Any light masters on the forum

[Vossy1]

Need a little help regards kitchen lighting folks and hoping someone can help.
I have 12 x 50w halogen spot light in the kitchen and am looking to replace them with LED spots but can't find the answers to some questions.
Most halogens are 30-45 deg spread (I assume mine are as standard B&Q jobbies) but some LED are 120 deg spread.
Does a 120 provide the same luminocity over the larger area as a narrower beam.
I know there are differing suppliers out there and better quality led/chip sets, but does anyone have any recommendations based on experience? These bulbs aren't the cheapest hence the questions before buying a 'mistake' :hmm:

 

[ScottM]

Check the lumens mate.

If you have 200 lumens over 45 degrees then in order for the same brightness to be produced over 120 degrees it would need to be almost 600 lumens.

You're looking for approx 3x the lumen count, as long as that's the case you are good to go :)

 

[calumscott]

I was going to do that too. But the LED tech in the GU10 bulbs just isn't there yet. (From what I've read)

As I understand it the LEDs themselves are fine but the driver electronics are seriously flawed. Anecdotally a good quality halogen will outlast them... which is rather pointless all in all...

...I'm sticking with standard ones for now.

 

[Zedilly]

I have LEDs in the bathroom, bedroom and en suite and love them, occasionally they flicker as I have them on standard low voltage transformers but I spoke to an electrician friend and he has advised me to just feed more than 1 led from each transformer (so it can detect a drop) and this eliminates the flicker. I just need to get my backside in gear and get in the loft to do it.

 

[Vossy1]

Thanks for the feedback so far guys, much appreciated :thumb:
I also asked eskibrew and he's been running them for 2 1/2 years without problems, though 2 from 10 failed.
The 'issue' I have with my halogens is that they're 600w/hr in total, compare that to potentially 12 x 4w LEDS, that's a saving of 552w/hr which is substantial! I think I will be going for them I'm just not sure which ones, eskibrew uses natural so I might start looking there :hmm:

 

[calumscott]

I guess if you spend big on them you should get something decent that should last. Check the form factor of them too - I hear tales that some which carry the GU10 code don't fit all GU10 lamps...

 

[Algernon]

I replaced the halogens in my kitchen with GU10 LED fittings from BnQ and I have not been impressed. They have blown at a similar rate to the halogens and produced less light in the mean time.
It may just be my cheap (shoddy?) BnQ light fitting that is affecting them, either way I have not been terribly impressed. I mourn the loss of filament bulbs (aka illuminated heaters) some days.

 

[Vossy1]

I replaced the halogens in my kitchen with GU10 LED fittings from BnQ and I have not been impressed. They have blown at a similar rate to the halogens and produced less light in the mean time.
It may just be my cheap (shoddy?) BnQ light fitting that is affecting them, either way I have not been terribly impressed.

I don't know about that A, the B&Q ones are pretty pricey :hmm: Something in me is finding it hard to part with 6 bulbs money but I know if they last and are bought from a company that will offer a 5 year guarantee it'll be worth it, problem is, staring down the barrel of £60+ quid for one set of lights...it's putting me off. The wife often works from home and in winter one set of lights can be on for 9+ hours a day so it may still be worth it...but I'm undecided :hmm:

 

[pittsy]

I'm a kitchen fitter Vossy , go for it you won't regret it . Yes very pricey but it's rare the bulbs go and they are so much brighter and a fraction of the running cost.

 

[calumscott]

Hey Pittsy, how's about some bulb recommendations???

It seems like a minefield out there with a load of them being frankly rubbish.

What do we need to buy to get awesome output, cheaper bills AND longevity of bulb?

 

[Vossy1]

Pittsy, if you would be so kind, would you recommend the narrow or wide angle and if so what brightness on the wide. My mind's spinning at the mo, 3 led, 4 led, 48 led :? I personally find the brightness of 12 50w halogens in a kitchen 10x20' a bit much so was considering lower wattage anyway :hmm:

 

[pittsy]

well i'm a chippy but do use em . I think we use the 12 led type . I'll see if i can find out , i just order the gu10's and they supply what we need ( our office orders em in from my boss) I'll have a look online now.

