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We have a kitchen which contains about 7 small spotlights. I thought I'd try out some LED replacements, which each contain like 10 small white LEDs. They were m

We have a kitchen which contains about 7 small spotlights. I thought I'd try out some LED replacements, which each contain like 10 small white LEDs. They were more expensive, but I thought it'd be worth a try. A bit like these http://nextday.diy.com/app/jsp/product/productPage.jsp?productId=89946 http://nextday.diy.com/app/jsp/product/productPage.jsp?produ... The issue is, they look bright when you look at them, but they actually provide absolutely no actual light. Even when we had 7 of them, the room was almost pitch black. I actually think it's a bit of a con to even sell these things, knowing they are unusable for most applications. >> "While it is indisputable that LEDs use a fraction of the electricity of a regular bulb to create the same amount of light," I'm not sure on how they measure 'same amount of light', because all of the energy saving lights I've ever seen are absolutely no where near as bright as standard lights. Which is a shame. just my 2c

amalcon 17y ago
Most of the older LED spotlights are highly directional. Like, very highly. I suspect your bulbs did an excellent job of lighting one little spot on the floor beneath (or wall opposite) the light, and almost nothing to illuminate the whole room. Anyway, they've come a long way since then. Probably not long enough to buy them next time you change your bulbs, but they're a lot better than they used to be.
- bumblebird 17y ago
  I bought these earlier this year :/ Maybe I'll give them another go in a few years.
  - amalcon 17y ago
    Well, nobody was buying the ones from a few years ago, so most of them are still on the market.
wtallis 17y ago
I've recently become a fan of the Black Diamond Apollo LED lanterns for camping use. They're only 3W, and the total light emitted isn't as high as from some of the competitors, but what makes them great is that the mirrors and lenses are shaped perfectly so that it evenly illuminates a tabletop-sized work area, and throws no light upwards. The focusing is easily the most important aspect of the product. However, it seems quite plausible that the different spectrum of LEDs could affect the perceived brightness, particularly if you're wanting the diffuse reflection from LED spotlights to act as ambient lighting.
mattmcknight 17y ago
Even the expensive $200 LED light that would go in my kitchen is only 750 lumens. http://www.bulbs.com/eSpec.aspx?ID=15695&Ref=LED+Bulbs&RefId=375&Ref2=Light+Bulbs http://www.bulbs.com/eSpec.aspx?ID=15695&Ref=LED+Bulbs&#... The halogens are $7 and 1280 lumens. No contest really. Especially when I have 6 of them.
nollidge 17y ago
What I've noticed in looking at LED bulbs is that the packaging never lists an "equivalent wattage", the way CFLs will say something like "13W (equivalent to 60W incandescent)". They also are often labeled "accent bulbs".
hallmark 17y ago
I have only been following LED indoor lighting as a non-participant, but from what I've read, you need to stick with name-brand at this point. Cree has popped up a number of times in technical articles as a leader in white LEDs. Their product focus is on recessed lighting: http://www.creeledlighting.com/residential.htm http://www.creeledlighting.com/residential.htm The photo in the NY Times article is of Philips' entry into the L Prize. Time Magazine has a short blurb on the bulb, albeit light on information (pun not intended): http://www.time.com/time/specials/packages/article/0,28804,1934027_1934003_1933947,00.html http://www.time.com/time/specials/packages/article/0,28804,1... My best guess is that 2010 will be a good year to start dipping your toes in LED lights for around the house. If I owned my own house, I would probably get the Cree recessed lights today. I enjoy a well lit house, and turning lights on and off to save energy annoys me. I welcome the day that I have my own solar panels, LED lights, and solar tube lighting.
HeyLaughingBoy 17y ago
There was a very good article recently in either LED Journal (yes, there are publications dedicated to LEDs exclusively) or Electronic Design that discussed this. The problem is so many low quality manufacturers are churning out these cheap "incandescent replacements" that do little good that they are making consumers think that LEDs are a scam. There are very good LED lamps out there, built with high efficiency, high brightness LEDs, but they are expensive. It really is a pity. I've been experimenting with multiwatt LEDs for some time (individual, unpackaged units) for a little off-grid experiment I have going and they are scary bright! But at the consumer level, there is nothing available at low cost that is useful.
RevRal 17y ago
The only LED light sources in my house, besides the LEDs on some electronics, is this lamp: http://www.konceptech.com/Merchant2/merchant.mv?Screen=PROD&Store_Code=K&Product_Code=LL3001-MBK http://www.konceptech.com/Merchant2/merchant.mv?Screen=PROD&... And a camping headlight. I consider these two things to be of the coolest things I own. They definitely show off proper LED application. For the camping headlight, which wasn't very cheap, I don't have to worry about disrupting the darkness too much. And the batteries will last forever. For the lamp, same thing. It is a wonderful feeling staying up till 5 in the morning with nothing but you, the lamp, and your work. Nothing but the desk and your work is illuminated, and it is illuminated very pleasantly, which is awesome. So, depending on the application, those negatives are strong positives. I can't imagine the LEDs being used as household lighting.

