Lovely Lightbulbs

[Gavin Scott]

Tell me you didn't pay £30 odd quid? CPC prices are utterly shocking. Total ripoff.

I used to import these LED strips. They're all pretty good quality these days - even the cheap ones use decent Epstar 5050 diodes. I've mounted them all over the flat. Behind sofas, bookcases and my monitors (pictured) creating soft glowing colour. The place looks like the nightclub in Xanadu but I love it. After a couple of years I've lost a bit of effectiveness on the blue element of one of the strips, but you don't notice it.

Other members might want to browse onto Wish or Geek (apps in the iStore etc) for buying from China direct. Costs about a third of the price. Post arrives in a jiffy bag in about 10 days. Keep in mind that they do generate heat (despite the common understanding that LEDs don't) so you must keep an eye on where you mount them.

[bilky asko]

I'm not sure if I've mentioned it before, but I got some remote controlled GU10 LED colour changing bulbs a couple of years ago. I managed to break one of them by leaving it in colour-change mode (the heat killed it, I reckon - the lens on the bulb was cold, but the heat fins were bloody hot).

Speaking of LEDs, would you like an LED lamp that lasts 37 years?

[Gavin Scott]

You have to look at the cost benefit analysis of Dyson products though. In a domestic environment I would rather replace an item six times and still have saved money. You end up with incremental improvements in products over time. That said, if I were a wealthy man I'd buy the Dyson anyway.

I recommend using aluminium channel as a heatsink for LED strips if its a long term installation. There are tons of suppliers of it now.

https://www.led-lighthouse.co.uk/led-st ... um-profile

[bilky asko]

If the 37 years is accurate, that's £10.78 for every year you'd get out of it.

If I had £399 going spare I'd buy one tomorrow.

EDIT: A quick search reveals that they can be acquired quite a bit cheaper than that.

[Ebeneezer Scrooge]

Tell me you didn't pay £30 odd quid? CPC prices are utterly shocking. Total ripoff.

Not £30, but also not the £11 you found. There were in one of the sale catalogues and I think they were somewhere around £15-20 at that time.

[scottishtv]

I realise this thread has had a bit of a hiatus, but I'm looking for recommendations for good LED G4 bulbs. My under-cabinet kitchen lights use these.

I've just been sticking in Tesco 20w halogen capsules, which claim to give 374 lumens of 3000K warm white light for 2 years. The light is quite nice but they don't last very long and I've replaced two in the last couple of months.

I looked at LED replacements a couple of years ago but the ones I got were a cold white (despite claiming otherwise) and quite bulky - which isn't helpful with the neat lamp holders.

There's loads on Amazon and YouTube reviews but I don't know what to trust! Any guidance appreciated.

[Nick Harvey]

Don't know about your specific bulbs, but I use https://www.tlc-direct.co.uk/ for all my LED replacement bulbs and always get excellent service.

Might be worth a look on their website.

(And, no, I'm not on comission!)

[scottishtv]

Don't know about your specific bulbs, but I use https://www.tlc-direct.co.uk/ for all my LED replacement bulbs and always get excellent service.

Thanks! The G4s are the first three bulbs listed on this page. Very keen prices for the halogen capsules, so I will stick with these for now.

Turns out the LED versions of these bulbs still can't quite match the brightness I would like (my kitchen is quite dingy), and they can't quite get them small enough yet. This example also shows that they're still £££ compared to the halogens.

[Philip]

Unsure if you're a bot but the major retailers seem to have stopped selling CFLs now in favour of halogen and LED.

[Martin Phillp]

Unsure if you're a bot but the major retailers seem to have stopped selling CFLs now in favour of halogen and LED.

I think it's been like that for the last couple of years as I couldn't get CFL light bulbs from Wilko and ended up getting Philips LED bulbs from Amazon which have more than paid for themselves in electricity savings.

I still use CFL for the 2D fittings in the bathroom and toilet which are still easy to buy, but my landlord replaced the fluorescent tube fitting for a LED one in the kitchen last year.

[Sput]

I don’t have much to add on the subject of LEDs but what a brilliant name for a lighting shop