It's that time again: LED bulbs - recommendations?

[Rob_B]

I'm currently using cheapy LED GU10s in the bathroom, they're not used a huge amount but are dying every few months. I'm after something that'll last longer but won't break the bank, the cheap ones are ~ £1.70 each so I need to consider an expensive bulb vs 3 or 4 cheap ones long term.

Any suggestions? I'm trying to buy from Amazon as I have a load of credit on there but all I can mostly find is fakes or non-branded ones.

I'm needing ~4W GU10s, bright white, short length if possible.

Cheers folks!

Rob

[jimbouk]

Interested in this as well. Currently on 'full fat' bulbs in the bathroom (12V) and other rooms (240V). Would love to pull them all out tbh, but changing to LEDs is going to be the best short to mid term solution.

[wasabi]

Get MR16s. They don't die like GU10s do, although they take a tiny bit more work to install the separate 12v power source.

Have binned all our GU10s - complete waste of money.

[Rob_B]

I went gu10 after having issues with mr16s, plus when I looked the led mr16s were a lot pricier. I'd rather not change it all over again so it's gu10 for the foreseeable future

[GoNz0]

These from screwfix http://www.screwfix.com/p/lap-gu10-l...ack-of-5/3797g

I have relamped the 11 Kitchen ccfl's and 4 bathroom 50w full fats.

The bathrooms the same and I swapped out quality Aurora 50w Halogens. The Kitchens like blackpool illuminations now!

My father in laws done about 20 and had 2 blow out the box and 1 soon after so he had a bad box but everyones got a screwfix close by so he got them swapped and since then all is good.

[Rob_B]

How are they for light? I can't see from the pic but it looks like the LEDs are covered with a white filter/cap?

[Phage]

What's your budget ? I normally get these. Not had any blow yet.
http://www.ledhut.co.uk/spot-lights/...net-price.html

[DanceswithUnix]

I have a lot of MR16s in the kitchen, and have swapped to the new LED bulb range that Tesco of all places are now stocking. I think they are £6.50 a bulb, but they don't seem to require re-wiring the ceiling with expensive special LED transformers and so far none of the bulbs have died prematurely (I have 12 of them, ranging from a couple of months old to a couple of weeks old).

They have all sorts in the range, which come in blister packs.

[GoNz0]

How are they for light? I can't see from the pic but it looks like the LEDs are covered with a white filter/cap?

its a lens to give it the required angle, as bright if not brighter than a standard 50w

[Rob_B]

What's your budget ? I normally get these. Not had any blow yet.
http://www.ledhut.co.uk/spot-lights/...net-price.html

Heard good things about LEDhut but not heard of lumilife.

Found these
http://www.amazon.co.uk/Lumilife-3-8...=AZGYNAMS2M097

But can buy 3.7 cheapo ones for the same price, assuming cheapos last 6 months that's getting close to even :/

[DDY]

I replaced about 40 MR16 halogens with GU10 LEDs earlier this year, I simply replaced the transformers and MR16 holders with GU10 holders.

After my own testing of about a dozen different LED bulbs I settled on these two:

About 30 of these:

http://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/B...ilpage_o07_s00

and about 10 of these:

http://www.maplin.co.uk/p/verbatim-4...led-gu10-n49qf

Since installing them in April I've not had a single failure.

[wasabi]

I have a lot of MR16s in the kitchen, and have swapped to the new LED bulb range that Tesco of all places are now stocking. I think they are £6.50 a bulb, but they don't seem to require re-wiring the ceiling with expensive special LED transformers and so far none of the bulbs have died prematurely (I have 12 of them, ranging from a couple of months old to a couple of weeks old).

They have all sorts in the range, which come in blister packs.

I've used individual transformers in the kitchen when I redid it, but in the bathroom I just used a single LED transformer to drive all the downlights. Since MR16s are very simple and don't have quite the risk of badly wired trasformers lurking inside the housing, I mostly just use cheapy LEDs direct from HK or Singapore paired with a European transformer.

[DDY]

Since MR16s are very simple and don't have quite the risk of badly wired trasformers lurking inside the housing

That's not true.

Both GU10 and MR16 LED lamps use the same voltage conversion methods and have similar components, they just work at different input voltages.

[wasabi]

That's not true.

Both GU10 and MR16 LED lamps use the same voltage conversion methods and have similar components, they just work at different input voltages.

Why would you convert 12v to 12v?

[Phage]

Heard good things about LEDhut but not heard of lumilife.

Found these
http://www.amazon.co.uk/Lumilife-3-8...=AZGYNAMS2M097

But can buy 3.7 cheapo ones for the same price, assuming cheapos last 6 months that's getting close to even :/

True, but with the ones I linked to there's no re-wiring, no transfomer and no blow-outs.

[peterb]

GU10 and MR16 refer to the connections. GU10 are typically used on 230V (mains voltage) and for LED lamps have integral voltage conversion and current limiting to operate Light Emitting diodes correctly (they need a constant current supply)

MR16 are used on 12 volt supplies from an external transformer. Again on an LED lamp, the LEDS still need a constant current source which is incorporated within the lamp housing (and in both cases may be incorporated in the LED die itself). They may also have voltage conversion, although it is probably unnecessary.

However, the voltage conversion for an intrinsically low voltage lamp is simpler as the transformer (or SMPS) is external to the lamp body, while a native 230V lamp has it internally, and the larger voltage drop implies more heat to remove, and potentially a bulkier design, although at the low currents involved, the power dissipation is considerably reduced, which is why they can be built into the lamp body, and use low power SMPS.

You can power an LED off mains directly, with a simple diode and resistor which gives a more or less constant current, but it is inefficient, and with the LEDs used for lighting, operating the upper edge of the operating envelope, not very satisfactory because mains voltage itself is relatively poorly regulated (by the standards required for electronic equipment)

Hi risk areas (in terms of the IET wiring regulations) such as bathrooms require the use of 12 volt lamps so the primary voltage conversion can be done outside the room, and that is true for LED and halogen lamps. In other locations, 230V lamps are an acceptable plug in replacement for conventioal halogen lamps.