Cheap LED SMD bulb longevity

kwikbreaks

I've noticed LED bulbs are getting cheaper in supermarkets but those on eBay are cheaper still.

For instance 5w globes - Tesco are doing 3 for 2 so 3 would cost ~ £12 iirc but from eBay 3 would be ~ £5 delivered.

My question is has anybody had cheap LED bulbs for a year or more so can comment on whether they are likely to fail fairly quickly. I'm guessing if they last a year they are probably not going to fail any quicker than branded ones.

bsod

yes, and no

Cisco001

i had cheap GU10 led from ebay for 2.5 years, 30% are now failed

colin79666

The longest one we have is a 12W B22 from Costco 3 years ago. Still going strong.

I've also had Asda ES bulbs (E10 or something) the the kitchen for 6 months. I think they are about 8W as they claim to be similar to an 60W incandescent. They are fine but like a lot of cheaper bulbs the colour quality isn't so great. Fine in the kitchen but, personally, I wouldn't want them in a cosy living space or a bedroom. For that I have been using Philips 60W B22 equivilants and they are great. Sometimes on offer like 2 for £10, they are the closest in shape to a traditional bulb and the colour temperature is much less stark white than the cheaper/generic name bulbs I have tried.

Just wish I hadn't bought a bulk lot of CFL 15W bulbs just before LEDs became widely available. They are slow to start and seem to lose their brightness after 2 or 3 years meaning I'm replacing them before they actually failed.

tronator

I got 10 more than 2 years ago for £5.99 (now £5.09) each from Amazon. The second bulb just failed. The first one failed about 1 year ago and got replaced by the manufacturer without questions asked.

So I wouldn't go for the very cheapest ones. Buy from a reputable seller and look for warranty.

esuhl

I got 9 of them about 2 or 3 years ago -- they were the cheapest GU10 "bright white" bulbs off eBay. I think 2 (maybe 3?) have failed. One within a few months.

So, it was worth it overall.

steviebabes

Poundland do golf ball & candle 3w LED bulbs with SES & bayonet bases. So far so good after 6 months, about 8 in use every day.

ArchangelEST

Ordered some led bulbs from china. I think the first failure was after 3 years.

Definitely not the advertised 10+.

But maybe it was an outlier.

stator

I bought 7 tesco ball shaped bulbs years ago and many others since. Not a single one has failed. Tesco / Wilkinsons / B&Q / LIDL. All still running fine.

papaelcheapo

I've had my fare share of these cheaper LED bulbs and they just don't last as well as the branded lot. I've been told they usually fail because they're not build to handle the heat properly. Deffo a get what you pay for item.

letsbehonest

General rule of thumb "buy cheap, buy twice"