LED GU10 bulbs

LEDs do a very good job of appearing to be bright, but they're ******** at actually lighting something up.

It's why I still prefer a Maglite to an LED Lenser torch.
 
LED's are fantastic if they're used right - as you've discovered direct lighting with the main aim being brightness isn't one of these. However, use them to change the colour of your walls and they can't be beaten.
 
Jez said:
They all say that they are not dimmable?
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You can get dimmers for LEDs but they're specific to LEDs and use PWM todo it and keep a constant current.

Oddly enough I've just been looking at lighting for my chillis.. After doing lots of calculations I think for general work then LEDs don't provide enough lumens/watt.

I've found one that approaches 63lm/W. It's 180,000mcd: http://uk.rs-online.com/web/search/searchBrowseAction.html?method=getProduct&R=0369520

It's white but with a blue bias to give proper light - used in medical lights for example. However for '1000' lumen you need to really fork out for a proper LED PSU too.. it'd be cheaper running a metal hydride where 250W gives 22,000 lumen :D

I've found some bright LEDs and some as high as 252 lumen purely for 465nm wavelength that works good with chlorophyll. This device is 100 LEDs densely packed and comes fitted with control/dimmer and heatsink+fan (yes you got it.. it needs active cooling as all that light comes from about 0.5 inch square!).

Not sure what I'll go for but the 252 lumen may be my best option initially for the growing box but for the same cost I could get a Compact Fluorescent Light (CFL).

Hmm need to think quick.. the first seedling is starting to break the surface..
 
I'm in a recently built flat with GU10s pretty much everywhere apart from the bathroom (which is on 12v version who's name escapes me).

I've got 11w CCFL in the hallway. I've blown 3 of the 4 in under 2 years. They take a couple of minutes to warm up and aint dimmable. I've got one Megaman which appears to be better than the Aurora bulbs originally fitted but more expensive.

Bedrooms/main room are on dimmers so they've got 50w Suntan bulbs fitted.

The bloke next door has been experimenting with LEDs. Again usually not dimmable unless you pay £15+ a bulb. The ones with multiple LEDS appear less reliable. He's recently invested in some 3W single LED units which are dimmer proof (they flash to prevent damage) and is much happier with these, around £10 each from eBay.
 
I think for the time being guys, given the cost and the very very mixed reviews of anything out of the ordinary, i am going to go for 20w incandescents. I know that these will work, they are less than half the power of the 50's i have now, and less than double the power of expensive dimmable energy savers. This seems to be the best solution as the bulbs cost less than £1 each.

I appreciate all the replies, before this thread i didnt even know you could get 20w GU10's (i am new to GU10 downlighting). :)
 
Yeah at work the megaman dimmerable gu10 11w come in at about 10er each, they output about 50w but only use 11, so they're pretty good just expensive. The trade price we sell them for is 17 quid though :OO:O:O:
 
Jez said:
I think for the time being guys, given the cost and the very very mixed reviews of anything out of the ordinary, i am going to go for 20w incandescents. I know that these will work, they are less than half the power of the 50's i have now, and less than double the power of expensive dimmable energy savers. This seems to be the best solution as the bulbs cost less than £1 each.

I appreciate all the replies, before this thread i didnt even know you could get 20w GU10's (i am new to GU10 downlighting). :)
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Good choice, you'd be surprised how much a 20W will put out... If it's still not enough, I recommend some OSRAM IRC 35W bulbs. They are also halogen, but high end halogen, meaning a 35W IRC bulb will give off as much light as a 60W normal halogen... But they do costs a little more per bulb, around 2-4 squid from what I remember.
 
I have 20 of the things inset into the celing through the house and im having the same problem of insane elctricity bills and small gas bills. I try not to use them and have some nice big lamps with es bulbs in but you need to use them now and again as you get so much light. If you forget to switch a room of though for a day it costs about 8 quid. I would try and go with some gu10 led's in rooms that you dont use the lights to much like hallway etc. Im going to try some but i too have dimmers everywhere, even for the bathroom.
 
I replaced the GU10 halogens in my kitchen fitting with LEDs from B&Q. The result was (as others have found) poor light levels with a very noticeable blue tint. Added to this was the fact that with the light turned off at the switch, one LED bulb was always on. Very odd. I promptly switched back.
I have recently replaced the halogens with energy saving bulbs from Tesco (2 for £5). When you turn on the light they start out really dim but warm up in about 30 seconds. I actually quite like this as it doesn't immediately kill my eyes when I stumble in a 5am to fix my son's morning milk.

C.
 
Jez said:
I think for the time being guys, given the cost and the very very mixed reviews of anything out of the ordinary, i am going to go for 20w incandescents. I know that these will work, they are less than half the power of the 50's i have now, and less than double the power of expensive dimmable energy savers. This seems to be the best solution as the bulbs cost less than £1 each
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But if you are dimming them anyway what's the difference? Surely a 50w dimmed to 'just right' will be using the same power as a 20w dimmed to 'just right'?

Your just losing the option (that it appears you don't use) of a very bright top end.
 
Jez said:
Crap, all the adverts (on ebay at least) say this.

Who has a spotlighting system which isnt bloody dimmable, i'd seriously get a tan if i ran my system full power :/
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There's a new Phillips range that are dimmable. The light is a cool white, very bright and a 60 degree beam like a normal GU10. 3W so it's a massive saving. I've been using some at work but at £15 each they aren't cheap. I got them from RS of all places.

Their website is absolutely shocking but this is one of the range, the non-dimmable one because I can't find the dimmable one :rolleyes:: http://uk.rs-online.com/web/579111.html
 
Zip said:
Shame you cant get Xenon HID style house bulbs.


Or can you?:D
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Not yet, you can get outside flood lights that work well, they are a little more expensive as the ballist is in the housing, but then I guess you'd make up the cost in saved electricity...

LED and florescent tubes are around 100lumen/watt tho, so there isn't much point in HID's in the house IMO.
 
LEDs are coming on quickly, they're still working on the colour rendering more so than the power of them, completely ignore the wattage though, you'll be more interested in the lumen output of the lamp than the power (if you want a similar light level). That's the common mistake people make when getting "similar" lamps, it's a bit like buying a Scooter when you use to drive a lorry.

Later this year Philips and a couple of the larger light manufacturers are expected to come out with much higher lumen level LEDs with a much wider spread of light and improved colour rendering. Rumour has it they'll be slightly more expensive than halogens but lets face it they're so much longer last and don't turn your room into a sauna!
 
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