Led bulbs
- Thread starter flynn
- Start date
I figure, LED-optimized connectors for fixtures is basically just a matter of LEDs achieving a decent price/performance ratio, and companies getting together with some org like ISO for example and hammering out a spec. It happened with halogen bulbs, so why not LEDs?
Bought four Nanoleaf (mentioned above, back in 2013 as "Nanolight") LED bulbs the other day!
Three 1600lm units (which I'm thinking might be a bit hella bright actually, but we'll see), and just for kicks, a 1800lm bulb that cost friggin $100. Just for fun, and as a test.
In case they turn out to be uncomfortably powerful, I can take solace in that they're only rated at 27 years of operation, after which I can buy new, weaker ones...
Three 1600lm units (which I'm thinking might be a bit hella bright actually, but we'll see), and just for kicks, a 1800lm bulb that cost friggin $100. Just for fun, and as a test.
In case they turn out to be uncomfortably powerful, I can take solace in that they're only rated at 27 years of operation, after which I can buy new, weaker ones...
Rurouni
Veteran
I've been using almost 100% Led bulbs in my house. There are 2 fixtures that still using fluorescent light but that because I have a lot of spare fluorescent that I need to burn. Although Led is still more expensive, but right now it's affordable enough and the light quality is basically the same or even better since I didn't noticed any flickering compared to fluorescent + instant on at full brightness + even the oldest Led bulbs in the house still working (vs fluorescent that can't stand a lot of power cycle).
@Rurouni
Instant on very bright LED light is a little bothersome if you've been asleep and it's pitch dark, but on the other hand, the very slow warm-up of some CCFLs can be even more irritating... Also, the way they fade significantly towards the end of their life.
Allegedly, LEDs also fade, but I've yet to actually see it happen. I have a couple super-low wattage Osrams that have been burning for like four years straight now, maybe more, and they still appear quite unaffected from what I can tell.
Instant on very bright LED light is a little bothersome if you've been asleep and it's pitch dark, but on the other hand, the very slow warm-up of some CCFLs can be even more irritating...
Also, the way they fade significantly towards the end of their life.Allegedly, LEDs also fade, but I've yet to actually see it happen. I have a couple super-low wattage Osrams that have been burning for like four years straight now, maybe more, and they still appear quite unaffected from what I can tell.
I'm currently having a substantial extension built on my house and will have a new kitchen/dining room to light so I'm thinking LED lighting is probably going to be the way forward.
As of now, I've got pretty much no idea about the quality of such lighting. I've got one or two LED spots in the current kitchen and the light from them is perhaps a little harsh (and I don't have the 'coldest' colour LEDs available), but I'm guessing you can get much better these days. Any particular recommendations about what is available from your own experiences? I'm guessing LED downlights in the kitchen perhaps with LED strips underneath the kitchen wall units would be best. Perhaps with secondary feature light fittings over the kitchen island and dining table?
Are Philips LED bulbs still considered amongst the best?
As of now, I've got pretty much no idea about the quality of such lighting. I've got one or two LED spots in the current kitchen and the light from them is perhaps a little harsh (and I don't have the 'coldest' colour LEDs available), but I'm guessing you can get much better these days. Any particular recommendations about what is available from your own experiences? I'm guessing LED downlights in the kitchen perhaps with LED strips underneath the kitchen wall units would be best. Perhaps with secondary feature light fittings over the kitchen island and dining table?
Are Philips LED bulbs still considered amongst the best?
Rurouni
Veteran
I don't know about whether Philips still considered amongst the best, but other brands are catching up and at least in terms of lighting quality and efficiency are on par with Philips. I have bought a Krisbow Led (ACE Hardware brand) and it is similar to Philips. Most of the Led in my house is Philips though, because it was the only brand that offer good Led bulb.
Regardless of quality, the converter/driver will die before the LED. Unfortunately there is still no standard for DC fittings, so the only way to get the best reliability out of LEDs in home lighting is with custom lamps with separate transformers (which will of course no longer be in production when they finally do die).
LED lighting, still screwed up after all these years. Why is it that halogen could get multiple standards and fittings of its own but LED still has to deal with this crap?
LED lighting, still screwed up after all these years. Why is it that halogen could get multiple standards and fittings of its own but LED still has to deal with this crap?
Hell, the edison screw socket is what, 130+ years old by now? Talk about outliving its useful life...
These guys arrived in the mail today. Would have come earlier if Sweden hadn't shut down for four days straight because of easter holiday, but what can you do?
I was mistaken; the more powerful bulb isn't 1800lm - it was 2000.
And yeah, it's verrrrry bright. I'm using it in a desk lamp, turned upwards to throw the light indirectly up into a corner, and the discrete LEDs on the bulb's facets gives distinct concentric rings of light across the walls and ceiling. Looks kinda cool actually.When I first turned on the bulb, the light seemed disappointingly cold and "LED-y", but as it turns out, it's just because of the blue wall paint. The light is actually a very nice warm white hue; confirmed by first running one of the 1600lm bulbs in my bedroom which has green walls where I get a really nice and cozy tone of light from the rice paper ceiling lamp I have hanging in there, then putting a 1600lm bulb in the desk lamp; same tone of light as the 2000lm unit. It just appears cold because of the blue wall, and the fact the light is so damn bright!
