Which is the best GU10 Halogen Bulb?

vikramrkin

I have close to 20 35W GU10 halogen bulbs in my flat. I have tried Philips, Asda and Ikea brand bulbs, but none of them have lasted for more than 3 months (average 3 hours of usage daily).

Is this usual? How long are they supposed to last? The box says 1000 hours, but I have got considerably less than that.

Are the LED ones as reliable as they claim? Any brands/outlets that you recommend (both LED and normal ones)?


Thanks
Vikram

dogshome

Hi vikramrkin - I too have some GU10's, ( 4 to be precise at 50W ea). Yes they give a good light in certain areas, but the heat they create is a positive fire risk and I wonder if the short life you getting is because they are getting too hot.

The LED market is in a state of flux, the one's that have been available for some time are great for consumption - just 3W - but the light is very, very directional and is of a most unattrative shade of Blue. There is a new generation with a warm or white light, but they cost App. £20 a piece, and that's if you can find them

vikramrkin

Yes, they create massive heat. Intact the living room stays warm enough in the winter without the need for heater for most days.

Is the led ones worth the investment?

digitaly

I must disagree with LED.
I converted my house to LED and my living room has 13 x72 (each bulb leds) and the light it's 5000k 320 lumen (equivalent to a 40w halo) each and 3w consumption with a total of 54w I got my living room as shine as footbal pitch :j well happy and well worth it... How Much I pay? well I got a trade discount and I pay £5 each... I also got some 3w 3LED 1w x led all for my bathroom fantastic kit made in germany... of course you need to shop arround and stay away from LEDs from ASDA TESCO WILKINSON and such as the light output from a 1w it's equivalent to 80 lumens (approx)
You can also get 43000K (that will bright pretty much as yellish as you halogen) But I very much prefer the 5000k diamond white...
Be aware it take time to get used to LED as the light output it complete different from halo and you might get stressed and depressed (as lights has a huge impact in people well being) therefore my advice is to replace a room at time not all at once.
P.S.
excuse my english

Pincher

I've got some downlights that are 9W GU10s.
They are miniature fluorescent, and the box claims energy saving.
The light is definitely not as bright as halogen, but fortunately I installed wall lights as well. Quality of light is closer to yellow.

Cannot dim them, so had to re-wire with on/off switch.

By the way, had a chat with an electrical store manager, and he says LEDs have a very small voltage range for dimming, so ordinary dimmers don't work, because the LED goes full on or not at all. If you have to dim it, it seems there are dimmers that pulse the LED instead of reducing the voltage, so you get the effect of dimming.

JohalaReewi

I have experimented with GU10s over many years.

Halogen ones get very hot (great in winter) and don't last very long (a few months in my kitchen).

The Megaman CFLs last longer and are cooler using less electricity but are bulky and as they get older they take longer and longer to reach maximum brightness (I am talking minutes!). Not a problem if the lights are left on all day but pretty useless if you just want to put them on for a couple of minutes.
http://www.megamanuk.com/

LED ones light up instantly, run cool and use less juice than CFLs and last for ages. They are more of a blueish white (like daylight) but yellower ones are available. The main problem with LEDs is getting ones which give out lots of light (equivalent to a 50W halogen). I tested some surface mount LED GU10s which are 35W equivalent. The ones I got were a bit on the white side but warmer ones are available.
http://www.bltdirect.com/product.php?pid=10653

Recently, some 9W LED GU10s have appeared which are pretty bright. They are mostly available on Ebay and are around £25 each. I have got one on test and am very impressed. From the info on the box they also come in a range of colour temperatures and angles. However, you can buy a lot of halogen GU10s for £25...
http://www.ledlights4you.co.uk/gu10-super-bright-leds/31-9w-gu10warm-white.html

SnowWhiterThanWhite

vikramrkin wrote: »

I have close to 20 35W GU10 halogen bulbs in my flat. I have tried Philips, Asda and Ikea brand bulbs, but none of them have lasted for more than 3 months (average 3 hours of usage daily).

Is this usual? How long are they supposed to last? The box says 1000 hours, but I have got considerably less than that.

Are the LED ones as reliable as they claim? Any brands/outlets that you recommend (both LED and normal ones)?


Thanks
Vikram

Hi, I needed 12, dimmable. Ended up getting a mixture of 20w & 35w - Still extremely bright, and haven't had to replace any yet - have had them for about 9 months so far, although not alot of usage over the summer months. Got mine from Wilkinsons. HTH