Anyone using/used LEDs? - Page 6

AC_Hacker · 07-13-12, 07:41 PM

I bought about a dozen LED bulbs from several different suppliers and they all shipped from China.

They all worked when I got them. I did have some minor problems like a decorative ring fell off of one, but that was very easy to fix.

The 'infant mortality' rate of these "50,000 hour" bulbs has been around 15 to 20%... If they had been purchased locally I would have returned the dead bulbs to the store. As it is, I can't ship them back to China for what I paid for them.

But, for $3 or $4 or $5 per bulb I'm still doing OK.

Also, the 'warm white' bulbs I got look a bit yellowish when compared side to side with warm white LED bulbs that I purchased here. But if I'm not doing a side by side comparison, it doesn't matter so much.

So all in all, I'm not getting as good a deal as I thought I would get. But I would buy more, only I'd allow for maybe 20% more bulbs than I need to compensate for infant mortality.

-AC

Xringer · 07-13-12, 08:27 PM

I found what seemed like some nice LED blubs at Lowes..
Shop Utilitech 40-Watt Equivalent Indoor Warm White LED Light Bulb at Lowes.com

But, I've already had to return (for free replacement) four (4) of these
new Utilitech 40-Watt Equivalent LED blubs. (out of about a dozen).

Not very long lasting.. I do get a bit of high line voltage at times. Right now, it's 124.3 vac.
My TED recorded a peak of 140.5 vac at 9:30AM this morning..
If the line is really getting that high, when the LEDs are on, I can see
how that could cause damage to the PS in the base of the blubs..

I do have a couple of the Philips 12-Watt (60W) LEDs,
12-Watt (60W) LED A19 Soft White (2700K) Light Bulb (E)*-423343 at The Home Depot

and so far they seem to be lasting a while..

celblazer · 07-19-12, 04:46 PM

I just picked up 5 of the Utilitech 40-Watt Equivalent LED bulbs to replace some of the heavier used lights in the house and the ones my roommates kid keeps forgetting to turn off. LOL. Thanks for the heads up. They look great and should pay for themselves fairly quickly. I hope they last.

Xringer · 07-19-12, 06:14 PM

Forgetting to turn them off isn't the same as forgetting to turn off a 40 watt load..
You would have to leave about five of them on to use the same amount of power.
The light fixture above our kitchen table uses five.. (37.5 watts total)..
Green slot :: LEds video by Xringer - Photobucket

we have that kitchen lamp on about 2 to 3 hours a day..
One of our 60w eq LEDs in the den is on 5 or 6 hours each night.
We are leaving the rarely used CFLs in place for now..

One the side of the Utilitech box, it says, Return to store for replacement.
Good for 2 years anyways. Now that I have a new receipt, I'm good for 2 more years!!

celblazer · 07-19-12, 11:23 PM

Yea I replaced 3 in the Kitchen fixture that were 40w each and 2 60w that he keeps leaving on at night, so just those 2 will save me 105w for at least the 10 hours or more when they are left on which is most nights. So just a tad over a kilowatt per day saved on just the 2 or as much as $57 a year at my current electric rate.

And even though they are only 40w equivalent they put plenty of light out, I was actually surprised.

Xringer · 07-20-12, 12:10 AM

I was pleased with the light output too. Those 40W LEDs are brighter than many 60W CFLs..
The funny looking Home depot 60w leds seem like a real incandescent 65w..

RobbMeeX · 07-21-12, 05:11 PM

I am renting a place with a three bulb (60Wx3) fixture at the mirror and a 75W bulb in the overhead. 255W of midnight "stop" power. I cannabalized a ceetain energy drinks display sign to find a strip of like 20 leds and sticky on the back. I stuck it under our mirror cabinet for a total power waste of only 5W with plenty of light!
I am diggin it.
PS> I had to loosen the middle bulb in the 3bulb fixture. Too much (heat)
Edit: Good news is the string only runs at 2W, unfortunately my KAW seems to have developed a 2-3w base load...

nexsuperne · 07-22-12, 12:56 PM

I have just picked up 10no gu10 230 volt led downlights for £35.99 delivered. 29 leds in each which are the 5050SMD version. 520 lumen at 7.5 watts. I went for the warm white, as the light colour is closer to halogen.

