Need to replace lots of GU10 Bulbs - advice please.

Scoobs72

Mar10_W wrote: »

Yes, you will. I use these in my hallway. They are Deltech brand. I use them next to a standard 50 watt halogen and the light is almost identical. They last 30-50,000 hours, so will most probably last longer than me!

Can you post a link to where you are buying these from? The last time I looked at Deltech GU10s they were outputting ~180 lumens at 5W and 38 degree beam angle. The focussed beam angle can trick you into seeing a similar brightness, but if you test them by having only 1 halogen and 1 LED spaced far apart there is a massive difference. A 50W halogen is about 800 lumens.

JennyR68

Mar10_W wrote: »

Yes, they are quiet expensive. However they use nearly 10 times less power, run cool - do not produce any heat - and last for ages. Like I said above - if you have the money to spend initially they are worth it - you will get your money back. If not, they are very expensive.

They don't use 10 times less energy than a low watt bulb though do they? Looking at 5w compared to 7w. I think I may just go with the others for now and wait till LED's get a bit cheaper.

bitemebankers

Mcfi5dhc gives some good advice, imho.

GU10 lamps were never designed for general room lighting - they're supposed to be for accent and mood lighting. The fittings are popular with builders though because they're *very* cheap. As you're discovering though, conventional bulbs cost a fortune to run and the energy savers are expensive and poor.

Your best bet would be to change the fittings to something more appropriate that takes a regular-sized bulb. Much cheaper in the long run. In fact, probably cheaper than fitting energy savers even in the short run!

Scoobs72

Mcfi5dhc is correct about B&Q, but that does not represent the proper LEDs available. However bitemebankers is right about the fitting - if you have an option to switch to something other than GU10/MR16 type spots, then do so.

JennyR68

Scoobs72 wrote: »

Mcfi5dhc is correct about B&Q, but that does not represent the proper LEDs available. However bitemebankers is right about the fitting - if you have an option to switch to something other than GU10/MR16 type spots, then do so.

What other options are there? Can you point in right direction?

Scoobs72

JennyR68 wrote: »

What other options are there? Can you point in right direction?

I mean that you should change to something completely different, such as fluorescent tubes for kitchens...however most people don't like them these days as they are too '1970s'.

bitemebankers

I'd suggest B&Q or Ikea, or if you have a local independent lighting specialist, even better. There's a huge amount of choice in lighting these days - just make sure you check the bulb fitting before you buy to make sure it's a standard size.

For what it's worth, the previous owners had peppered our ceilings with GU10 fittings before we moved in, even though it's an 1890 house (no accounting for taste!). We've been replacing them gradually - just got two left in the cooker hood now!

JennyR68

Scoobs72 wrote: »

I mean that you should change to something completely different, such as fluorescent tubes for kitchens...however most people don't like them these days as they are too '1970s'.

oh yuck, no we ripped them out! We don't use the spotlights for main lighting anyway, have different zones of light, pendants over table, spotlights to illuminate work areas, sink when needed. Haven't seen any other light fitting that suits that purpose better.

decsdad

Hi,
I am/was in a similar situation, have 80 gu10's in the house. After some thought and a bit of swapping bulbs around I decided that there is no bulb which will like for like replace the 50w ones. Something has to give, either brightness, warm up time, appearance(70mm ones that stick out) or light colour. So I put leds in the lounge, bit dull and a bit blue, but we only use the room late in the evening to relax, and would probably have dimmed a normal bulb anyway.

Bathrooms, went for the 35w gu10's as decided that as you may only be in there 2 mins you need the light pretty much straight away.
Kitchen, hall and bedrooms got http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/ws/eBayISAPI.d...=STRK:MEWAX:IT
and we are happy with them. Just got them recently.

Tried the 6400K ones--too blue
the 2700K ones are yellowish-like a normal bulb
we went for the 3500K ones which arent quite so yellow.

We did have the longer cfl ones, from tesco, but changed them as got fed up with the look of them.(wasn't too bothered as never paid much for them as tesco put them out in the wrong place)


Also, if I wasn't happy with them I was going to try these http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/ws/eBayISAPI.d...=STRK:MEWAX:IT

I think we have too many bulbs in each room so would get away with the 20w ones(we have 6 in a 2m x 2m bathroom).

Of course this is all only my opinion and others may, and probably will differ.
I have nothing to do with any of these sellers other than the fact I bought bulbs from the first one.

Kirri

Mcfi5dhc wrote: »

All LED GU10's are rubbish

Pop along to B&Q or Homebase, have a look at their light displays - they'll have normal GU10's, and LED ones.

Compare the two kinds in there - the LEDs are rubbish, the normal ones are much brighter, though obviously use more leccy.

Instead of buying fake-GU10's (eg LEDs) - maybe consider completely changing the light fittings? Be far cheaper in the long run both in electric, and bulbs.

One of my LED GU10's went on fire after less than a year - it burnt itself out very quickly though, so there was no damage to the house. Don't believe the rubbish that they last forever.

They are only good for mood-lighting.

I admit, B&Q don't sell the brands talked about on here so you won't be able to do a full comparison. Then again, you don't have B&Q posting for personal gain on here either! (I don't work for B&Q by the way)

I swapped my GU10 50W's for the B&Q eco version and the light was so poor I couldn't see what I was doing in the kitchen and had to swap back..

As you say, for mood lighting it was fine!!