Spot Lights

Networkguy

So my kitchen has a number of really nice and bright 63mm GU10 halogen downlights (yes 63mm). When we first moved in, these gave to a nice bright kitchen. Of course they were also really hot to the top of the head and at 75 watts each (there are 10 bulbs in all) are not cheap to run.

So for every other light fitting in the house, I have switched to low energy bulbs.

In the kitchen though there is no such thing as a 63mm GU10 low energy bulb.

As the bulbs have failed, I have replaced them with 50w bulbs which are still more than bright enough but at £5+ per bulb the replacement cost hurts as well.

So I am now in a position where I need to buy some more of these and am looking to swap them out for something more sensible.

I still want down lights and as the current spots have an 80mm cutout, I can easily get a spot fitting that takes a 50mm GU10 bulb which will save me a considerable amount on the cost of the bulb however the running costs are still high. To date I have only found one low energy GU10 bulb that comes close to a halogen bulb in terms of light outpuht and light quality but these are simply too long for these recessed fittings.

I have also looked at the reflector type bulbs (R63 & R80) but these seem to be quite rare these days so am wondering if they are being phased out.

I really don't want to start drilling holes or filling holes in the kitchen so really want something that will fit into the existing 80mm hole but really need something more sensible.

Has anybody done anything similar?

Thanks

tifrap_2

There are plenty of GU10 replacements here (QVS) these ones are direct replacement LED alternatives - very cheap to run, and if you look for a really good supplier* you can even get alternatives for colour balanced whites. These LED lamps simply replace the existing halogen lamps, no modification needed.

*QVS is a cheap and cheerful electrical wholesaler, not renowned for the best products, but it was a convenient example link, try googling a local electrical wholesaler for higher quality versions.

The life of LED lamps is often quoted as being very long indeed - in fact they are often built in to settings with no thought of being able to replace them - but they do fail occasionaly, even so the lifespan and thier low power consumption make them a good investment over halogen. go to a supplier and take a look at some working, you will be surprised at how good the light output is.

fluffpot

You don't say if the lights are on a dimmer, but LED's (unless really expensive) are not dimmable. Otherwise I would say a good choice - bulbs are about £20 each but come up to brightness straight away, give good light and area cheaper to run

marshallka

Networkguy wrote: »

So my kitchen has a number of really nice and bright 63mm GU10 halogen downlights (yes 63mm). When we first moved in, these gave to a nice bright kitchen. Of course they were also really hot to the top of the head and at 75 watts each (there are 10 bulbs in all) are not cheap to run.

So for every other light fitting in the house, I have switched to low energy bulbs.

In the kitchen though there is no such thing as a 63mm GU10 low energy bulb.

As the bulbs have failed, I have replaced them with 50w bulbs which are still more than bright enough but at £5+ per bulb the replacement cost hurts as well.

So I am now in a position where I need to buy some more of these and am looking to swap them out for something more sensible.

I still want down lights and as the current spots have an 80mm cutout, I can easily get a spot fitting that takes a 50mm GU10 bulb which will save me a considerable amount on the cost of the bulb however the running costs are still high. To date I have only found one low energy GU10 bulb that comes close to a halogen bulb in terms of light outpuht and light quality but these are simply too long for these recessed fittings.

I have also looked at the reflector type bulbs (R63 & R80) but these seem to be quite rare these days so am wondering if they are being phased out.

I really don't want to start drilling holes or filling holes in the kitchen so really want something that will fit into the existing 80mm hole but really need something more sensible.

Has anybody done anything similar?

Thanks

Yes, relectors are fading out. Others to follow here
http://www.ryness.co.uk/goodbye/

Networkguy

I have tried the LED bulbs (even though £20 seems steep) and have been left very disappointed by them.

Sure they quote similar light output but in reality the whole room just feels dark as they don't seem to have the same throw or spread as halogen.

At this sort of money I expect something that is a like for like replacement and not suitable only for a lighting display in homebase.

Scoobs72

Networkguy wrote: »

At this sort of money I expect something that is a like for like replacement and not suitable only for a lighting display in homebase.

Anything less than £25 per bulb is going to leave most people disappointed in the result at the moment I'm afraid. Good LEDs are very expensive and will be for the next few years at least.

gavinp

We recently got some 80 LED GU10s (for our landing) and so far are very impressed. We have tried a couple of other types in the past but these are the only ones which were acceptable to my partner for our upstairs landing and stairs which need to be well lit:

http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/GU10-Led-Light-Bulb-80-LEDs-not-78-WHITE-3w-50w_W0QQitemZ320491842933QQcmdZViewItemQQptZLH_DefaultDomain_3?hash=item4a9ecd6d75

I would recommend getting one to try - the seller does offer a 14 day money back guarantee if you don't like them.

No link with vendor - just bought some bulbs from them.

Thanks

Gavin

Scoobs72

gavinp wrote: »

We recently got some 80 LED GU10s (for our landing) and so far are very impressed. We have tried a couple of other types in the past but these are the only ones which were acceptable to my partner for our upstairs landing and stairs which need to be well lit:

http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/GU10-Led-Light-Bulb-80-LEDs-not-78-WHITE-3w-50w_W0QQitemZ320491842933QQcmdZViewItemQQptZLH_DefaultDomain_3?hash=item4a9ecd6d75

I would recommend getting one to try - the seller does offer a 14 day money back guarantee if you don't like them.

No link with vendor - just bought some bulbs from them.

Thanks

Gavin

Fair enough, but the link says:
"Lumen 150-160 Lumens (50 Watts )" - well actually 150 lumen is about 20 watts
"Colour Bright White (5000K)" - that's a very harsh blue white light. Not really suitable for domestic lighting where we are used to around 2750k.

gavinp

They certainly seem much brighter than 20W halogens and we use daylight bulbs around the house and the light don't seem to vary much from them but I suspect it is horses for courses and personal preference.

We were very pleased with them.

Thanks

Gavin

tifrap_2

Networkguy, you said

Networkguy wrote: »

At this sort of money I expect something that is a like for like replacement and not suitable only for a lighting display in homebase.

I know that I may be taking what you said out of context, but would like to emphasise that, whenever anyone buys anything from the diy sheds they are likely to be dissapointed - those places really are about shifting quantity at a small margin, the products are usually about the worst that you can get.