GU10 LED Warm White to replace Halogen - Poundland?

ClarkeKent

Just put up some new spots in the kitchen that come with GU10 Halogen bulbs. First impressions, they are very bright..

Was looking to switch to GU10 LED 4w(40w equiv) and saw some in Poundland. has anyone tried bulbs from there before? I know they are cheap but though they might be ok.

Also, how long do GU10 LED bulbs last compare to Halogen and is there anything else I should look for when buying?

Thanks in advance

paddyrg

I haven't tried their GU10 models, but the bayonet fitting LED bulb is excellent quality and genuinely impressive

SplanK

You need to start comparing in lumens rather than watts. As LED keeps advancing 4w a couple of years ago may have been quite poor where now they are on par with nearly 50w light output.

As for life span, that entirely depend on the quality of the product and how they are used. Inside each unit is a little transformer so they still get quite hot and need reasonable ventilation


I would expect a minimum of 1-2 years from an LED unit, but should last a fair bit longer if its a quality product.

chrisw

For the sake of a pound try one and see. It won't give you an indication of reliability, but even if you end up replacing all of them you haven't much to lose.

Xeorix

Personally I'd avoid the cheapo LEDs. The colour reproduction on them isn't great, and the light they give off is usually a bit naff. Also, if you're thinking about using them with a dimmer, you'll need to shell out a bit more

With LEDs you want to be comparing Lumens, colour temperature and beam angle. The ones we have in the kitchen are about 350-400 lumens, I always try and use 2700k and about a 40degree beam angle and give us a great spread of light:
https://www.downlights.co.uk/philips-4-3w-master-value-led.html

The amount of time I visit people who have new LED lights, and they're cool white (3200k+), and horrifically bright is unreal. You can usually spot these places from the road too, they look like a spaceship!

However...... the bulbs are a quid, so unless you're after perfect lighting, buy them and if you don't like them, throw them out.
I got some from Home Bargains a few years ago, and they died quite quickly and were very cold, despite saying Warm White. Either way, they went into a spare bedroom and did the job until I replaced them all.

ritesh

I replaced all my GU10 halogen bulbs just over two years ago. Best move I ever made. To date not a single one has needed replacing. I bought these from a home show in London. The bulbs are in fact SMD (surface mounted diode) and are made in China. The cost back then was about £5 per unit. They were a direct replacement for the 50W halogen GU10 bulbs and there was no difference in the actual brightness either.

Oh by the way my whole house is GU10 spotlights and after swapping for LED bulbs my electric bill halved.

POPPYOSCAR

Just bought some from Homebase £2.14 pack of two.


Says they last up to 25 years.


We shall see!

elstimpo

ritesh wrote: »

I replaced all my GU10 halogen bulbs just over two years ago. Best move I ever made. To date not a single one has needed replacing. I bought these from a home show in London. The bulbs are in fact SMD (surface mounted diode) and are made in China. The cost back then was about £5 per unit. They were a direct replacement for the 50W halogen GU10 bulbs and there was no difference in the actual brightness either.

Oh by the way my whole house is GU10 spotlights and after swapping for LED bulbs my electric bill halved.

They would not have been a 'direct replacement' as the quality of light will have been significantly lower than a 50w halogen and 'brightness' is a vastly over rated attribute.

elstimpo

POPPYOSCAR wrote: »

Just bought some from Homebase £2.14 pack of two.


Says they last up to 25 years.


We shall see!

I'm sure soon someone will tell me what power supply, (in particular the resistors in the power supply) could possibly last 25 years?

Where is the test report that proves that all the components of a cheaply made consumer LED Lamps can last 20 years?

In my humble opinion the maximum lifespan of a good quality (not cheap) LED Lamp is around 10 years.

almillar

they last up to 25 years

Means - they last anything between 0 and 25 years.

elstimpo

almillar wrote: »

Means - they last anything between 0 and 25 years.

Likely to be closer to 0