Cheap LED MR16s and GU10s

ventureuk

With my renewed desire to save energy costs I have changed the 24 MR16s and GU10s which appear around my home.

The cost of quality LED replacements has to my eyes been too expensive but whilst looking around for solar I found very well priced MR16s and GU10s on Ebay for £3 each.

Too good to be true ? From a HK or China seller never to arrive or receive rubbish goods, well it turned out this guy lives a few miles from my house.

This is the MR16 http://www.led-lighthouse.co.uk/led-spotlights-downlights/mr16-led-spotlight-bulbs-12v/mr16-led-spotlight-large-diode-3-x-1watt-close

This is the GU10 http://www.led-lighthouse.co.uk/led-spotlights-downlights/gu10-led-spotlight-bulbs-240v/gu10-led-spotlight-large-diode-3-x-1watt-close

He runs the company but is selling these two lines off on Fleabay under the user name deface82 for £3 each because they never really sold.

I've just replaced all my lights and am really impressed, the bulb is high quality, well made and heavy due to the metal heatsink. They are equal or greater brightness than a 20w halogen, pure white is very bright with a hint of blue, the warm white identical to a halogen.

I've probably broken loads of rules posting a link about an Ebay seller on here, but he's nothing to do with me and I think that those who want to save on energy costs should know, I'm really pleased with the product and the savings I will get.

rogerblack

ventureuk wrote: »

Too good to be true ? From a HK or China seller never to arrive or receive rubbish goods, well it turned out this guy lives a few miles from my house.

The guy is almost certainly not manufacturing them, but will simply be importing a batch.
He has little to no control over production quality and is utterly dependant on the factory remaining consistent.

Plus, there is the obvious issue of you probably being him.

Then '3w' - this is presumably the wattage of the LEDs - this tells you little about the efficiency of the whole lamp.

Added to the issue that the ebay seller has no items sold in the last month makes me wonder strongly if it's a hijacked account.

Kernel_Sanders

ventureuk wrote: »

I found very well priced MR16s and GU10s on Ebay for £3 each.
Too good to be true ? .

Well you certainly won't believe me when I tell you that this very evening I spotted GU10s in Poundland! But why do you think £3 is too good to be true? LEDs are very cheap to produce, less than 4p each I believe. These GU10s have 9 of them, and consume just 1 watt.

rogerblack wrote: »

Plus, there is the obvious issue of you probably being him.

If so, then my post means his ploy has backfired! :rotfl:

ventureuk

rogerblack wrote: »

Plus, there is the obvious issue of you probably being him.

Added to the issue that the ebay seller has no items sold in the last month makes me wonder strongly if it's a hijacked account.

Disappointing, paranoia and suspicion, Daily Mail reader by any chance ?

Just kidding, seriously of course they are made in the far east, but sold in the UK, it's a shame you couldn't be more positive however.

Not everyone is dishonest, my entire post is as a result of my experience and was provided in a effort to save people a few £ on their bills.

whasup

You must be very careful about cheap LEDs. Especially ones imported outside EU controls - i.e. ebay. Tests have shown ebay imported LEDs using ten times the marked wattage and some used more than the equivalent halogen. And they won't last long, and they will overheat. Personally I would stick with controlled units - which are getting cheaper by the week anyway.

rogerblack

ventureuk wrote: »

Disappointing, paranoia and suspicion, Daily Mail reader by any chance ?

No.
However, I note that by being cautious, and investigating sellers previous sales and performances, I have had no issues with over 500 ebay purchases.

A seller starting to sell radically different items - especially after a gap - in multiples - is one of the key fingerprints of a hijacked account, so should at least be viewed with extreme caution.

elstimpo

Kernel_Sanders wrote: »

But why do you think £3 is too good to be true? LEDs are very cheap to produce, less than 4p each I believe.

Thats not true.

With an quality LED product you have to design and intergrate a proper and thorough heat dissipation system using Aluminium or ceramic, buy a quality chip set from a company like Cree (hell of lot more than 4p), develop or buy a proper driver and then assemble it well, paying workers a proper wage, test the product thoroughly and gain all the required certificates.

