100w lamp.

[Johnny B Good]

september.org...

I noted the lumen and wattage equivalent figures with some interest. If you check out these figures on LED lamps for sale in places like Asda, Aldi, B&Q et al. The wattage reference is almost universally based on the American standard (60W 110v 810L 750 hour rated lamp) rather than the UK version (75W 240v 810L 1000 hour rated lamp).

Tungsten filament lamps are very voltage sensitive in terms of life rating and lumen output, hence the 240v reference - the *actual* supply voltage most of us enjoy, here in the UK rather than the notional 230v "Harmonisation Standard".

The difference in light output between those two 7W LEDs is simply due to the slightly greater loss due to the pearl coating. The clear envelope lamp has fairly good efficiency at 91L/W with the pearl version only ever so slightly down at 89L/W which is about 10% better than the typical 81L/W LED lamps being sold in the large retail stores.

I used the adjective "fairly good" because any day now we might at last see the promised 200 to 300L/W lamps appear on store shelves (it's been almost 2 years since both Philips and Cree promised that their 300L/W laboratory samples would finally be realised as saleable product some 18 to 24 months down the line).

Specialist suppliers like TLC are the most likely emporia where we'll get to see these new 200L+/Watt lamps. Understandably, they'll carry a significant price premium compared to the current crop of 80 to 90 L/W product which will no doubt be sold off at an even greater discount to get rid of obsolescent inventory.

My advice, if you're already using CFLs (and probably have a small stock of spares to boot), is to hang on for the even more efficient LED lamps for as long as you can. It can only be a matter of months now at this stage of the game so worth holding back on a whole house re-lamping upgrade.

The real benefit of these lower wattage higher output lamps isn't so much the savings on the electricity bill so much as the fact that you can use these newer lamps in fittings that were only suited to tungsten filament lamps due to indifferent ventilation that would cause a typical

12 to 14 watt 810L LED to overheat.

[ARW]

They the ones I have in my house.

[Martin Brown]

Aldi/Lidl often have the ES fitting LED lamps seriously discounted end of line as comparatively few people in the UK use them. The first mains LED lamp I ever got was an end of line deal at Aldi/Lidl.

(I can't recall which of them it was)

Both have some electrical bargains. They also have rather good low self discharge NiMH batteries in stock from time to time (as well as the boring normal ones that are always half capacity when you need them).

[Dave Plowman (News)]

Seems odd. Why would a discounter like Lidl even bother putting things which there is little demand for on their limited shelf space?

Pretty well any supermarket or shed I look at has a much wider range of ES than BC bulbs. Indeed, the BC side can be rather pathetic. But look at their wiring accessories - predominantly BC, with very likely no ES bulb holders on sale at all.

Basically, you have a bog standard BC pendant fitting. Would make sense to change the bulbholder to ES. Now try finding one...

[Chris J Dixon]

Perhaps their European management and supply chain think we use ES fittings as much as they do?

Chris

[Martin Brown]

European store, supply chain and lack of knowledge of local UK preference. I only need ES because we lived in Belgium for 5 years.

It has happened more than once...

Try Ikea - I think they have them ES on sale (again due to continental preferences).

[Dave Plowman (News)]

Well, if they don't sell, why continue to offer them?

Of course they understand the UK market. All their power tools come with

13 amp plugs. Why would bulbs be any different?

[whisky-dave]

Ah you mean betfred.... no crosses road, Ah the poundshop, no crosses road again, payday loan shop.... next corner, paddy power, ... fish/burger/kebab house..... pawn shop.... :)

[dennis]

Because the law requiring the stuff to come with a fitted 13A plug or fixed adapter doesn't cover bulbs.

[Martin Brown]

I expect eventually they will adjust the stocking ratios to match local sales ratios but for the moment make hay while the sun shines if you require lamps in the unpopular fittings and they have been remaindered.

Cheap enough to be under the radar I guess. Best ask Aldi/Lidl that one.

It remains the case that they regularly have SBC, SES and ES LED bulbs deep discounted to clear their racks of unsold goods.

[Dave Plowman (News)]

Lidl doesn't round here. Nor do they often have such lamps on offer. Of course when they do, they may have the odd one or two left over they sell as clearance. But no different from T Shirts or anything else.

[PeterC]

Some LED lamps - Phillips - in Lidl today. About 80lm/W at best - I was setting a min. of 100lm/W this time last year. Not getting any more until JBG's mythical 200lm/W fly into view and go "cheap".

BTW, ordered some 3W LEDs via Amazon, delivery 3 - 4 weeks, no sign of 'em after 4 weeks, e-mailed, lamps turned up a week later then, after another week, another dozen! The first lot hadn't shown up on tracking.

E-mailed the supplier and was told to keep them as it was too expensive to return them. Rtaher a lot of LEDs atm!

[Johnny B Good]

I'm beginning to think these 200Lm/W and better lamps are mythical too. However, if it's a myth, it's one that's been written by both Philips Lighting and Cree way back around February/March 2013. Since it's now only some 18 months since those announcements were made, it looks like we may have to 'wait with bated breath' for up to another 6 months. :-(

[bert]

LOL

[PeterC]

Yes - and the supply chain is getting rid of all its stock of ledcrap and the sheeple 'think' that hot, low output LEDs are the latest and greatest.

[Martin Brown]

Don't hold your breath.

If they ever do make it to market they will be premium priced.

Until then the only lamps in production with an efficacy in excess of

200Lm/W are near monochromatic yellow low pressure sodium vapour lamps.

LED 200Lm/W is perfectly doable in a lab on an infinite heatsink if you don't include the losses in the power supply. In the real world however anything better than 50Lm/W is a win over the dreadful old CFLs.

[Chris French]

I suspect that getting them (200lm/W LED lamps) to market at a suitable price is the challenge, as well as any technical issues that have popped up.

I'm really not that bothered about what might be coming in terms of purchasing, if I buy a new bulb it's cos I need it now. for most situations, if I'm considering an LED it's worth getting what is there now over what might there in the future

[Tough Guy no. 1265]

I take great satisfaction in returning them several times under warranty.

[Tough Guy no. 1265]

Ok, you need Ebay to get 100w equivalent LED bulbs, but CFLs have been available up to 120W equivalent in supermarkets since they came out.

[Tough Guy no. 1265]

Buy an LED "nightlight" from Ebay. I got a 2 watt one (20W equivalent presumably).