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[sevenlayermuddle]

I am famously a critic/cynic of low energy fluorescent light bulbs, and took the precaution a few years ago of buying what seemed like a lifetime supply of incandescent bulbs, in the face of impending Euro bans.  I am pleased to say that tactic succeeded, I have not ever had a single CFL bulb in my home, and the increased power consumption has kept my winter heating gas bills down 

But my lifetime supply of 'proper bulbs' is now somewhat depleted, certainly as regards the candles used in the wall lights, so I was wondering whether any other forum members had experience, good or bad, with LED replacement bulbs?

I have tried several of these.. (the 3W versions)
http://www.clasohlson.com/uk/LED-Candle-Bulb/Pr182289000
... I am highly impressed, the light output bears up to a 25W incandescent, switch on is instantaneous, no flicker, and the colour is not unpleasant.

I have also tried just one of these...

http://www.johnlewis.com/231353765/Product.aspx
... The colour is OK and no flicker but, despite consuming nearly twice as much (nominal) power as the Clas Ohlsen bulb, and costing 50% more, the light output is markedly inferior to the claimed equivalent of 25W.  Also, there is a fraction of a second hesitation at switch on before the bulb lights up, which is disconcerting when mixed with other bulbs in the same room that switch on instantly.

So I am minded to make a trip into town, and stock up on enough Clas Ohlson bulbs to furnish all of the wall lights around the house. 

Unless anybody else can persuade me of other alternatives...?   

Thanks for any input,

7LM

[HPsauce]

Interesting, I hadn't realised LED has reached the point of being that cost-effective to replace room lighting, though it had to come.
I hugely dislike CF bulbs and am hoping to get rid of them as fast as possible in my house, though they're mainly only used in "background" locations such as hallways. Mostly as old bulbs die and my stock is exhausted I use mini-halogen types which are either "enclosed" in an envelope on a standard fitting or G9 type plugged into a small bayonet adapter http://www.lightbulbs-direct.com/category/465/g9-adaptors/ .

I have just one LED in "domestic" use and that's a smallish (10W I think) outside floodlight over our back door - it's very effective, but like one you refer to has a very brief delay before "igniting".

On the other hand I do have quite a lot of LED's in both my cars - interior/courtesy lights mostly. Since I started using them to replace dim yellow 12V bulbs the technology has moved on a lot and the newer SMD types are very bright and very white.

[asbokid]

The sale of incandescents is only "banned' for domestic use. According to Rothermere's Rag, their sale for use in factories is still permitted 

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2193792/Old-fashioned-lightbulbs-banned-EU-directive-sold-traders-loophole-allowing-renamed.html

"May I have a traditional 100w bayonet cap bulb for industrial use only, please"   

Not sure what Euro-law says on their importation ("for industrial use only") 

Though maybe not cost-effective except perhaps purchased in bulk  ("for industrial use only") 

cheers, a

[HPsauce]

I have a 10-pack of "industrial use" 100W light bulbs bought very recently. 

[sevenlayermuddle]

 . In my innocence I wasn't aware of the 'industrial use' option.

But TBH the trouble with candle bulbs is life expectancy is just too darned short.  We have four fittings in the lounge, two bulbs in each.  And 11 more candle bulbs scattered elsewhere.  And each time one blows of course, the circuit trips - Ah, such is the march of progress.

Therefor, whilst saving the planet may be a worthy goal, and saving my money moreso, LEDs simply being less bother has the greatest appeal of all.

[tickmike]

I still have a good stock of incandescent Lamps  but you can still get them if you look around, last week in B&Q Derby they have 100's selling off and some customers where treating them as they where made of steel how they where just tossing them about, then ask why they did not work   .
We do have some CFL about the house and I have just changed one tonight that had blown.

[UncleUB]

£12 for a light bulb........

Can't see many getting sold in Yorkshire 

[HPsauce]

£12 for a light bulb........

My pack of 10 100W "industrial" bulbs cost just over £5 including delivery. 

[UncleUB]

£12 for a light bulb........

My pack of 10 100W "industrial" bulbs cost just over £5 including delivery. 

Daylight robbery 

[tickmike]

My pack of 10 100W "industrial" bulbs cost just over £5 including delivery. 

If they are proper industrial grade type then they are better and last longer, still available from electrical distributors.

[sheddyian]

My local Sainsburys has had a small selection of Philips LED bulbs, priced around £12, for a while.  Very annoyingly, they had some in the "reduced to clear" section, the shelf pricing indicating they were down to £1! But they'd all gone when I saw them.

I've got an LED candle lamp in a bedside light, I deliberately wanted something not too dazzling.

All that said, in my shed I've got a 12v car battery charged by one of those cheap Maplin car battery top up solar panel things, and I've an old 3 bulb halogen fitting in there.  I've put 3 LED halogen replacements in there that I got cheap from Lidl a few years ago, and it's very bright indeed. 

Ian

[sevenlayermuddle]

I calculate that these bulbs (the £8 ones) will pay for themselves quite quickly.

The saving vs incandescent equivalent is about 22W.  As a very rough rule of thumb, each watt equates to maybe a pound a year.  If left on 24/7, each £8 LED would save me £20 odd per year.  The bulbs aren't on 24/7 of course, but our lounge is very shaded and I often have the lights on even in broad daylight.  I therefore estimate not much over a year til payback, which isn't bad.

The same equations can be done for CFLs of course, but I loathe them so much that I simply refuse to have them... no matter what the financial incentive.

[HPsauce]

The same equations can be done for CFLs of course

Yes but there are 2 big flaws:
1. The savings are much less as the power reduction isn't anything like as great with CFL's.
2. After a VERY short time they start to become useless.

I've done my own calculations based on realistic "useable" CFL life and they are a TOTAL waste of time and effort and money. 

[silversurfer44]

I'm trying to get my head round the size of these so called LED light bulbs. Are we talking Light Emitting Diodes? Or does it mean something else?
I have a light unit on my desk which really is LED (Light Emitting Diode) 18 of them in this unit actually. Selectable between 3 on 12 or 18 of them on. Powered from a USB port with battery backup. Bright enough to light up the work area but not the whole room.
Hence my dilemma about the LED's that this thread is about, and what the LED light bulbs are that are for sale.!

[sevenlayermuddle]

I'm trying to get my head round the size of these so called LED light bulbs. Are we talking Light Emitting Diodes? Or does it mean something else?
I have a light unit on my desk which really is LED (Light Emitting Diode) 18 of them in this unit actually. Selectable between 3 on 12 or 18 of them on. Powered from a USB port with battery backup. Bright enough to light up the work area but not the whole room.
Hence my dilemma about the LED's that this thread is about, and what the LED light bulbs are that are for sale.!

The ones I am using are very similar, but the cluster of LEDs is bundled into a glass envelope that matches the dimensions of a traditional light bulb, which also contains the electronics to power them from normal AC mains.  Hence, just a plug in replacement for old bulbs.

So far, they are only available as replacement for the lower wattage 25w incandescsents, but I feel sure more powerful ones must be on the way.

Drawbacks seem to be...

1) Some makers, like CFLs make exagerated claims about light output.

2) Not all are dimmable, tough the technology is intrinsically capable of dimming so dimmable ones can be found.

3) The main problem I see with life expectancy is that LEDs, I understand, exhibit a cliff-edge shaped curve degradation of light output after elapse of time.  I have yet to see whether the makers claims of life expectancy stand up to real-world usage.