LED Light Bulbs

ChumpusRex

atlantis187 wrote: »

I bought a 12 pack of these for around £13.40 they seem decent to me:

http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/new-12-x-GU10-LED-spot-light-bulb-WARM-WHITE-in-UK-/271230310001?pt=UK_Light_Bulbs&hash=item3f26961671

Those are the ones I bought. Pure trash.
Burned out in a few weeks, with some catching fire.

I took one apart. Absolutely now fire-prevention/safety systems in the electronics. No fuse. No overheat cut-out. That explains why they were able to catch fire.

atlantis187

ChumpusRex wrote: »

Those are the ones I bought. Pure trash.
Burned out in a few weeks, with some catching fire.

I took one apart. Absolutely now fire-prevention/safety systems in the electronics. No fuse. No overheat cut-out. That explains why they were able to catch fire.

That's got me quite worried now mate
When u say fire do u mean like an actuall fire?
What if there is kids around, this is really worrying.

I don't understand though because the seller has loads of good feedback from people about these bulbs.
Do u reckon I should send them back for a refund?

Could u please give me a link where a can buy some decent ones from then please.

Thanks

ChumpusRex

atlantis187 wrote: »

That's got me quite worried now mate
When u say fire do u mean like an actuall fire?
What if there is kids around, this is really worrying.

I don't understand though because the seller has loads of good feedback from people about these bulbs.
Do u reckon I should send them back for a refund?

I didn't actually see it because I was somewhere else in the house, when the power tripped off. I found the bulb smoking and charred and melted into the light fitting. I think because I had working, modern circuit breakers in the fuse box that it stopped the bulb from actually setting fire to stuff.

The problem with ebay feedback, is that most people leave feedback when they get the stuff. It took a couple of weeks for the bulbs to start dying, and I have one combust until a month later - by which time I'd already given OK feedback.

The light fitting was metal, so although the bulb had melted in; the light fitting wouldn't have caught fire itself.

You might regard it OK to use them if you have them in an all metal fitting - where they will be supervised (like in a kitchen). However, no way would I put these in a bedroom.

Maybe I had a bad batch, and maybe yours will be safer. Maybe they've changed the design.

I just threw mine in the bin after that, and chalked it up to experience.

If you are buying LEDs, I'd stick with a good brand: Philips, Megaman, etc. These can be had for around £6-10 each online. Asda also stock some minor brand ones (which are of decent quality), but they're £8 each; you're better off buying a big brand online at that price.

alinwales

I have bought from simplyled twice. Once two years ago (a bulb called SMD5050 for ~£12 each), again last week. Reason for ordering more was that one from 2 years ago went pop. I contacted them assuming they had a 3 year warranty, but apparently the ones i bought back then were only 1 year. But they did offer me a good price for upgrading all the bulbs I had bought from them to their newer NxtGen bulbs (also SMD). These have a 3yr warranty, but upgradeable for free to 5yrs.
Anyway, the light from these new ones is very very good. I thought the old ones were good, and probably close to 50W equiv, but the new ones are much better. In fact, they are probably better suited to downlighters, as being in angled stalk fittings means they can sometimes catch your eye and they are blimin bright!


Problem is price at £12 each... but payback over halogen is around 2-3 years under moderate usage, and with a 5 year warranty, over the long-term it's a safe bet.

fwiw I do have several £4-from-amazon/ebay bulbs too, I am also pleased with these and they are over 2 years old now with no failures. Don't ask me where they came from I can't remember!

end of day: you pays yer money you takes yer choice.

superbigal36

As mentioned earlier the SMD ones are far better as they do not radiate like spotlights (The angle is twice as shallow). Easy to spot in pictures as they have rows of little square diodes that are mounted to the printed circuit board by a method called surface mounting. Hence SMD = surface mount diode. LED = Light emitting Diode.
Also as mentioned do not get the day white as like being in a hospital.
Get warm white.
I recommend buying a few as a trial.
Note a lot of them dont work well with dimmers.

lstar337

superbigal36 wrote: »

Hence SMD = surface mount diode. LED = Light emitting Diode.

Actually the 'D' in 'SMD' stands for 'Device'.

Surface Mount Device. This is a general term for the mounting configuration of a whole range of electronic components from resistors to integrated circuits.

SMD LED would be the correct initialism.

RayWill_2

May I add that "GU10" is not a brand or a manufacturer, but a type of lampholder for use on the mains.
It looks rather like the holder used for fluorescent starters, but they are not interchangeable.
May I add that LED lamps are still in their infancy and as time goes on they will inevitably get cheaper, more reliable, and come in a greater range of styles, including replacements for most bayonet-cap and Edison-screw lamp types.
Where a service life is stated by manufacturers, this is usually about 50,000 hours.
Have a look at the cpc website (www. in front, and .co.uk behind). This division of the international electronics distributor Premier Farnell has a fair selection of LED lamps (and 100,000+ other items)!

Pincher

I had a conversation with a lighting specialist once upon a time, and we are indeed cavemen compared to them. They DESIGN the lighting so it's right for the function it serves.

Should it be harsh or soft?
How bright, should we be able to dim it?
Is it mood lighting, direct or indirect?
For reading, you don't want it glaring into your eyes.

I can tell you now that the LEDs have a quality of light different from more traditional light bulbs. Just try one and see how different the room looks. I have a feeling you'll find the standard LED too glaring and need diffusing at least.
You need to experiment a bit to decide what works.

I've found that by combining different colour temperatures, you actually get a better feel. I think it's because my eyes get more of the visible spectrum from the lights, so it's more satisfying. In my kitchen, I have warm whites on one side, and cold whites on the other. The cold whites make it look like a hospital, the warm whites make it look aged and tired; but when they are both on, the kitchen feels really good.

rogerblack

atlantis187 wrote: »

I don't understand though because the seller has loads of good feedback from people about these bulbs.

Feedback generally reflects 'It arrived on time, I plugged it in, and it worked'.
It does not cover devices that die several weeks or months in.
In principle you can delay sending feedback for 3 months, but few do this.

alinwales

I get the feeling that the manufacturers stated lifetime on these products is purely for the LED itself, being as they do last for many thousands of hours. However, behind these devices lie a bit of other electronics (namely transformer and capacitor to name but two) to regulate the ac voltage. Capacitors in particular have a finite lifespan, usually a lot less than those of the LED.

So... I wouldn't base any purchases on estimated lifetime.