The definitive low-energy GU10 lighting thread
Discussion
E36GUY said:
I have also heard from wholesale clients that they are prone to failure because the dimmable transformer is built into the end cap rather than a separate so look at it logically. It's in the middle of the heatsink and thus overheats. This is only what I have heard however and I have no actual evidence to back that up.
Same problem most cfl's have, condensed overheated electronics, and the reason why I'm still telling clients if they like dimming to stick with halogen or incandescents. If the powers that be were serious about low energy lighting they we should have switched over to 10v dimming biax downlights or something, but they don't evan seem to make those any more, superseded it seems by the inferior GU10 based options.Anyway I might be trying out some of your LED's in my new place, tell me though, why no dimming LED driver over 18w?
DavidY said:
B*gg*r
Just bought 40 Megaman 11W CFLs, for three different locations, all from the same electrical factors and all to go in Illuma fittings (The Illuma rep recommended them!)
Hope they have improved! Let you know in 14 months
After using these in my kitchen for the last year or so, they've all blown. I'm now trying the B&Q own brand 9W CFL bulbs. Initial impression is a better light output, both in terms of time to warm up and final brightness. About £6 each IIRC. Just bought 40 Megaman 11W CFLs, for three different locations, all from the same electrical factors and all to go in Illuma fittings (The Illuma rep recommended them!)
Hope they have improved! Let you know in 14 months
Guy, tried to email you but it seems to have bounced - looking for some advice on an approach for a new loft I'm doing and really interested in trying these - can you let me know if you got it or email me via my profile? Ta.
If these things do last as long as they are supposed to, by the time you've paid for a decent halogen fittings, bulbs and power over the life of the LEDs, I suspect the cost will be come out well against the LED. However, I think it does come down to usage - I'm looking at these for a bedroom but they won't be on all that much, so perhaps I'm better swapping them with the ones already in my kitchen which are used a lot and getting the power savings from there - when I turn them on at the moment it's the equivalent power of the oven heating up.
If these things do last as long as they are supposed to, by the time you've paid for a decent halogen fittings, bulbs and power over the life of the LEDs, I suspect the cost will be come out well against the LED. However, I think it does come down to usage - I'm looking at these for a bedroom but they won't be on all that much, so perhaps I'm better swapping them with the ones already in my kitchen which are used a lot and getting the power savings from there - when I turn them on at the moment it's the equivalent power of the oven heating up.
aberdeeneuan said:
Guy, tried to email you but it seems to have bounced - looking for some advice on an approach for a new loft I'm doing and really interested in trying these - can you let me know if you got it or email me via my profile? Ta.
I did get it and just pinged you a reply from my work email. hairyben said:
Anyway I might be trying out some of your LED's in my new place
Excellent! You will not be disappointed - of that I guarantee you.hairyben said:
tell me though, why no dimming LED driver over 18w?
Because they are 700mA constant current and (I think) that is the max at the moment. I'm not overly technical on the driver side of things. We are looking at alternatives all the time and have a nice one in R&D but that's a story for future day!Just to update this thread, based on my own experiences, I can wholeheartedly recommend the ZEP 1 offering from E36GUY.
Forget any LED GU10 replacements bulbs, I have tried them, and while they're alright in isolation, they're complete rubbish compared with the utterly fantastic ZEP1's.
E36GUY modestly states they're equivalent to a halogen GU10, well, in my view they're actually better. They give a very bright and even light with soft shadows, almost like a fluorescent tube, but without the harshness or flicker.
One (very) happy customer over here.
Forget any LED GU10 replacements bulbs, I have tried them, and while they're alright in isolation, they're complete rubbish compared with the utterly fantastic ZEP1's.
E36GUY modestly states they're equivalent to a halogen GU10, well, in my view they're actually better. They give a very bright and even light with soft shadows, almost like a fluorescent tube, but without the harshness or flicker.
One (very) happy customer over here.
Good thread resurrection - I'm the OP and was wondering whether to bring it back from the dead the other day.
I noticed that toolstation had an offer on LED replacement GU10 bulbs. Lots of different models available, for between £8 and £20 each. I bought one of each, took them home and fitted one in each light position in the kitchen.
