GU10 LEDs, what a load of crap

[schmokin1]

So muggins here tried to do his bit to save a bit of energy by fitting GU10 led bulbs at a fiver each.
Rated for 50,000 hours they are. So why have 2 out of 4 gone tits up inside a year from fitting?

Load of old bks I say.

Anyone else had similar?

[hidetheelephants]

Good old chinese quality control; you get what you pay for, and you have!

[Dave_ST220]

Think yourself lucky, one GU10 energy saving bulb that was fitted last Friday went pop LAST NIGHT! SEVEN DAYS!!!

[schmokin1]

hidetheelephants said:

Good old chinese quality control; you get what you pay for, and you have!

blimey, I bought the things on a 2 for 1 offer, normally they are a tenner each! the brand is Innovation, maybe I'll do a bit of research into them, see if they are noodle flavour!

Any advice for the replacements, brand wise?

[schmokin1]

Dave_ST220 said:

Think yourself lucky, one GU10 energy saving bulb that was fitted last Friday went pop LAST NIGHT! SEVEN DAYS!!!

GU10 fluorescent energy saver type? Which brand was it if you don't mind saying?

[Junior Bianno]

My Spark told me to steer well clear. Theoretically they will last 50,000 hours but power spikes/surges pop them just the same as any other bulb.

[annodomini2]

Dave_ST220 said:

Think yourself lucky, one GU10 energy saving bulb that was fitted last Friday went pop LAST NIGHT! SEVEN DAYS!!!

Take it back not fit for purpose, incandescents last longer than that

[Jonny_]

IMHO anything and everything available in a GU10 fitting is utter w**k. The bloody halogens seem to pop every other day, whether you buy 2 for 99p in Tesco or some "proper" ones e.g. Osram, Sylvania etc.

I tried putting an LED bulb in one of my GU10 fittings, on the upside it's lasted 2 years but it gives off a piddlingly small amount of nasty, harsh, cold light.

Toss.

[maser_spyder]

Glad it's not just me. Thought I was cursed!

[sublimatica]

We've got about ten GU10 Halogen spotlight bulbs in our house and only two have failed in the five years we've been here. Four of the bulbs are on every single day for about 3 hours since they illuminate a living area.

If they're bursting regularly then perhaps you have an irregular electricity supply?

[NiceCupOfTea]

Used to have problems with these blowing all the time.

I have replaced the unbranded 50w halogen lamps with 35w xenon (brighter) branded lamps (Crompton I think). Previously I would have one blow every week or two. Since replacement I've had one blow in the last year

[Dave_ST220]

schmokin1 said:

Dave_ST220 said:

Think yourself lucky, one GU10 energy saving bulb that was fitted last Friday went pop LAST NIGHT! SEVEN DAYS!!!

GU10 fluorescent energy saver type? Which brand was it if you don't mind saying?

Robus, it says...........

"quality products be LED Group"

!!!

[monthefish]

Jonny_ said:

I tried putting an LED bulb in one of my GU10 fittings, on the upside it's lasted 2 years but it gives off a piddlingly small amount of nasty, harsh, cold light.

Toss.

Is that the general concensus regarding the low-energy downlighters then? Anyone experinced any good ones?

With building regs wanting 50% of lighting to be 'low energy type', I fear these maybe the only way to go...

[Dave_ST220]

We have over 25 of these around the house, 4 were changed last week because the colour temp was different to the others, only one has gone pop(obviously faulty-it happens!). The others have been in for 3 months now. They take a while to warm up but are fine once they are. Love or hate them there won't be a choice soon as with BC lamps.........

[GreenDog]

I've just replaced half of the downlighters in the hall (MR12 fitting ?) with 20w bulb equivalents rather than 50w ones that were in. Sure it's dimmer than before but then again it is only in the hall. I'll do the remainder when I remember to buy some more bulbs.
The 50w ones in the hall and kitchen have been there since I moved in over 5 years ago and I've never had one pop.

[Jonny_]

In fairness I haven't tried the GU10 CFL-type bulbs (the non-LED energy saver variety), due to (a) cost and (b) they're huge, ugly things that defeat what IMO is the point of GU10, i.e. that the fittings and bulbs are small, neat and attractive-looking.

In one room I've resorted to a good old-fashioned 1980s-esque triple R80 spotlight bar... bunged in three CFL energy savers and it looks a bit naff but knocks out plenty of light, uses a quarter of the juice that the old 4 GU10 bar used and hasn't needed a bulb for 2 years

It's slightly shocking that nobody has yet managed to produce an LED bulb with a pleasant colour temperature that produces a decent amount of light - in theory 10 watts worth of LEDs should more than match the output of a 50w halogen. (and while I'm ranting, 16 quid for a poxy 4-watter that's barely equivalent to a 30w halogen is a p*ss-take!)

[Dave_ST220]

Jonny_ said:

In fairness I haven't tried the GU10 CFL-type bulbs (the non-LED energy saver variety), due to (a) cost and (b) they're huge, ugly things that defeat what IMO is the point of GU10, i.e. that the fittings and bulbs are small, neat and attractive-looking.

Our downlighters are designed for CFL lamps only so obviously the lamp looks the same as any other GU10 as the larger base is in the ceiling. Cost was no more than the LED type IIRC?? (& as you say the LED ones are useless anyway, zero light/spread).

[pmanson]

Junior Bianno said:

My Spark told me to steer well clear. Theoretically they will last 50,000 hours but power spikes/surges pop them just the same as any other bulb.

We've got standard GU10s on a dimmer... they last a longer now than they did when they on a standard switch. They seem to prefer the "slow start" that the dimmer gives them