In 12 years in the industry i've just to see an LED Spotlight under £8 that isn't a seriously sub-standard product.

elstimpo

ventureuk wrote: »

With my renewed desire to save energy costs I have changed the 24 MR16s and GU10s which appear around my home.

The cost of quality LED replacements has to my eyes been too expensive but whilst looking around for solar I found very well priced MR16s and GU10s on Ebay for £3 each.

Too good to be true ? From a HK or China seller never to arrive or receive rubbish goods, well it turned out this guy lives a few miles from my house.

This is the MR16 http://www.led-lighthouse.co.uk/led-spotlights-downlights/mr16-led-spotlight-bulbs-12v/mr16-led-spotlight-large-diode-3-x-1watt-close

This is the GU10 http://www.led-lighthouse.co.uk/led-spotlights-downlights/gu10-led-spotlight-bulbs-240v/gu10-led-spotlight-large-diode-3-x-1watt-close

He runs the company but is selling these two lines off on Fleabay under the user name deface82 for £3 each because they never really sold.

I've just replaced all my lights and am really impressed, the bulb is high quality, well made and heavy due to the metal heatsink. They are equal or greater brightness than a 20w halogen, pure white is very bright with a hint of blue, the warm white identical to a halogen.

I've probably broken loads of rules posting a link about an Ebay seller on here, but he's nothing to do with me and I think that those who want to save on energy costs should know, I'm really pleased with the product and the savings I will get.

They never really sold for any particular reason?

Hobbo2006

I bought a lot of LED bulbs off eBay and very happy too. Of course they are made in the Far East, but then isn't everything these days? Even the brand names will be getting theirs made over there, to their own spec, and reboxing them.

My lighting cost is now 20% of what it used to be, even after adding more bulbs. (The LEDs aren't quite as bright as a 50w halogen).

I've had nearly 30 in place for a year now and no failures. They should last for years, much better than the fragile halogens. They're also far more efficient as they don't give off anywhere near the same amount of heat, which means you can adjust them even if they've been on for hours. Try that with a halogen!*

* please don't as you won't have any skin left on your fingers.

elstimpo

Hobbo2006 wrote: »

I bought a lot of LED bulbs off eBay and very happy too. Of course they are made in the Far East, but then isn't everything these days? Even the brand names will be getting theirs made over there, to their own spec, and reboxing them.

My lighting cost is now 20% of what it used to be, even after adding more bulbs. (The LEDs aren't quite as bright as a 50w halogen).

I've had nearly 30 in place for a year now and no failures. They should last for years, much better than the fragile halogens. They're also far more efficient as they don't give off anywhere near the same amount of heat, which means you can adjust them even if they've been on for hours. Try that with a halogen!*

* please don't as you won't have any skin left on your fingers.

Like most things, most LED's are made in the far east. Again, like most things the difference in quality of very similar products made in the far east can be huge.

I personally think Ebay is a terrible place to buy products like LED's unless of course you have put a lot of time and effort into researching the seller and the product. We hear countless stories of guarantees not being honoured and the lifespan of the product not coming close to whats advertised. We did our own tests on 50 LED Spotlights being sold on ebay. I can't remember the exact number for around 30 out of the 50 were from the same factory and pretty much the same product dressed up differently with varying wattages despite the advertised wattages all being 5w.

You can get a quality LED Spotlight, from a proper UK company, that will actually replace a 50w halogen, will last 25,000 hours (11 years at 6 hours per day), with a 3 year warranty for around £10. You will save a lot more money buying a product like this than one for £3-£5 off ebay.

Lube

I have 4 mr16 bulbs 35w 36degrees wide in kitchen as I understand it I might need a led driver light must be at least 7-8 years old maybe more. I dont want a unsightly led driver so what other choice do I have. Should I just get a new light that takes gu5.3's then I wont need a driver. My OH could probably do it he has done some small electrics before

Another thing bathroom takes 3 TP24 L1 spotlights they look like gu5.3 but not 100% sure the ends have like a stump on them. I know tp24 sell them but a bit pricer with postage

This is light we have in bathroom

http://www2.tp24.com/home/index.php/lisbon-3-spot-plate-cw-led-lamps-2113led.html