looking to replace halogen bulbs with LED buls

[keen2learn]

Hi all,

I'm looking to eventually replace all my household bulbs with LED bulbs, several reasons, energy efficiency being the main one, but better life expectancy secondary to that, I plan to start in the kitchen, where I have a bar with 4 halogen spot lights, these tend to be switched at dusk and remain on till we go to bed, 6-7 hours during winter, the bulbs tend to only last a month or so, and at a pound a bulb, quite expensive, now I appreciate LED bulbs cost on average 6x this cost, but I've seen led bulbs claiming anywhere from 30,000-50,000 hours so significantly longer life span than my current halogens, I've narrowed my choice down two bulbs and want to understand the pros and cons of each bulb

first bulb

http://www.lightrabbit.co.uk/60-smd-glass-covered-4-watt-e14-led-bulb-40w-equivalent.html

this bulb has 60 smd's 380 lumens 4.5 watts

second bulb

http://www.lightrabbit.co.uk/20-smd-glass-covered-4-1-watt-e14-led-bulb-40w-equivalent.html

20 smd's 320 lumens 3.5 watt

I used the online chat facility but was really disappointed with the vague answers I got, in a nut shell they said the 60 smd bulb was better as it produced more lumens, I was already aware of this as I had read the specs, but they could not answer why the supposedly better spec bulb was the cheaper of the 2, so I'm looking for a straight forward answer of which bulb is better and why or if one is better than the other in my current set up of 4, 40 watt halogens

Thanks in advance

 

[Aragorn84]

I wouldnt count on life expectancy being anywhere near those figures.

My experience with retrofit lamps is that they're hopeless things that last about 12 minutes. They just dont have sufficient cooling, and overheat and fail within a few months.

If i was serious about LEDs then the only ones i'd consider are the proper LED fittings which replace the whole ceiling unit, as these have proper heatsinking and are actually made properly.

 

[AndyPRK]

I would just buy 2 of each and see what you think. Make sure you know which is which, so you know which ones to order should you want more.

Put the brighter ones, where you need the most light.

 

[keen2learn]

Hi Aragorn84

thanks for your response, the company in question give a 5 year guarantee on all the bulbs they sell

"LightRabbit® is a trusted brand; we invest extensively to ensure the highest possible quality control standards whilst also sourcing the latest LED technology available. We pride ourselves on quality and innovation, offering an extensive 5-year warranty and 28-day no quibble - money back guarantee on all our bulbs to ensure you are 100% satisfied with your purchase."

so Im quite happy I will get my monies worth, I guess my question is more around, are more smaller smd's better than less larger smd's, they are both a replacement for a 40 watt bulb, Im guessing more lumens in a kitchen, is probably beneficial, as there are multiple working zones, but im struggling to understand the cost difference, as you would expect more spec to carry a higher price.

AndyPRK
buying 2 of each doesnt really make sense as ultimately, im going to end up with 2 redundant bulbs, hence defeating the cost cutting part of this excercise.

 

[Gutterball]

The difference in price probably reflects how many of each they sell. more sales = lower price.

I get my leds from http://www.ledhut.co.uk/ and have never had any problems with failed lamps.

 

[Taylortwocities]

I wouldnt count on life expectancy being anywhere near those figures.

My experience with retrofit lamps is that they're hopeless things that last about 12 minutes. They just dont have sufficient cooling, and overheat and fail within a few months.

If i was serious about LEDs then the only ones i'd consider are the proper LED fittings which replace the whole ceiling unit, as these have proper heatsinking and are actually made properly.

 

[STI]

LED hut for me too. The only issue I had was in my last house we had very weak DAB radio signal, so every time the LED lights went on (12) the radio signal was blocked. In our latest house no problems at all.

Running for six months in old house not a single one blown. Installed in a friends house for 15months not a single one blown.

Sign up as a trade account and the price gets better.

 

[winston1]

LED hut for me too. The only issue I had was in my last house we had very weak DAB radio signal, so every time the LED lights went on (12) the radio signal was blocked.

Causing radio interference is illegal and unsociable. Did you take it up with the manufacturers?

 

[winston1]

Hi all,

these tend to be switched at dusk and remain on till we go to bed, 6-7 hours during winter, the bulbs tend to only last a month or so,

That is a life 180-210 hours. Something wrong there, halogen lamps should last about 2000 hours. I would be looking into that and talking to the suppliers and manufacturers.

 

[Astra99]

FWIW in the office we have seven spotlights. I was replacing at least two lamps a month, 50w (or 35w) 12v MR16s. So I bit the bullet and replaced them all with 3.5W LEDs (using their own LED drivers). Touch wood, all lamps are still good after over a year of use, 8 hours a day, 5 days a week! Lamps were £5 each and the LED drivers (IIRC) £12. Each driver will run 3 lamps.

 

[robbieduncan]

I've got COB bulbs from LightRabbit in a couple of rooms. No issues at all and very bright.