LED Lighting

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#805454 25-Apr-2013 14:23

DealExtreme has a couple of candle shaped E14 lamps claiming 6W. Normally this is what the LEDs are rated max, not what they are driven at, but it is an option. There are ones that are omnidirectional. I have not bought any however.

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Johnk

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#805528 25-Apr-2013 17:45

richms: I need to find some e14 lamps. Anyone seen decent ones around the place at all?

Philips do a 4W E14 candle lamp, 250 lumens and a colour temp of 2700k. No idea on price though.

Azzura

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#805542 25-Apr-2013 18:29

Niel:
spacedog: Picked up some Viribright 8w cool white and warm white from Bunnings today. Have to say, I'm just not very impressed with the quality of the light. It still seems pretty dim. The cool white is too harsh for indoor lighting and has the feel of being in a workshop and the warm white has a rather greenish hue to the light.

Is this as good as LED replacement bulbs get? I'm a bit of a stickler for quality light and these don't seem to be producing a quality of light that is anywhere close to a standard incandescent or eco-halogen bulb type?

The first ones I've bought looked good, about 6 months later when I've bought the last one for our home they had a different colour. For the price, it is the best you get retail in NZ.

The future is in LED light fittings where cooling can be properly designed. I think you might like the colour of Philips SmartBright 18W downlight fittings (model DN052B), but they are not dimmable and there is a 1-2 seconds power-up delay (about 10-20 seconds the first time you use it, they charge a capacitor slowly and do not turn on until it is fully charged). Cost is around $70.

I am keen on trying the new Orbit fittings at Bunnings, as it is the only ones I can find so far that will fit the 120mm holes already in my ceiling (SmartBright need 125mm). Until I'm happy with a replacement fitting, I'm continuing with Virtibright as the only affordable option.

Just had one of these DN052B's installed as a test light. Wife approved ...liked it so much we are getting 20 more installed. Sparky got us a deal on the pricing though.....$29 each.

They throw a nice light that fills the area...shadows look normal. Light colour looks good and do not notice any flickering. There is a slight delay when turned on (about 1 sec).

Niel

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#805560 25-Apr-2013 19:21

Azzura: Just had one of these DN052B's installed as a test light. Wife approved ...liked it so much we are getting 20 more installed. Sparky got us a deal on the pricing though.....$29 each.

They throw a nice light that fills the area...shadows look normal. Light colour looks good and do not notice any flickering. There is a slight delay when turned on (about 1 sec).

They do look good, we have 5 installed outside in the eves after I've convinced the builder the rubbish cheap CA fittings are not suitable for outdoor use (as per manufacturer's spec!) and prevents me from washing the house required for the builder's guarantee. Very good lights, retail about $70 or so. You got a great price.

I've found the Orbit distributor has exclusive supply of some fittings to Bunnings and others to Mitre10. It is not a Bunnings house brand, which gives me some more confidence. Still keen to try one as the hole size is 120mm same as what I've got, and they are IC. Pity it is only 600 Lm, but that is fine for 20 of our 32 fittings.

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spacedog

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#805795 26-Apr-2013 09:58

Azzura:

Just had one of these DN052B's installed as a test light. Wife approved ...liked it so much we are getting 20 more installed. Sparky got us a deal on the pricing though.....$29 each.

They throw a nice light that fills the area...shadows look normal. Light colour looks good and do not notice any flickering. There is a slight delay when turned on (about 1 sec).

I know these 'should' be installed by a sparky. Do they have to be installed by a sparky? Or if you are pretty handy around the house and know how to work safely with electrics, would it be pretty easy to replace existing recessed downlights with these things on your own?

Azzura

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#805805 26-Apr-2013 10:11

spacedog:
Azzura:

Just had one of these DN052B's installed as a test light. Wife approved ...liked it so much we are getting 20 more installed. Sparky got us a deal on the pricing though.....$29 each.

They throw a nice light that fills the area...shadows look normal. Light colour looks good and do not notice any flickering. There is a slight delay when turned on (about 1 sec).

I know these 'should' be installed by a sparky. Do they have to be installed by a sparky? Or if you are pretty handy around the house and know how to work safely with electrics, would it be pretty easy to replace existing recessed downlights with these things on your own?

