LED Downlights as Halogen replacements

[kane]

Hey All

Has anyone recently brought in LED downlights and would recommend the ones they've got?

Over the years I've tried various types, and overall, haven't been terribly impressed - especially when doing a "one for one" replacement with my existing halogen downlights (35W Osram IRC globes - approx equivalent to a 50w normal halogen).

Before I jump in and order some more random products, I thought I'd see if anyone has had any good experiences and use that as a starting point!

Cheers
Kane

ps - gotta start thinking about christmas lights again - seems I'm starting later each year!!

 

[ChristmasInKaralee]

You really need to change the power supply as well as the old halogen ones may not be comparable with LED. The issue with most of them are that the power supply can handle at least 50w and when you change to a 12W LED it's not providing enough load on the power supply, this can then cause flickering of the LED light and also wastes excessive energy on the power supply.


Don't do it on the cheap, change the Light (fixture as well) and the power supplies, most are just plugged into 240v and can just be pulled through the light fitting hole and unplugged.

 

[mborg10]

I did order some of these to try with other pixel lights.
http://m.aliexpress.com/item/545847680.html?tracelog=storedetail2mobilesitedetail
I'm going to give them a go in my pergola. The only thing I don't like is the hole is larger than standard halogen downlight.
And I'm not sure about Australian certification.
When I get them (hopefully soon) I'll let you know

 

[David_AVD]

I've started converting my house to LED lamps so started a page about it. More to add when I get time.

 

[DrNeutron]

I replaced all of my 50w Halogen lights (both in kitchen and living room) with 9w LED and I have to say they are not near as bright. I have since ordered 15w LED (dimmable) and plan on using a dimmer in the living room. It makes sense to have a brighter capability and adjust as needed. I have not received the 15W bulbs yet, but will report back when I do (should be a week or 2).
The only other thing I would comment on is whether or not to go with a cob style bulb. I kind of regret not getting the cob style bulb as it would prevent seeing the individual LED's of the bulb (slight increase in cost). The only reason I did not get the cob style was due to getting the regular style for 50% off.
If you are looking to get the brightness of a 50w halogen I would say 12w or 15w would be equivalent.

 

[kane]

You really need to change the power supply as well as the old halogen ones may not be comparable with LED. The issue with most of them are that the power supply can handle at least 50w and when you change to a 12W LED it's not providing enough load on the power supply, this can then cause flickering of the LED light and also wastes excessive energy on the power supply.


Don't do it on the cheap, change the Light (fixture as well) and the power supplies, most are just plugged into 240v and can just be pulled through the light fitting hole and unplugged.

Yeah, the few that I have replaced (4 in the kitchen) I replaced the transformer as well. I even had the suppliers pre-wire Aussie 240v plugs to the ones I ordered to make things nice and easy.

 

[battle79]

We've done all the load testing at work (electrician), including transformer/electronics losses, to decide what to offer customers and if you have halogen downlights the best bet is to buy the complete LED fittings with a big heat sink & plug top built in.

Only takes couple minutes to swap out existing fitting and is much more efficient. You have power wasted in the old transformer that is just unnecessary.

Also you can get 15W or more in this style which is closer to a match in light output, whereas replacements top out at 9-10W usually.

Commercially:- led replacement tubes for T8 & T5 fittings are now cheap enough to give buybacks of anywhere from 2-4 years now. Starting to get customers going down that path.

Regards,
Rowan

 

[kane]

Any suggestions on local brands Rowan? Or otherwise does anyone have any good picks on aliexpress?

Seems 12-15w will be the go

Another issue I have is that the cutouts for my existing fittings are only about 65mm, so would prefer to not have to cut them all out bigger.. But may be necessary.