LED Bulb Thread

Participant said:
Cheers for that, cancelled and re-ordered via Quidco as they'd not yet dispatched.
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Nice one.

Fitted my lights today, the one's from Amazon. The standard non dimmable warm white one's work well, Happy enough with those.

The dimmable lights are nice but the have a slight flicker on dim settings. Total load is 12W so that might me why, it's close to the 10W min rating on the dimmer switch.

Tomorrow I'll fit the one that has 6 lamps (24W) load and see if they flicker.
 
TheVoice said:
Good advice, thanks a lot. I think the concern is that if an integrated one fails, it's potentially a lot of hassle getting it removed and replaced whereas a failed LED bulb can just be swapped out. Choosing fittings and bulbs is going to be a nightmare though!
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Yeah having a long warranty is nice but having to actually go through a returns process on a fitted item like that is not ideal.

For the light fixture most people (including myself) on this thread seem to be getting these:

http://www.toolstation.com/shop/Lighting/Fire+Rated+Downlights+Mains/Sylvania+Fire+Rated+Downlight+Fixed+GU10+Mains+Brushed+Steel/d220/sd3289/p13444

Adjustable versions are also available. Screwfix have better pictures but Toolstation are cheaper. They've been a couple quid cheaper than that also in the past if you don't mind waiting for a price drop.

I initially bought a couple white ones to sample as I thought they'd be more discrete when turned off, however you can't get a decent colour match against a white painted ceiling and they also have a cheaper look to them than the brushed steel ones I eventually went with.

For bulbs, everyone seems to be getting something different. I would suggest sticking to "COB" based GU10 bulbs. They are a newer tech than the multi-led ones and are brighter.

I have two favourites:

Superflare: I've tried both dimmable and non-dimmable versions and they are great for general room lighting as they have a particularly wide angle for a spot light (rated 60 degrees but pretty decent to 180) meaning 4-6 bulbs is adequate for most rooms.

Lightrabbit Superior COB: Similar to the Superflare in spec but with a narrower beam angle and a brighter "spot" where it's pointed so ideal for kitchens and cupboards perhaps.
 
So I've been trying to read through this whole thread to learn how I would go about completely replacing all lighting in a house I'm about to purchase (first time buyer).

But...

I'm still confused!

I have down-lights in the bedroom and bathroom, would it be a case of simply changing the bulbs to LEDs in both rooms? Or does it need re-wiring? The bedroom has dimmable down lights, so I know I'll need compatible LED bulbs and potentially new dimmer switch.

What about the other rooms? I'll probably be changing the light fittings anyway, so is there a particularly specific light fitting I need? I don't want spot lights in the living room or any other room at the moment.

Is any re-wiring needed?

Thanks
 
Things you need to find out about your current downlights I think:

Are they GU10 fitting or something else?

Mains voltage or 12V DC with a converter?

What's the minimum load rating for the dimmer switches?
 
Thanks dude, I'll take that checklist with me when I get the keys and will post back!

Probably accompanied with photos with "what's this fitting" :p
 
Imy said:
Yeah having a long warranty is nice but having to actually go through a returns process on a fitted item like that is not ideal.

For the light fixture most people (including myself) on this thread seem to be getting these:

http://www.toolstation.com/shop/Lighting/Fire+Rated+Downlights+Mains/Sylvania+Fire+Rated+Downlight+Fixed+GU10+Mains+Brushed+Steel/d220/sd3289/p13444

Adjustable versions are also available. Screwfix have better pictures but Toolstation are cheaper. They've been a couple quid cheaper than that also in the past if you don't mind waiting for a price drop.

I initially bought a couple white ones to sample as I thought they'd be more discrete when turned off, however you can't get a decent colour match against a white painted ceiling and they also have a cheaper look to them than the brushed steel ones I eventually went with.

For bulbs, everyone seems to be getting something different. I would suggest sticking to "COB" based GU10 bulbs. They are a newer tech than the multi-led ones and are brighter.