I probably could....but for the Sparky to install 20 more...it works out to $37 per light ...installed.

richms

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#805837 26-Apr-2013 10:54

You are legally allowed to change fittings but if you have to start extending wires to reach to fittings where there once was a transformer or put in j boxes as 3 wires won't fit the termnals etc then you need a sparky

Richard rich.ms

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Niel

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#806003 26-Apr-2013 16:47

What I do like about the Orbit lights is they use a separate LED driver instead of built-in so you can legally install a few fittings yourself off one larger LED driver without needing an electrician (because you are still making only 1 mains connection, the rest is SELV).

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hangon

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#806974 28-Apr-2013 23:19

Azzura:
I probably could....but for the Sparky to install 20 more...it works out to $37 per light ...installed.

Where about is your area? Does that include invoice and coc?

Last time I got a quote for 20 downlight replacement was like $50 each plus GST for an IC rated CFL (HD60TC) include bulb...

spacedog

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#815610 11-May-2013 08:57

Do you all think we will ever see LED incandescent replacement fitting bulbs with a CRI >85? At the moment I haven't seen an LED bulb with a CRI above 80.

I feel like maybe I should sit on the sidelines a little while longer and see if the light quality improves in time before investing in making a wholesale change to LED

I'd really like to see what these philips smartlight fittings are like, but I don't really want to have to buy and install one just to see if they look that much better than the LED incandescent replacement bulbs that have left me so unimpressed.

timmmay

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#815612 11-May-2013 09:04

spacedog: Do you all think we will ever see LED incandescent replacement fitting bulbs with a CRI >85? At the moment I haven't seen an LED bulb with a CRI above 80.

I feel like maybe I should sit on the sidelines a little while longer and see if the light quality improves in time before investing in making a wholesale change to LED

I'd really like to see what these philips smartlight fittings are like, but I don't really want to have to buy and install one just to see if they look that much better than the LED incandescent replacement bulbs that have left me so unimpressed.

Perhaps you're over thinking this. I have LED bulbs in my bathroom, they're plenty bright, a warm white color that's a bit less warm than tungsten bulbs, sealed and insulated over, and overall they provide good light and work well. I'd put them in my lounge no problem.

spacedog

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#815615 11-May-2013 09:10

timmmay:
spacedog: Do you all think we will ever see LED incandescent replacement fitting bulbs with a CRI >85? At the moment I haven't seen an LED bulb with a CRI above 80.

I feel like maybe I should sit on the sidelines a little while longer and see if the light quality improves in time before investing in making a wholesale change to LED

I'd really like to see what these philips smartlight fittings are like, but I don't really want to have to buy and install one just to see if they look that much better than the LED incandescent replacement bulbs that have left me so unimpressed.

Perhaps you're over thinking this. I have LED bulbs in my bathroom, they're plenty bright, a warm white color that's a bit less warm than tungsten bulbs, sealed and insulated over, and overall they provide good light and work well. I'd put them in my lounge no problem.

...except that I have tried 3 different brands of LED incandescent replacements and I'm not satisfied with any of them. Too dim or too yellow or too cold.....have yet to find one that is bright enough and has good colour. Maybe the actual LED fitting provide better light, which is what some people seem to suggest, but I haven't found anywhere that I can see one in use to evaluate it myself.

Niel

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#815626 11-May-2013 09:35

Incandescent replacement LED bulbs is only a transition for backwards compatibility. There are a number of issues including the limited space for electronics, proper cooling that works in all style fittings, and radiation patterns. Bite the bullet and get an LED fitting, they are starting to appear on the market and price is coming down. Or buy a cheap bulb with not so good CRI until the right fitting is available at the right price. IKEA for example will sell only LED lights from I think it is 2016.

However, the price drop might be too slow and you might as well pay higher prices now instead of waiting, because the payback (if DIY) is less than 12 months (if used around 5h per day).

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morrisk

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#815631 11-May-2013 09:45

I have replaced all the halogen down-lights in my apartment with Philips Master LED MR16 bulbs just over a year ago. I am very happy with result and you cannot see the difference.

It took some experimenting with different bulbs but it became clear that it was only the Philips LEDs replacements that you could not notice either because of the colour or the brightness. I used cooler white colours in the kitchen area and found this an improved light to work under than the halogens they replaced.

There were also choices to make on beam angle.

The bulbs are more expensive than the ones I tried from Bunnings and a number of other lighting places but they are exact replacements in terms of clolour and brightness except for the power use which is claimed to be up to 80% less.

timmmay

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#815672 11-May-2013 10:42

Mine aren't screw in LED bulbs, they're a sealed unit. I got them from Lighting Direct

http://www.lightingdirect.co.nz/lights-interior-lighting-recessed-lights-led-lights

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