LED Bulb Thread

Colbaker · 6 Nov 2012 at 18:08

Hi all,

Just thought i would share my LED bulb story.

In my kitchen i have 2 4 way light fixtures that used to have halogen bulbs in, I recently got an Electricity monitor and to my utter astonishment found that these lights were pulling 480watts :O, I thought "no way hoe-say", Popped to B&Q got 9 GU10 LED bulbs for under £20 installed them and now i have not seen the lights pulling more than 30 watts and they are brighter.

Am gonna go LED bulbs throughout the house especially as the darkness is closing in, Only issue is Bayonet LED's are not as easy to source. Why bother with stupid energy saving bulbs that take ages to get to their full brightness which is still dismal

The end

"I know, cool story bro!"

Ace Modder · 6 Nov 2012 at 18:16

www.overclockers.co.uk/showproduct.php?prodid=NW-089-EX

DB_SamX · 6 Nov 2012 at 18:16

Get your phrase right.
*Swearies!*

SexyGreyFox · 6 Nov 2012 at 18:29

I thought the B&Q bulbs were slated to death in the dedicated thread to LED bulbs.

Mickie · 6 Nov 2012 at 18:32

you dont need a monitor to tell you they use loads, just look at the bulb or packet.

i replaced mine straight away..

mollymoo · 6 Nov 2012 at 18:33

Is there a dimmable version though?

kierenharrold · 6 Nov 2012 at 18:35

How much brighter would you say these are than the energy saving bulbs (none LED), because i have these in my house and they are utter pants... Its like sitting in a room lit by a candle.

Pawnless Endgame · 6 Nov 2012 at 18:37

Funnily enough, I started a testimony thread just a year back and got no responses. Good to know that they're picking up now.

My original post:

Monserrat said:
This type of thread crops up from time to time on here. Some pro-CFL, some anti-CFL, threads debating the banning of frosted tungsten bulbs and so on.

I was one who never embraced CFLs as I didn't like their colour temps. Also, being partially sighted, I see better in tungsten lighting, sharper definition, shadows present etc. And so I stuck with tungstens inside the house, and went straight to LED with disco lights, some 5 years ago. Unfortunately, LED remains priced outside consumer pricing range in the domestic market, although it is dropping and LED bulbs are beginning to become available in hardware stores.

Given that I know that LED already works well with disco lights, as they can tune into any colour and have half the wattage for equivalent CFL output, I agreed that domestic lights should have taken LED technology on board earlier, skipping the CFL generation entirely.

Anyway, I took the plunge with buying my first domestic LED fixture from a local DIY shop, the most expensive one available at that store at the time. It comprises of four 3-LED clusters, rated at 2.5W each or 7.5W per cluster or 30W in total. Their output is equivalent to 4 halogen spots, have the warm tungsten colour, and you can actually see shadows again unlike under CFL lighting condition. I cannot stress how much better LEDs are over CFLs. IMO, LED should have surfaced 5 years ago: it worked perfectly fine with disco lights in 2006, so why take so long for a bog standard kitchen?

I do hope that the nation jumps onto the bandwagon. CFLs drive me nuts lol.

C.R.A.Z.Y · 6 Nov 2012 at 18:50

mollymoo said:
Is there a dimmable version though?

Yep, I installed 12 :eek:

dimmable Rotundity CREE GU10's when I was doing the electrics in my rents new conservatory.
Very well built, bright and 100k life :eek:

Expensive but you get what you pay for and these badboys will no doubt out-last me! lol

These are the ones I bought: (Link embedded in photo)

http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/GU10-MR16...ng_SM&var=&hash=item256ab2e274#ht_5516wt_1164

TMP · 6 Nov 2012 at 18:55

Behold.

mollymoo · 6 Nov 2012 at 18:56

Might have to change mine then, I have six lights at 50w each.

Pawnless Endgame · 6 Nov 2012 at 19:04

TMP said:
Behold.

Now I find that very interesting, especially that I program disco lights (via DMX) in my spare time.

Colbaker · 6 Nov 2012 at 19:09

mollymoo said:
Is there a dimmable version though?

Yep although a little more expensive.

Colbaker · 6 Nov 2012 at 19:11

kierenharrold said:
How much brighter would you say these are than the energy saving bulbs (none LED), because i have these in my house and they are utter pants... Its like sitting in a room lit by a candle.

I would say at least 10% brighter than the old 60watt Halogens.

Mickie · 6 Nov 2012 at 19:15

kierenharrold said:
How much brighter would you say these are than the energy saving bulbs (none LED), because i have these in my house and they are utter pants... Its like sitting in a room lit by a candle.

you've obviously bought the wrong ones..

their are some really poor LED lights out there.. The ones ive bought are just as good as halogen

ChocolateStarfishRammer · 6 Nov 2012 at 19:44

Would I need special sockets for these then?

Cant just buy your bog standard bulb but LED instead?

I'm potentially very confused

C.R.A.Z.Y · 6 Nov 2012 at 19:54

ChocolateStarfishRammer said:
Would I need special sockets for these then?

Cant just buy your bog standard bulb but LED instead?

I'm potentially very confused

LED lights tend to be the smaller GU10, SES connections but adapters can be bought for ES and Bayonet for £1

http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/B22-to-GU...graphy_StudioEquipment_RL&hash=item43b3808056

Sherbs · 6 Nov 2012 at 20:00

How much more efficient are these compared to the energy saving curly wurly ones?

Mark A · 6 Nov 2012 at 20:16

Going to have to get some of these for my kitchen as the 50watt Osram bulbs haven't even lasted a year. Plus being 50 watt each that's 200 watt just to light one area of the kitchen.

C.R.A.Z.Y said:
These are the ones I bought: (Link embedded in photo)

Which colour temp did you go with?

Westyfield2 · 6 Nov 2012 at 20:26

I bought my first Phillips LED one a couple of weeks ago, impressed with it so far.