The wattage of the 2000lm bulb is stated as 14.5 IIRC; not that much in the big scheme, but leaving it running for a while does cause it to grow fairly hot. Not so hot you can't handle it with your hands, but it's not comfortable. Why anyone would need to do that is beyond me tho - you screw the bulb in and then let it stay there for two decades until it wears out!
Putting your hand in close proximity while it is running lets you feel heat emitted by the discrete LEDs tho.Interesting tidbit: Nanoleaf One has 11 facets, each with three LEDs. 15W/33≈0.45W, which isn't all that much power. Then these LEDs are amongst the most efficient available; I don't have data for these particular ones, but Wikipedia lists range of luminous efficiacy for white LEDs as 4.5-22%, so let's assume upper range, or 20% as a place to start, IE a mere ≈0.36W heat output per LED, and quite possibly less! Seemingly, this is low enough that Nanoleaf can cool the LEDs with just a narrow, thin sheet of copper, cemented to the back of the LED housing and to the circuit board casing of the bulb - IE, the circuit board itself acts as a sink. Pretty nifty.
Commercial bulbs use just a few, much higher wattage LEDs which require more heavy-duty cooling, often in the form of a metal heatsink (although some more recent medium wattage Osram bulbs actually forego that for an all-plastic casing; these only put out about 800-1300lm tho from what I've seen, so they punch nowhere near Nanoleaf's hefty 2000lm weight class...) They also get absolutely scorching hot.
1st degree burns material, easily, if you try to screw it out after it's been running a while.Inside the bulb is a tiny custom switching power supply; IE it isn't merely just a rectifier/passive buck converter like in many other LED bulbs, which again often necessitates a big honking metal sink. And Nanoleaf even incorporates a thermal sensor, reducing output if the unit gets too hot...
Having 33 LEDs spread out across the surface of the bulb gives a more true facsimilie of an incandescent light bulb or a CCFL than most LED bulbs can manage; they tend to give a very hemispherical light profile, which in some fixtures where the lamp hangs face-down from the ceiling for example can leave your ceiling largely dark. My kitchen table lamp is just a cheap, matte, bell-shaped piece of milky plastic from IKEA, which the Nanoleaf suits exceedingly well, lighting up the entire room evenly in every direction without leaving a big dark spot in the ceiling.
Verdict:
You probably don't need to spend 100 bucks on the 2000lm model (unless you're as nuts as I am); the 1600 version works super well as it is and costs only a quarter as much. Excellent color temperature, excellent light distribution and really awesome light output level! Ghosts will hate these things!
Good build quality too, although the origami structure makes the things susceptible to shipping damage. I had to tweak one of the bulbs to make the jigsaw pieces it is made of snap back together again after my package got thumped somewhere along the way from China... No harm done tho, it works just fine.Like most any other LED bulb, the claimed lifespan is ridiculous. 100k on/off cycles, and 30k power-on hours.
I think you've mistyped, thats only 3.5 years
Silent_Buddha
Legend
I've been using a few Cree Soft Whites (got them at Home Depot) that I find produce an extremely pleasant light, very similar to incandescents. I hate the light from LEDs that are too "harsh" (closer to pure white or a little on the blue side). They were quite well reviewed by a variety of places a few years back.
I also have some el-cheapo dimmable LED bulbs that are serviceable, but the light is too harsh. I'll be slowly migrating those to outdoor structures here.
All of which are significantly better than any CFL I've used. And oddly enough they are cheaper over the long term than any CFL I've owned (half of which tend to burn out within 1 year of installation).
I still prefer incandescents, but at least the Cree's that I got are a close enough approximation that I don't miss incandescents as much.
Regards,
SB
I also have some el-cheapo dimmable LED bulbs that are serviceable, but the light is too harsh. I'll be slowly migrating those to outdoor structures here.
All of which are significantly better than any CFL I've used. And oddly enough they are cheaper over the long term than any CFL I've owned (half of which tend to burn out within 1 year of installation).
I still prefer incandescents, but at least the Cree's that I got are a close enough approximation that I don't miss incandescents as much.
Regards,
SB
Gods, no I don't! The HEAT those bastards put out, sweet jeebus. Amazing that such shit has been allowed for as long as it has.
Thankfully science has come to the rescue at long last and we can put the final nail in Edison's coffin (and a stake through his rotten heart as well.)I know I might sound like a total idiot... But...
Why do LED lights produce no heat, even though they're just as bright, or brighter, than incandescents?
Why do LED lights produce no heat, even though they're just as bright, or brighter, than incandescents?
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In english please? I don't have a phd.