't be forgotten.
He certainly wont be forgotten, being as his final resting place is behind my shed, topped with granite rocks to stop other critters 'exhuming' him.
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Commiserations, Dog. I expect we're next up for this one - my dog's 16 and a half now (Jack Russell). You wouldn't believe it to look at her or see the way she still tears about after toys and the like. But she can't have more than a year or so surely. I think I've only heard of one dog, a collie, making it to 18.
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Cheers vić ...
"When the body that lived at your single will,
With its whimper of welcome, is stilled (how still!),
When the spirit that answered your every mood
Is gone - wherever it goes - for good,
You will discover how much you care,
And will give your heart to a dog to tear!"
We've just brought home a most-beau-tiful Beauceron puppy, who our neigh b says has feet like pasties
(he's gonna be big!)
It's like Casey's court here at the mo with two puppies ... HELP!
:}
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"LED head torch"
Torches are a different matter! Efficiency is king, and the extra light output from a bright LED is a great thing. Don't care about the spectrum or beam width if the battery lasts.
I wonder about the LED running lights (or whatever they're called) now adorning the front of cars though. They seem to be high brightness and will look very odd when one or two fail. Bet they're not replaceable, either...
Last edited by: J Bonington Jagworth on Wed 2 Sep 15 at 19:24
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LED light bulbs - neiltoo
