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Thread: (Genuinely) Long Life LED GU10?

  1. #1
    Master MakeColdplayHistory's Avatar
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    (Genuinely) Long Life LED GU10?

    We have some GU10 lighting in a very high ceiling. I'd rather not go up the ladder too often. I've seen some GU10s advertised as 'long life' but can't quite work out if that just means they last longer then the old halogens or if they're long life for LED.

    I don't mind paying a bit more. I don't mind sacrificing a bit of energy efficiency. Any recommendations?

    p.s. I know it's only February but can I self-nominate for boring topic of the year 2020?

  2. #2
    Master reggie747's Avatar
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    I think if you buy branded GU10 LED's maybe Phillips, you'd likely get a good or better life than off brand ones.

  3. #3
    Craftsman
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    I’ve always used LED Hut - no affiliation, just a happy customer with no issues - swapped all halogens about 6 years back and have only needed 1 new bulb in that time

  4. #4
    Master IAmATeaf's Avatar
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    We have Aurora led bulbs in the kitchen, been there for quite a few years and to date no issues.

  5. #5
    Master MakeColdplayHistory's Avatar
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    I should have mentioned I do buy branded (typically Phillips) ones although they don't claim any particular 'long life'. I just reckon they will have been consistently manufactured.

    edit: the ones that are blowing over the last few weeks are ones put in by the builders just over two years ago and are the ones that came with the light fittings
    Last edited by MakeColdplayHistory; 23rd February 2020 at 19:46.

  6. #6
    Craftsman
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    I bought some from amazon. Led versions that is and that was 2 years ago, they are still running strong while the halogen ones have all blown and been replaced when they expire. Wouldnt buy the halogen versions again.


    Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

  7. #7
    Master
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    A lot of the led bulbs claim to be long life or good for X amount of hours, in my view it's all marketing fluff.
    In practice I haven't seen a difference between brands, and I sell hundreds of led bulbs a week.

    The only thing I would say to watch is, if your lights dim then make sure you get appropriate dimmable bulbs as not all LEDs are.

    Sent from my VOG-L29 using Tapatalk

  8. #8
    I’ve been selling led lamps / lights for years from our electrical wholesale premises
    It’s a close call call on lamp life from all the manufacturers now tbh sometimes it’s pot luck
    A rep gave me 2 99p gu10 led lamps years ago and they were on 8 hours a day 6 days a week.
    Andy

  9. #9
    Master MakeColdplayHistory's Avatar
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    Thanks all.
    I guess I'll just stick with buying branded ones and grow some balls for next time I have to go up the ladder.
    I replaced all the difficult ones yesterday anyway so hopefully it will be a couple of years...

  10. #10
    Lifespan of LED lamps is pretty much determined by the temperature of the LED itself. Light output & expected lifetime both drop as they get hot.

    The problem with GU10 holders is that they aren't designed to keep an LED based bulb cool. Its an incandescent bulb fitting into which an LED has been retrofitted.

    The lifespan of the LED GU10 that you fit will be very dependent on the space available for convection cooling behind the fitting. This is very different to a bayonet fitted bulb in a roomy lampshade.

    Sadly it doesn't matter how efficiently the bulb can transfer heat to it's surroundings (and big brand product will be more conservatively designed) if the lamp housing simply traps that heat in.

    The only way to know how long they'll last is to try. If you find that LED GU10s aren't lasting, there are two things you can do:

    1/ Buy lower wattage, big brand GU10s. Less power means lower temperature. On paper the lower wattage light is dimmer, in reality if the higher wattage lamp is getting too hot, you may only be getting 80% of the claimed output anyway.

    2/ Remove the GU10 and fit a dedicated LED downlighter. These won't have the compromised cooling of the GU10, but ultimately will still need some space.

    If you have insulation covering the backs of the lamps poke a hole to allow some cooling.

  11. #11
    Master
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    One thing to watch for is colour temperature. We had 10 led downlighters in our kitchen and wrongly when I changed them I didnt note the Kelvin value. Took me ages to find a replacement for the odd one that fails. I currently use Screwfix and buy in boxes of 6 as they represent the best value and have good life.

  12. #12
    Journeyman
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    when i had part of my house rebuilt, we had downlighters fitted that had GU10's in (megaman). Over the course of 18 months, every single one failed. In another part of the house, I have LAP led's from screwfix fitted (very cheap), and in 8 years not one has failed.

  13. #13
    Master
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    Changed ours from 50w MR16s to 6w 4000ºK Aurora Enlites throughout the house, apart from a few which are Kobi 10w Premium (ceramic body) via MarcLed, who had to bring them in specifically for me.

  14. #14
    Master Skier's Avatar
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    I've replaced just about every bulb in the house (previously predominantly halogen) with LED. In all that time the only LED bulb failures have been those in the 3 bathroom lights that are all identical (2 bulb failures in around 3 years); all G9 type bulbs. I don't know if this is related to humidity or quality but nothing else has failed including around 12 Hue bulbs that I've had for almost a decade. I'm not certain what to recommend other than to say that 'Long Life' means nothing on a sales page without some provable MTBF data. Oh, and I've just put my hand on an LED light in the kitchen that's been on for over an hour and it's not even warm - LEDs (certainly that I have) just don't get hot.

  15. #15
    Master
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    Aurora seem to last for years we have 16 in our kitchen ceiling & been there for many years. Very heavy usage as well.
    Unlike the cheap auction site ones that did not.

  16. #16
    Craftsman
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    Have a mix of Aurora and Phillip's but keep them consistently matched per room for colour. No fails after 5 years and counting. Go with quality is my view.

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