I have two favourites:

Superflare: I've tried both dimmable and non-dimmable versions and they are great for general room lighting as they have a particularly wide angle for a spot light (rated 60 degrees but pretty decent to 180) meaning 4-6 bulbs is adequate for most rooms.

Lightrabbit Superior COB: Similar to the Superflare in spec but with a narrower beam angle and a brighter "spot" where it's pointed so ideal for kitchens and cupboards perhaps.
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That's excellent, really appreciate it thanks. There's a budget of about £25-30 per light (i.e. fitting and bulb), so would it be worth paying more for a brand like Philips or are you just paying for the name there? I've used Philips LEDs before and been happy with them but if there's better stuff out there I'll take a look.

Annoyingly the parents have already got about 20 fairly generic dimmable SMD bulbs (with an ES fitting) but for reasons nobody seems able to explain, they interfere with the internet connection causing slowdown and dropouts. Can't work out why it happens but the concern is that other bulbs might also do it (Philips ones don't though).
 
Philips are usually the go-to brand for bulbs but their 50W equivalent GU10 bulbs are rather expensive and on paper anyway aren't as bright as the two I have suggested.

Bulb life is difficult to judge as none of mine have died yet and both Superflare and Philips claim a 40k hours lifespan. Lightrabbit actually claim 50k hours for theirs but I'd imagine it'd be no better/worse than the Superflare.

I would buy a sample of the ones you're interested in before committing to buying loads. Remember the Sylvania light fixtures come with 50W dimmable halogen bulbs.
 
Delivery has arrived from LED Hut:

i1GflUSl.jpg

Now begins the long process of swapping them over!

This shows our utility room, with the new daylight LED on the left and the old Halogen bulb on the right.

m0Js6BIl.jpg

I love the colour of the daylight bulb actually. Perfect for a utility room and in the food prep areas of a kitchen imo. Not sure about bathrooms...I bought warm white for them, but may change my mind.
 
I tried cool white (4000k) in the kitchen first and it felt so strange - like morgue lighting. Just couldn't live with it. Colour reproduction seemed to be quite off too as it made food look weird.
 
All done.

HBPGvLol.jpg

Phew :D. Let the money-saving commence :cool:.

Just discovered my ensuite lights are 12V though. What are my options? Replace the fittings for 240V vs. buy 12V LED bulbs I suppose?

Where halogens go to die:

lcTba2Ml.jpg

What to do with them though? It's too many to have hanging around as emergency spares, and they're not worth anything.
 
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I have cool white in bathrooms and the kitchen. I would prefer warm white in the kitchen tbh. The cool white in the bathrooms though is great.
That said I am actually warming to the kitchen now (no pun intended).
 
Bit late to say this but I would've just used up the halogens before buying LEDs. Well, you could still do that I suppose but it would probably be better to give them away now that your LEDs are in.

p.s. that's a nice green, do you remember the brand and exact colour name of the paint?
 
Participant, can I ask what distance you've got between your light fixtures in the kitchen? Do you find it's too much light or plenty?
 
Imy said:
Bit late to say this but I would've just used up the halogens before buying LEDs. Well, you could still do that I suppose but it would probably be better to give them away now that your LEDs are in.

p.s. that's a nice green, do you remember the brand and exact colour name of the paint?
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That could have taken years :D.

Not sure about the green paint, sorry. It was like that when we bought the house.

TheVoice said:
Participant, can I ask what distance you've got between your light fixtures in the kitchen? Do you find it's too much light or plenty?
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Distance is 90cm. I think it's the right amount of light, never really thought about that but I've never felt it was too little, so I guess it's OK.
 
TheVoice said:
Participant, can I ask what distance you've got between your light fixtures in the kitchen? Do you find it's too much light or plenty?
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Participant said:
Distance is 90cm. I think it's the right amount of light, never really thought about that but I've never felt it was too little, so I guess it's OK.
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Is that just between lights or inc the walls and any units?
 
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