The price has come down so much in just a couple of years, and the lumen output is fantastic.

As a side note, I also have 4no 27 watt 12 volt 9led spotlights on the roof of my Land Rover Discovery, which put out a total of 8,600 lumen! These are good because at 9 amps total drain, they can be left on for 6 hours on a standard car battery and still start the engine.

Exalta-STA · 07-29-12, 03:23 AM

Just replaced a 50w halogen pin light with a 2W yellow LED..

it's a big help since the painting the halogen pin light was pointed at doesn't feel hot anymore and I use it as an accent/ambient night light...you won't feel guilty waking up late with a 2w light turned on a few hours more than a 50w one

Oh and there are quite a large number of dimmable LEDs available now compared to a year ago. It's good that this is catching on.

Planning to use LED strips on the garage for use when Im working on cars at night.

opiesche · 07-31-12, 07:11 PM

Also, if you plan on dimming LEDs, make sure to use a PWM dimmer. Simply reducing the voltage (with a regular dimmer) will dim the LED, but will significantly reduce its life span.

07-13-12, 07:41 PM	#1
AC_Hacker Supreme EcoRenovator Join Date: Mar 2009 Location: Portland, OR Posts: 4,004 Thanks: 303 Thanked 723 Times in 534 Posts	ebay Chinese LED bulbs I bought about a dozen LED bulbs from several different suppliers and they all shipped from China. They all worked when I got them. I did have some minor problems like a decorative ring fell off of one, but that was very easy to fix. The 'infant mortality' rate of these "50,000 hour" bulbs has been around 15 to 20%... If they had been purchased locally I would have returned the dead bulbs to the store. As it is, I can't ship them back to China for what I paid for them. But, for $3 or $4 or $5 per bulb I'm still doing OK. Also, the 'warm white' bulbs I got look a bit yellowish when compared side to side with warm white LED bulbs that I purchased here. But if I'm not doing a side by side comparison, it doesn't matter so much. So all in all, I'm not getting as good a deal as I thought I would get. But I would buy more, only I'd allow for maybe 20% more bulbs than I need to compensate for infant mortality. -AC __________________ I'm not an HVAC technician. In fact, I'm barely even a hacker...

07-13-12, 08:27 PM	#2
Xringer Lex Parsimoniae Join Date: Feb 2009 Location: Woburn, MA Posts: 4,918 Thanks: 114 Thanked 250 Times in 230 Posts	Utilitech LEDs not ready for prime time.. I found what seemed like some nice LED blubs at Lowes.. Shop Utilitech 40-Watt Equivalent Indoor Warm White LED Light Bulb at Lowes.com But, I've already had to return (for free replacement) four (4) of these new Utilitech 40-Watt Equivalent LED blubs. (out of about a dozen). Not very long lasting.. I do get a bit of high line voltage at times. Right now, it's 124.3 vac. My TED recorded a peak of 140.5 vac at 9:30AM this morning.. If the line is really getting that high, when the LEDs are on, I can see how that could cause damage to the PS in the base of the blubs.. I do have a couple of the Philips 12-Watt (60W) LEDs, 12-Watt (60W) LED A19 Soft White (2700K) Light Bulb (E)*-423343 at The Home Depot and so far they seem to be lasting a while.. __________________ My hobby is installing & trying to repair mini-splits EPA 608 Type 1 Technician Certification ~ 5 lbs or less..

07-19-12, 06:14 PM	#4
Xringer Lex Parsimoniae Join Date: Feb 2009 Location: Woburn, MA Posts: 4,918 Thanks: 114 Thanked 250 Times in 230 Posts	Forgetting to turn them off isn't the same as forgetting to turn off a 40 watt load.. You would have to leave about five of them on to use the same amount of power. The light fixture above our kitchen table uses five.. (37.5 watts total).. Green slot :: LEds video by Xringer - Photobucket we have that kitchen lamp on about 2 to 3 hours a day.. One of our 60w eq LEDs in the den is on 5 or 6 hours each night. We are leaving the rarely used CFLs in place for now.. One the side of the Utilitech box, it says, Return to store for replacement. Good for 2 years anyways. Now that I have a new receipt, I'm good for 2 more years!! __________________ My hobby is installing & trying to repair mini-splits EPA 608 Type 1 Technician Certification ~ 5 lbs or less..

