If you have seen my other blogs regarding GU10 & MR16 bulbs , you will know that I now favour LED replacements where possible. It's becoming something of an obsession.
I retain a few halogen bulbs in my kitchen where total brightness and light quality (i.e orange/yellow warmth) are important.
I noticed that the online retailer simplyLED were offering a 6watt(55watt equivalent) LED bulb.
I've purchased from simplyLED before and found their service very good, with a no quibble returns policy. I ordered one to try, which arrived the next day
The flash from the camera is being reflected back by the bulbs rear reflector, so looks like it's on !
As you can see this bulb is longer than a halogen, so suitable for open-backed fittings or where the bulb is only secured at the base. Other types of fittings may not have enough clearance.
In the picture above , the closest light is the 6watt LED , while the other lights are halogens. I would say the new bulb is brighter, hard to gauge from the picture but it's definitely brighter, when seen first-hand.
Again, hard to estimate, but the new bulb is brighter. I would also add that it's a slightly cooler colour, despite this being the "warm white" variant.
At �15 a go, these bulbs are not cheap. But these are the brightest GU10 replacements I have tried , irrespective of technology, so if total low energy, brightness and quality of light are your goal, definitely well worth trying.
They are still not quite warm enough in colour for my kitchen, so make everything look a lot whiter/more clinical, but this is personal taste and I know some people who favour a brighter/whiter light. I've kept the bulb in use away from the central group, and it works well.
I can also see that these bulbs would work well in a bathroom, where brightness might more important and colour less so.
postscript
One thing I did find was that the bulb I tried was causing some FM interference. I have an FM radio in my kitchen and I noticed that I was getting interference on BBC radio 4. It was coming from the GU10 lighting, as when I turned them off, the interference stopped. I'd not noticed this before and so replaced the new 6watt GU10, with an old halogen and the interference disappeared ? I don't think it could be from arcing at contacts, as the bulb would presumably flicker ? the lights and the radio probably share the same ring main in my house, so if this is a comon problem, it may not affect me if the radio is on a different circuit than the lights.
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