Options to replace GU10 bulbs?

georgehere

I have a lot of recessed halogen gu10 spotlights, but find them quite hot (low ceilings) and not that bright

Do you think I can get brighter bulbs and/or cooler ones?

They are 50W 240v. Hopefully there is some kind of alternative! Appreciate any advice.

minniemaus1970

http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/280739331312?ssPageName=STRK:MEWAX:IT&_trksid=p3984.m1423.l2649

these don't get as hot and are low Wattage LED GU10's, they come in blue/ bright white light, or the yellow version

TimBuckTeeth

Installing more lamp fittings might be needed to get the required level of light as you will not get a GU10 lamp that is much brighter than a 50W halogen one.
If you would like a brighter halogen bulb then good quality brands like Osram, Philips, GE, Sylvania are brighter than cheaper brands.
You can choose a narrower beam angle eg. 25 degree rather than 38 degree beam to give a more concentrated beam which appears brighter but depending on the room and position of the lamps that might not be desirable, giving a small illuminated area. Conversely a wider beam angle might give a better coverage of the room.

For cooler GU10 bulbs you have the choice between fluorescent or LED. Both types are generally larger than halogen bulbs so check they will fit in the fitting before buying.
Fluorescents take a couple of minutes to reach full brightness and the highest power 11W would not be brighter than a 50W halogen bulb.

A good quality high power LED bulb can match or exceed the brightness of a 50W halogen bulb. Unfortunately there are a lot of poor LED bulbs out there (short life, low brightness and blueish light) and the good quality ones are expensive. I would avoid the type with many normal LEDs (cluster type).
For adequate brightness (50W equivalent) you need to get an LED lamp that is 7W or more power and spend around £15 or more per bulb.

I have one of these 7W Megaman LED bulbs and it has a bright white colour, not too narrow beam angle and is nearly the same brightness as a 50W halogen.
http://www.nationallampsandcomponents.co.uk/froogle.php/MEGAMANc_Modo_7W_GU10_2800K_LR0707-WFL/4151

The Philips 7W LED should be similar
http://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B002TSS8QE

I have just ordered one of these Toshiba 8.5W LED GU10 to try out as it looks good.
http://shop.greenluxlighting.com/toshiba-e-core-85w-gu10-led-lamp-3000k-dimmable-63-p.asp

grizzly1911

What TBT says ^^^.

Do not go down the cheap cluster LEDs they aren't much good IMO. Also be careful of the colour cool white is very clinical.

After trying various options we went down the compact CFL route, for what we wanted. In a warm white they give a more general surround light than the more directional LEDs.

shedhead55

We have 9W CFL downlighters in the kitchen, essentially the same fitting as GU10, not as bright or as directional as halogen and colour and brightness vary between originals and replacements. Also quite dim at initial switch on and take a couple of minutes to reach full brightness. They are efficient but the energy savings are probably negated by the fact that they seem to have a high failure rate. Got 'em from Screwfix, maybe more expensive ones would last longer and warm up faster.

ic

My own feeling is that LED bulbs at the moment are too expensive - you'd be better off getting some 35W replacements - they'll be cooler, and then perhaps investing in an uplighter or two that use CFL bulbs to help add to the light. Technology is moving fast, and prices are coming down. Prices of £15 per bulb are just too high in my opinion - it'll take you a long time to recover that cost in saved electricity, vs. a halfway house option.

shedhead55

shedhead55 wrote: »

They are efficient but the energy savings are probably negated by the fact that they seem to have a high failure rate. Got 'em from Screwfix, maybe more expensive ones would last longer and warm up faster.

Tempted fate, another one just failed!

Dan_Iggulden

minniemaus1970 wrote: »

http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/280739331312?ssPageName=STRK:MEWAX:IT&_trksid=p3984.m1423.l2649

these don't get as hot and are low Wattage LED GU10's, they come in blue/ bright white light, or the yellow version

Don't buy these. Shipped from UK warehouse but seller is based in China. They will fail, and you will have to send them back to China for replacement, plus they are only 140 lumens, only equal to a 30 W Halogen.

There are plenty of good LED bulbs around for about £6 a bulb, equal to a 50W Halogen, from UK based sellers who operate as limited companies. These bulbs will use only about 3W and will last alot longer that your regular halogen bulbs, so even though the price will be more to begin with, the pay back is on average 18-36 months.

markdavey

Dan_Iggulden wrote: »

There are plenty of good LED bulbs around for about £6 a bulb, equal to a 50W Halogen, from UK based sellers who operate as limited companies. These bulbs will use only about 3W and will last alot longer that your regular halogen bulbs, so even though the price will be more to begin with, the pay back is on average 18-36 months.

Care to provide any links?

morg_monster

Can I recommend this website for good quality bulbs and excellent customer service - http://www.homewatt.co.uk - bought £19 bulbs (!) from them 3 years ago for our bedroom in our new house (who puts halogens in a bedroom!) and now they are only £6.95 so even better (these ones were the ones we got, replacements for 35W). So have just bought some more for kitchen and bathroom. Very helpful in answering questions and their bulbs all come with min 1 yr guarantee, some are 3 years. Realise I sound like I work there but I don't, just been very pleased with them.

fwor

The ones made of clusters of conventional LEDs are generally useless.

The type in the last post (typically a dozen or so SMD LEDs with no lens system) are Ok as floods, but simply don't put out enough light to use as ceiling downlights unless you're going to use lots of them.

The type which are described as having three 3W LEDs, each with a lens in front, are good as spotlights, though the ones that I bought on eBay (shipped from HK) were actually only about 4W in total, not 9W. But they were only about £4 each, which is good value.