amalcon 17y ago

Most of the older LED spotlights are highly directional. Like, very highly. I suspect your bulbs did an excellent job of lighting one little spot on the floor beneath (or wall opposite) the light, and almost nothing to illuminate the whole room. Anyway, they've come a long way since then. Probably not long enough to buy them next time you change your bulbs, but they're a lot better than they used to be.

bumblebird 17y ago
I bought these earlier this year :/ Maybe I'll give them another go in a few years.
- amalcon 17y ago
  Well, nobody was buying the ones from a few years ago, so most of them are still on the market.

wtallis 17y ago

I've recently become a fan of the Black Diamond Apollo LED lanterns for camping use. They're only 3W, and the total light emitted isn't as high as from some of the competitors, but what makes them great is that the mirrors and lenses are shaped perfectly so that it evenly illuminates a tabletop-sized work area, and throws no light upwards. The focusing is easily the most important aspect of the product. However, it seems quite plausible that the different spectrum of LEDs could affect the perceived brightness, particularly if you're wanting the diffuse reflection from LED spotlights to act as ambient lighting.

mattmcknight 17y ago

Even the expensive $200 LED light that would go in my kitchen is only 750 lumens. http://www.bulbs.com/eSpec.aspx?ID=15695&Ref=LED+Bulbs&RefId=375&Ref2=Light+Bulbs http://www.bulbs.com/eSpec.aspx?ID=15695&Ref=LED+Bulbs&#... The halogens are $7 and 1280 lumens. No contest really. Especially when I have 6 of them.

nollidge 17y ago

What I've noticed in looking at LED bulbs is that the packaging never lists an "equivalent wattage", the way CFLs will say something like "13W (equivalent to 60W incandescent)". They also are often labeled "accent bulbs".

hallmark 17y ago

I have only been following LED indoor lighting as a non-participant, but from what I've read, you need to stick with name-brand at this point. Cree has popped up a number of times in technical articles as a leader in white LEDs. Their product focus is on recessed lighting: http://www.creeledlighting.com/residential.htm http://www.creeledlighting.com/residential.htm The photo in the NY Times article is of Philips' entry into the L Prize. Time Magazine has a short blurb on the bulb, albeit light on information (pun not intended): http://www.time.com/time/specials/packages/article/0,28804,1934027_1934003_1933947,00.html http://www.time.com/time/specials/packages/article/0,28804,1... My best guess is that 2010 will be a good year to start dipping your toes in LED lights for around the house. If I owned my own house, I would probably get the Cree recessed lights today. I enjoy a well lit house, and turning lights on and off to save energy annoys me. I welcome the day that I have my own solar panels, LED lights, and solar tube lighting.

HeyLaughingBoy 17y ago

There was a very good article recently in either LED Journal (yes, there are publications dedicated to LEDs exclusively) or Electronic Design that discussed this. The problem is so many low quality manufacturers are churning out these cheap "incandescent replacements" that do little good that they are making consumers think that LEDs are a scam. There are very good LED lamps out there, built with high efficiency, high brightness LEDs, but they are expensive. It really is a pity. I've been experimenting with multiwatt LEDs for some time (individual, unpackaged units) for a little off-grid experiment I have going and they are scary bright! But at the consumer level, there is nothing available at low cost that is useful.

RevRal 17y ago

The only LED light sources in my house, besides the LEDs on some electronics, is this lamp: http://www.konceptech.com/Merchant2/merchant.mv?Screen=PROD&Store_Code=K&Product_Code=LL3001-MBK http://www.konceptech.com/Merchant2/merchant.mv?Screen=PROD&... And a camping headlight. I consider these two things to be of the coolest things I own. They definitely show off proper LED application. For the camping headlight, which wasn't very cheap, I don't have to worry about disrupting the darkness too much. And the batteries will last forever. For the lamp, same thing. It is a wonderful feeling staying up till 5 in the morning with nothing but you, the lamp, and your work. Nothing but the desk and your work is illuminated, and it is illuminated very pleasantly, which is awesome. So, depending on the application, those negatives are strong positives. I can't imagine the LEDs being used as household lighting.