Ask me anything you want about LED lighting. LED professional inside

[sspikey]

I work for a LED lighting company that manufactures their own products and also does R&D. We also do custom installs, industrial applications (bulk of our business) etc etc.

Tons of people are always curious about LED and if it really is a viable option coming up in the future of lighting so I thought having this thread would help dispell myths and help me polish up a training program I give to firms looking to sell LED products.

I wont name my company since I dont want this to be an advert but I would love to answer any general questions about them or technical qsts people may have. Ill try this for a bit and see where it goes.

Yan

[flashy_mcflash]

Are there any recessed LED lighting systems that have a 'natural' (yellowish) look? I bought a couple for my basement but they have that harsh bluish light that doesn't seem to jive with the rest of the lights.

[nsx]

Moved from "Off Topic" to "Green / Eco-Friendly."

[CharlieSheen911]

I hate LED lighting. So unnatural. I stay incandescent for life.

[T-Bone]

Bought a few of these off ebay. Had bad luck with a Canadian seller, as the "warm" seemed pretty blue to me and found them very dim.

Had good luck with a seller called "Smartop" out of China. Side by side, the "warm" pot light GU10 3x3W LED is very close to the lighting of a regular bulb perhaps slightly dimmer but fine for a TV viewing room. Though when dimming down (yes, these are dimmable LEDs), you can notice the difference in light colour but is pretty reasonable. My plan is to replace as needed as the old bulbs die. Pretty amazing for power saving. 50W vs. 9W

What do you recommend to replace a 50W GU10 style bulb?

I've been happy with the following specs but I'm looking for some help:

Base type:GU10
Chips: CREE XR-E
Input power: 9W(3*3W)
Colour:Warm white (2700-3300K)
Luminous Flux: 400-420 Lumens
Beam angle: 45 degrees

[sspikey]

Are there any recessed LED lighting systems that have a 'natural' (yellowish) look? I bought a couple for my basement but they have that harsh bluish light that doesn't seem to jive with the rest of the lights.

Hi,
The color of LEDs bulbs naturally gives off a blue tint. There is really no way around this, you can only "tint" the output light with sulfur to help achieve the warmer more yellow colored light we are use to with incandescents. The negative is you lose light output. The positive is to output the same light as before, you generally draw anywhere from 50% to 80% less wattage which directly translates in to your powerbill savings.

Find quality units from reputable sellers that guarantee their colour temp and you should be fine. My entire house is LED and no one even knows its except for a few spots (garage, security lights etc)

[sspikey]

I hate LED lighting. So unnatural. I stay incandescent for life.

http://www.reuters.com/article/2007/...29253520070425

Good luck with that

[sspikey]

Bought a few of these off ebay. Had bad luck with a Canadian seller, as the "warm" seemed pretty blue to me and found them very dim.

Had good luck with a seller called "Smartop" out of China. Side by side, the "warm" pot light GU10 3x3W LED is very close to the lighting of a regular bulb perhaps slightly dimmer but fine for a TV viewing room. Though when dimming down (yes, these are dimmable LEDs), you can notice the difference in light colour but is pretty reasonable. My plan is to replace as needed as the old bulbs die. Pretty amazing for power saving. 50W vs. 9W

What do you recommend to replace a 50W GU10 style bulb?

I've been happy with the following specs but I'm looking for some help:

Base type:GU10
Chips: CREE XR-E
Input power: 9W(3*3W)
Colour:Warm white (2700-3300K)
Luminous Flux: 400-420 Lumens
Beam angle: 45 degrees

What do you mean by replace 50W GU10 bulb? What kind of housing? There are some drop in LED units available for GU10 applications that perform amazing from a few manufacturers.

4W 12VAC/DC 3200K (Warm white or cool white)
• Beam Angle 40°
• CCT range 3000-3200K
• Housing finish: black
• CREE XP-E inside
Lumen output is either 230 or 320 respectively between warm white or cool white.

This will give you an idea of our high performance line of LED bulbs which you can use as a benchmark to compare units you sell on ebay with.

One thing though, I would be wary of using ebay units on anything more than loose home applications. The stated wattage is sometimes over inflated and the power conversion on them is absolutely garbage. This translates in to a lot of savings being thrown away due to using a bad quality LED so be wary of what you buy.

Keep em coming guys this is fun already.

[T-Bone]

What do you mean by replace 50W GU10 bulb? What kind of housing? There are some drop in LED units available for GU10 applications that perform amazing from a few manufacturers.

Thanks for your expert knowledge!

Sorry, it's to replace 50W Halogen MR16 with GU10 base for 9 recessed lights (ie. pot light) on a dimmer in a basement TV room, ceiling height is just under 8 feet.

Perhaps you could rate this ebay item # 170697547721 for it's merit. So far it's the best bang for the buck that I can find. I have much respect for the CREE LED. I'm building a collection of the CREE flashlights too.

My lingering concern is that if this light causes a fire due to manf. defect, then I won't be covered by insurance as they're not CSA approved. Although, I never have them powered when I'm not home.

