LED light bulbs

LEDlighting wrote: »

Could you please tell me how the LED light was able to provide a larger source of light 8ft straight down from the source than the halogen, (at this point it's not completely relevant but interestingly enough the Halogen showed signs of failing lighting after only 16 hours). The test also showed there was a huge amount of wastage outside of the 38 degree beam angle for the Halogen and literally none on the LED product.

I will be interested for you to apply the theories of Lumens and Lux to this situation and hear your obvious expert opinion.

Thanks

Can you clarify the "wastage" point please? Most of us buy lights to illuminate a room - halogen spots are often chosen because of the tidy appearance of the fittings rather than because we want to spot illuminate something. Case in point being my kitchen - I have 7 spots in there - I don't have 7 specific workstations I want illuminated, I just want the room bright enough to work in. So if by wastage you mean light going outside the intended beam angle, that's not a problem, it is in fact beneficial because otherwise I'd need a lot more tightly directed lights to light my 13ft square kitchen.

That said until its possible to be sure that all the dimensions of the bulb are compatible with existing fittings (e.g. my earlier point about the lip not fitting within spring clip fittings) no-one sensible is going to risk £30 on a bulb they can't be sure will fit.

I normally add my 2c to led lighting discussions, as I have been dipping my toes in every couple of years.
My best advice is suck one and see. Buy one for around or under a tenner (not from high street) and plug it in to see if it achieves what you want it to. I have 1w ones from a few years back that are terrible. I have 1.3w ones that are equally as bad. I bought one recently that cost £12 and I thought it was very good, and have now bought a pile off ebay that cost £6 each (GU10s and SESs: search for 'jdr 60led') that now adorn nearly our entire house.
Will they last? who knows, I hope so.

Oh, and the basis for my opinion? I did a test in a room between a 1.2w, a 3(ish)w and a 50w hal - taking photos of each. The 1.2w was terrible (as expected), but the halogen and 3w led were similar in light output intensity (halogen slightly better), the led had a much flatter and brighter light over a larger area (halogen had a bright spot in centre of beam), and the halogen was warmer light, not that the led was that cold. Now we have them in the lounge (a row of 4 bulbs), the room is definitely a bit darker than with halogens, but definitely suitable for purpose. The leds are excellent in our hallways as we have 3 lots of 3xspots in not much space. The kitchen (a 3x3x2.4m room with 3 spots in centre) is certainly OK, though I'd prefer it a little bit brighter.

To repeat, don't buy from B&Q et al... the ones I saw quoted 8W or 10W equivalent!! I mean, what are they good for? Still, at least they do quote these values which are good as a guide.

LEDlighting wrote: »

Lidl bulbs seem to only have a lifespan of 25,000 hours

Do you actually realise how long that equates to under normal usage?

I'm pretty sure that 10 years usage (at 8 hrs day) is pretty acceptable for most people and they won't complain too much!