G9 LED bulbs

[Huge]

Are the LED replacements for (40W) G9 halogens any good?

[Capitol]

Don't know, but I'll watch with interest.

Recently bought:-

Reputedly 6W, but I found them equivalent to Poundland ones of 3w. This suited me as I wanted them to replace dead nightlight bulbs with the E12 base and I needed both 110V and 240V units and these do both.

IME filament nightlight bulbs last less than a month at 240V, 110V ones are better.

The delivery was fast, the packaging was crap, but nothing broke.

[ARW]

I will be polite and just say that "they are poor at the best of times".

Need I say any more?

[Brian Gaff]

This does not reflect well on the technology. the pun was intended.

People tell me that so many led products these days seem to have drawbacks over other technologies. Sure they use less for the light they emit, but limited lit area, overheating, very electrically noisy power supplies and sudden failure do seem to be often reported by those who use them to me. Luckily I seldom need light these days, but thewhole thing doessound a bit hit and miss to me. Brian

[Huge]

No, that's fine. Thank you.

[Orders some real halogen ones.]

[Huge]

[25 lines snipped]

Yep. That's what prompted my question.

[Dave Plowman (News)]

They do seem to be getting better. Bought a warm white 60w LED equivalent for a table light the other day in Asda - it was an ES fitting so didn't have a tungsten spare to hand, and wanted it quickly. Was surprised to find it looks pretty well the same - and dims with the ordinary dimmer too. Not cheap, though.

[Mike Tomlinson]

En el artículo , Huge escribió:

I got some of the G4 (bi-pin 12V lamp) LED replacements. eBay

311007451887.

Clever packaging, but the light quality is vomitous.

A local pub which was gas-lit for many years until recently when elfin safety nixed that, installed G4s in the original fittings which looked great.

Recently, they've started using the LED replacements which look awful. The light is too bright and the beam angles too sharp to suit the fittings, whereas the warm glow of incandescents worked much better.

Still looking.

[Huge]

Eye fang kew.

I shall stock up on some real halogens.

[PeterC]

Couple of months ag the landlord of the pub asked me about LEDs for the bar. ATM he has about 44x28W halogen G9s and they die quite frequently (but are cheap). I put a 3W G9, about 250 lm, in one of the holders and it's as good as the halogen[1] and a better colour.

[1] the lamps are in orange spheres (don't ask) and at a guess the lower colour temperature of the LED causes a higher proportion of the light to get through - the 'cooler' part of the halogen might be stopped to some extent. Anyway, 44x a diff. of 25W for at least 80 hours a week...

[alan_m]

The problem is often using them in inappropriate existing fittings where a lack of ventilation and/or lack of heat-sinking causes them to get hot. LEDs don't particularity like heat. In my opinion, the very small ceiling spotlight fittings are not the ideal environment for LED replacement bulbs.

I have most of my house fitted with LED but all are in fittings with free air movement and or I have replaced the light fitting with something such as a ceiling mounted panel which is designed for purpose.

I experimented in the early days with mini spot bulbs and they did prove to be short lived and unreliable but the LED lights I have now are in a different class with regards reliability, however I have stopped buying direct from China.

Many of the LED bulbs have nothing more than a resistor and capacitor in the supply to limit the current. The LEDs themselves are often arrays of LEDS and require maybe 30V to 90V across them to work and multiple arrays could be wired in series. Panels do come with switched mode supplies.

[ARW]

A few months ago there was a post "G9 LED lamps".

Andrew Gabriel relied to that one with

"The G9 lamp format is simply too small for LEDs other than very low power - there isn't enough surface area to dissipate much power and remain within the working temperature of an LED. What's even worse is G9 fittings usually restrict ventilation because the G9 halogens have to run hotter than they do in free air to achieve full life. I haven't looked for G9 LEDs, but I doubt anything more than 2W would last long. If the G9 fitting has some ventilation restriction which can be removed without reducing safety, then you should do that when retro-fitting LEDs.

Steer clear of G9 fittings when buying lights - they're a technology dead-end. "

at the same time as I replied that I would stick with the halogen version.

[Huge]

These fittings are well ventilated.

That's a pity. Just bought 4.

Which is what I'm doing.