[sspikey]

Thanks for your expert knowledge!

Sorry, it's to replace 50W Halogen MR16 with GU10 base for 9 recessed lights (ie. pot light) on a dimmer in a basement TV room, ceiling height is just under 8 feet.

Perhaps you could rate this ebay item # 170697547721 for it's merit. So far it's the best bang for the buck that I can find. I have much respect for the CREE LED. I'm building a collection of the CREE flashlights too.

My lingering concern is that if this light causes a fire due to manf. defect, then I won't be covered by insurance as they're not CSA approved. Although, I never have them powered when I'm not home.

That is a very real and concrete concern with most of the ebay stuff and why I dont recommend it to people I know personally.

Cree chips are the standard along with Bridgelux units so youre good on that side.

The bulbs on paper look fine (no IES engineering reports etc to go on) but one thing bothers me. The 100K hour life span. That makes me raise an eyebrow! If I were you. Try one or two out and leave them in for a little while. See how they perform. The problem, like most LEDs is there is nothing there to prove any of their claims which I hate and could never reccomend. None the less the price on them is good. To give you an idea something like that we sell wholesale at around the same price point for the lower performance units! Hard to beat for retail! Something like that will be quite a bit more expensive if you get a philips unit at home depot or whatever.

Have you considered getting all in one type housing with built in chips and non replaceable bulbs? I find them way nicer aesthetically but its a personal choice. Some people like the look. Biggest advantage comes from the huge integrated heatsink and for LED lights; heat=the enemy. We are doing a HUGE chain of cold storage warehouses in the states and installed highbays in there. You should see the life rating we gave them because of the cold temperture the units operate in. It is simply awesome!

[banmann]

Would be interested in hearing your thoughts on some retail LED lights that I bought at Costco. I have a lot of dimmers in my home so that has always been my deterrent from moving from incandescent to LED/CFL.

First set: 3x dimmable chandelier bulbs from Sunbeam for $19.99. Specs are 4W, 200 lumens, 20k hours, powered by CREE. So far the light seem half decent but the dimming is not as effective/sensitive as incandescent (why is that?)


Second set: 2x Luminus bulbs non-dimmable for $19.99. Specs 7.5w, 410 lumens, 30k hours. Assume they are not CREE. Installed overhead in the kitchen and does not light up the room very well. Light seems directed down more like a spotlight than being dispersed around the room. Will likely return these.


Maybe I need to be looking at high-end bulbs but even at the prices I paid not sure the benefits are worth it.

Thanks

[cliff]

Second set: 2x Luminus bulbs non-dimmable for $19.99. Specs 7.5w, 410 lumens, 30k hours. Assume they are not CREE.

Might be the brand, OT: I bought the luminus par50 CFL's from costco ~$14ish/four. I'm going to take them back, as they take around 50-60s to come to full light. They go from 10-30% in about 25s are around 80% by 45s.

It's like they are tech from 10+ years ago with slow turn-on time, not suitable for main lighting (unless you leave them on all the time). I need to take them back.

[sspikey]

Would be interested in hearing your thoughts on some retail LED lights that I bought at Costco. I have a lot of dimmers in my home so that has always been my deterrent from moving from incandescent to LED/CFL.

First set: 3x dimmable chandelier bulbs from Sunbeam for $19.99. Specs are 4W, 200 lumens, 20k hours, powered by CREE. So far the light seem half decent but the dimming is not as effective/sensitive as incandescent (why is that?)


Second set: 2x Luminus bulbs non-dimmable for $19.99. Specs 7.5w, 410 lumens, 30k hours. Assume they are not CREE. Installed overhead in the kitchen and does not light up the room very well. Light seems directed down more like a spotlight than being dispersed around the room. Will likely return these.


Maybe I need to be looking at high-end bulbs but even at the prices I paid not sure the benefits are worth it.

Thanks

These type of bulbs are the main problem with LED lighting. Simply put they are crap. It amazes me the stuff I see in retail stores I mean I sell industrial grade lights for the same price as the retail quality and it is ludicrous the quality I can get out of them vs this garbage. Take those back and shop for some higher end units or wait another 1-2 years before going back towards retail products. They should catch up then.

[cliff]

sspikey,

you mentioned garage lighting, what do you have in your's? What's the price comparison/premium compared to fluorescent's?

I need more light, currently 2*60W + 100W incandescent results in too many shadows for working on the car. I was thinking of putting in 5 pairs of 48" t5/t8's.

Does your co sell to the homeowner? (please send via pm if possible)


THanks,

[Therion]

Is it reasonable based on today's technology to install LED lights in the kitchen ceiling (instead of regular pot lights)? We're re-doing our kitchen next summer and the idea of LED lights is kind of cool. If yes, what brand should I be looking at? Since it's a new build, I don't mind spending a bit more money, especially if the bulbs last a while. How much would I have to spend for say 8 bulbs and their housing?

TIA