Several of them were very good. One of them stood out as being softer and warmer in light than the rest (and the Mrs particularly liked it) - that was the Phillips Ecoled 4W. So I took the rest of them back and ordered another 10 of the Phillips. Not cheap at £10 each, but going down from 50W each to 4W each I reckon they'll pay for themselves within 18months in energy savings.
We're very pleased with them indeed. The light is imperceptibly different from the halogens they replaced; I fitted the new bulbs without telling the Mrs and she didn't notice the difference at all. I guess this is the highest compliment I can give them; you simply don't notice any difference between them and the outgoing Halogens.
Oli.
I noticed that toolstation had an offer on LED replacement GU10 bulbs. Lots of different models available, for between £8 and £20 each. I bought one of each, took them home and fitted one in each light position in the kitchen.
Several of them were very good. One of them stood out as being softer and warmer in light than the rest (and the Mrs particularly liked it) - that was the Phillips Ecoled 4W. So I took the rest of them back and ordered another 10 of the Phillips. Not cheap at £10 each, but going down from 50W each to 4W each I reckon they'll pay for themselves within 18months in energy savings.
We're very pleased with them indeed. The light is imperceptibly different from the halogens they replaced; I fitted the new bulbs without telling the Mrs and she didn't notice the difference at all. I guess this is the highest compliment I can give them; you simply don't notice any difference between them and the outgoing Halogens.
Oli.
Super Slo Mo said:
I still stand by my comments above. The zep1's are head and shoulders above normal gu10 bulbs, halogen or led. Now my kitchen is painted, the difference between them and the gu10's in my utility is very noticeable. Worth every penny.
Good. I'm about to order quite a lot from Guy too. 
Super Slo Mo said:
I still stand by my comments above. The zep1's are head and shoulders above normal gu10 bulbs, halogen or led. Now my kitchen is painted, the difference between them and the gu10's in my utility is very noticeable. Worth every penny.
I've got 'cheap' GU10s in the Kitchen too, and now i've knocked a hole in the wall to the lounge, the difference between them and the ZEPs is pretty noticeable.Topical, I've just re-lit a 3 storey house for a client who insisted on replacing the low voltage halogen downlights with LED.
After a lot of research I used some 10w sealed units (ie fixtures with built in lamps, not fitting plus "bulb") and evan when lit side by side none of us (clients/sparky) could discern much difference or drop in standard from the 50w halogens, and we're both quite fussy/meticulous.
Certainally something worth giving serious thought to, but do your research as there's a lot of variance in quality and performance. After many years of insisting on halogen as the premier light source - and to ignore industry rattling on about LED being the be all end all - I'll be offering these on future quotes alongside halogen.
After a lot of research I used some 10w sealed units (ie fixtures with built in lamps, not fitting plus "bulb") and evan when lit side by side none of us (clients/sparky) could discern much difference or drop in standard from the 50w halogens, and we're both quite fussy/meticulous.
Certainally something worth giving serious thought to, but do your research as there's a lot of variance in quality and performance. After many years of insisting on halogen as the premier light source - and to ignore industry rattling on about LED being the be all end all - I'll be offering these on future quotes alongside halogen.
zcacogp said:
Not cheap at £10 each, but going down from 50W each to 4W each I reckon they'll pay for themselves within 18months in energy savings.
Does the payback time take into account that the halogen GU10's require replacement at a rate of seemingly 1 per week? xxthousand hours life my arse.
If not you could take some time off!
Our kitchen hs 6 GU10's in 2 fittings, we've been here six months and replaced each one at least once, and two are currently blown and have been for some time.
Last house had 3 in the kitchen and there was one blown more often than they were all lit, f
king things.I was loath to spend any money on LED versions as the last ones we tried produced a horrid light, but I was in Pikea the other night and saw that they have started producing LED bulbs in a variety of fittings, and they produced light like a normal incandescent bulb. Seems like the tech has advanced a lot.
They only went up to 25w equivalent though.
If you say the toolstation jobbies produce decent light I reckon I'll try a couple.
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