Lightbulbs

theEnd

I've purchased and had installed some nice drum lights.
Big one in living room, smaller in the 2 bedrooms, but all have 3 bulbs.

It didn't come with bulbs. It takes E27 and manufacturer didn't seem to care what I use to a max of 60W per bulb.

So what's the best option. Would prefer not to have the old style energy saving lights that take ages to brighten up.

So;
- old fashion bulbs
- newer energy saving bulbs
- LEDs??

Also, what sort of wattage should I be looking at. 3x40W for the bedrooms sounds a lot?

And where's good to buy bulbs from?

lstar337

If it is decorative (on display) then halogen would probably be the way to go.

theEnd

lstar337 wrote: »

If it is decorative (on display) then halogen would probably be the way to go.

The actual bulbs will covered. These are the lights:
http://www.houseoffraser.co.uk/House+of+Fraser+Zaragoza+large+cream+ceiling+pendant/124279062,default,pd.html

lstar337

Well modern CFL spiral's will give good output for a fairly low running cost. LED's will give you the same output for a slightly lower running cost, but a higher initial cost.

For good light output at a reasonable outlay and low running cost, I would go with the CFL's.

If initial cost isn't a problem, get the LED's and you'll have lower running cost and (usually) a longer lifespan.

All of this is based on reputable brand CFL and LED's. It is much harder to buy decent bulbs now than it ever was before. If you buy cheap china rubbish, you should expect them to go wrong, and as a worst case, burn your house down. If you must buy cheap, stick to big stores (like super markets) where you can return items for refund.

2013yearofthehouse

Given how expensive those pendants are, I don't think the OP needs to worry about saving a few £s per light bulb by buying CFLs instead of LEDs!

I'd buy LEDs, that way there's no need to worry about how long they take to brighten (like you said in the OP). Buy a decent brand (a few good ones, I like Osram - cost about £9-10 each) with a warm colour (2700-3000k with 2700k being the warmer). A 60W equivalent light bulb generally gives out around 800 lumens, while a 40W equivalent is often around 470 lumens and a 20-25W can be around 200-250 lumens. Lumens differ by brand though, so do check - the better quality brands generally have a higher lumen rating per W. It depends what you were used to previously, if you had a single bulb pendant of around 800 lumens (60W equivalent) then you may want to get 3x25W equivalent bulbs to give approx. 750 lumens. This may be ok in bedroom, but if you want something brighter in the living room then 3x40W equivalent may be better.