07-20-12, 12:10 AM	#6
Xringer Lex Parsimoniae Join Date: Feb 2009 Location: Woburn, MA Posts: 4,918 Thanks: 114 Thanked 250 Times in 230 Posts	I was pleased with the light output too. Those 40W LEDs are brighter than many 60W CFLs.. The funny looking Home depot 60w leds seem like a real incandescent 65w.. __________________ My hobby is installing & trying to repair mini-splits EPA 608 Type 1 Technician Certification ~ 5 lbs or less..

07-21-12, 05:11 PM	#7
RobbMeeX Eco OWNER!! Join Date: Jul 2012 Location: ATL Posts: 99 Thanks: 25 Thanked 7 Times in 6 Posts	I am renting a place with a three bulb (60Wx3) fixture at the mirror and a 75W bulb in the overhead. 255W of midnight "stop" power. I cannabalized a ceetain energy drinks display sign to find a strip of like 20 leds and sticky on the back. I stuck it under our mirror cabinet for a total power waste of only 5W with plenty of light! I am diggin it. PS> I had to loosen the middle bulb in the 3bulb fixture. Too much (heat) Edit: Good news is the string only runs at 2W, unfortunately my KAW seems to have developed a 2-3w base load... __________________ In it for the money (savings) Last edited by RobbMeeX; 07-22-12 at 12:11 AM..

07-19-12, 04:46 PM	#3
celblazer Helper EcoRenovator Join Date: Mar 2010 Location: South Jersey Posts: 57 Thanks: 42 Thanked 17 Times in 11 Posts	I just picked up 5 of the Utilitech 40-Watt Equivalent LED bulbs to replace some of the heavier used lights in the house and the ones my roommates kid keeps forgetting to turn off. LOL. Thanks for the heads up. They look great and should pay for themselves fairly quickly. I hope they last.

07-19-12, 11:23 PM	#5
celblazer Helper EcoRenovator Join Date: Mar 2010 Location: South Jersey Posts: 57 Thanks: 42 Thanked 17 Times in 11 Posts	Yea I replaced 3 in the Kitchen fixture that were 40w each and 2 60w that he keeps leaving on at night, so just those 2 will save me 105w for at least the 10 hours or more when they are left on which is most nights. So just a tad over a kilowatt per day saved on just the 2 or as much as $57 a year at my current electric rate. And even though they are only 40w equivalent they put plenty of light out, I was actually surprised.

07-22-12, 12:56 PM	#8
nexsuperne Helper EcoRenovator Join Date: Feb 2012 Location: 30 miles east of London, UK Posts: 88 Thanks: 12 Thanked 19 Times in 18 Posts	I have just picked up 10no gu10 230 volt led downlights for £35.99 delivered. 29 leds in each which are the 5050SMD version. 520 lumen at 7.5 watts. I went for the warm white, as the light colour is closer to halogen. The price has come down so much in just a couple of years, and the lumen output is fantastic. As a side note, I also have 4no 27 watt 12 volt 9led spotlights on the roof of my Land Rover Discovery, which put out a total of 8,600 lumen! These are good because at 9 amps total drain, they can be left on for 6 hours on a standard car battery and still start the engine.

07-29-12, 03:23 AM	#9
Exalta-STA Apprentice EcoRenovator Join Date: May 2012 Location: Philippines Posts: 107 Thanks: 12 Thanked 4 Times in 4 Posts	Just replaced a 50w halogen pin light with a 2W yellow LED.. it's a big help since the painting the halogen pin light was pointed at doesn't feel hot anymore and I use it as an accent/ambient night light...you won't feel guilty waking up late with a 2w light turned on a few hours more than a 50w one Oh and there are quite a large number of dimmable LEDs available now compared to a year ago. It's good that this is catching on. Planning to use LED strips on the garage for use when Im working on cars at night.

07-31-12, 07:11 PM	#10
opiesche Helper EcoRenovator Join Date: Jul 2012 Location: Rohnert Park, CA Posts: 99 Thanks: 4 Thanked 14 Times in 9 Posts	Dimming LEDs Also, if you plan on dimming LEDs, make sure to use a PWM dimmer. Simply reducing the voltage (with a regular dimmer) will dim the LED, but will significantly reduce its life span.