 

[pittsy]

If you have gu10 light check if mains or low voltage and this sort of bulb is ideal http://www.amazon.co.uk/Halogen-incredi ... im_light_3 :thumb: .if you have many lights in a normal size room then go for yellow/white but if needed really bright go for bright white , and more narrow than wide etc if that helps .

 

[chrig]

I changed one bulb a week for six weeks in my kitchen. Partly to let me see what they would be like at a low cost and also so I could buy better bulbs.

I was loosing one bulb every few weeks before hand but for 6months since I put the led's in I have not replaced one

 

[Vossy1]

I changed one bulb a week for six weeks in my kitchen

A good way of doing it :hmm: thanks Chrig :thumb:
Pittsy, any advice re wide/narrow beam?

 

[pittsy]

narrow i think ,

 

[BigYin]

If you have gu10 light check if mains or low voltage and this sort of bulb is ideal http://www.amazon.co.uk/Halogen-incredi ... im_light_3 :thumb: .if you have many lights in a normal size room then go for yellow/white but if needed really bright go for bright white , and more narrow than wide etc if that helps .

I'm going to try these in my kitchen :thumb: Fed up of replacing the halogens there.

We also have halogens in another room, but that's on a dimmer circuit and the led's say they aren't suitable for that as they need a constant power :hmm:

 

[RobertP]

I used to have a business manufacturing lighting but we stopped trading just as LEDs were starting to emerge as a new light source.

Consequently I don't know a lot about them but I do about halogens. Lamp failure can be partly down to the design of the fixture not keeping it at the correct temperature but mostly it is down to quality. Quality of the lamp manufacture and quality of the lampholder that connects to it. Cheap lamps under run in an attempt to get life out of poor components. that means you get a higher proportion of heat compared to light and the less than completely heated filament lasts longer than it would if run as brightly as a quality lamp. Same power input for less light. Bad lampholders have poor electrical contact and heat the lamp cap leading to failure.

You could save money and not lose a lot of light by dropping to 35W lamps (or possibly lower) but from a major brand like sylvania osram or GE if you are currently using no name lamps from the likes of screwfix.

It surprises me how few major brand offerings there are when it comes to LEDs. As mentioned previously compare lumen output rather than look at wattage. a light level in an area needs a certain number of lumens. Control of that light and room surfaces affect the level but you still need at least as much as the halogens and possibly more if the beam angles are wider.

 

[calumscott]

but mostly it is down to quality.

I can quite agree with this! I bought a nice fitting from B&Q for the kitchen. Fortunately I also went and bought, from Screwfix (same company, cheaper...) some decent bulbs.

The longest surviving one of the factory supplied ones with the fitting lasted all of 10 days. Needless to say I haven't lost one since...

 

[keith1664]

Need a little help regards kitchen lighting folks and hoping someone can help.
I have 12 x 50w halogen spot light in the kitchen and am looking to replace them with LED spots but can't find the answers to some questions.
Most halogens are 30-45 deg spread (I assume mine are as standard B&Q jobbies) but some LED are 120 deg spread.
Does a 120 provide the same luminocity over the larger area as a narrower beam.
I know there are differing suppliers out there and better quality led/chip sets, but does anyone have any recommendations based on experience? These bulbs aren't the cheapest hence the questions before buying a 'mistake' :hmm:

Based on experience go for the 50/60w equivalent 60 SMD led bulbs, they're almost as bright as a 50w halogen with a decent spread of light, those with 3/4 leds are too focused.
I fitted 4 a good 6 months ago and they're still going strong with no failures... I'd maybe like them to be a tad brighter but at 28 vs 200 watts I'm not complaining.
As for brand I have no idea, mine were about a fiver each on ebay and they've probably saved me that already in not having to change a bulb every couple of weeks (my kitchen isn't the brightest room and they're on most of the time).