LED Lighting

[Valve Bounce]

Good idea.
While prices are dropping steadily, the big names (OSRAM, Philips, Toshiba etc...) are still rather expensive, especially if you need several of them.
For the first LED lamp that I bought I went with IKEA, they are well priced and for now all of them worked OK. The tech specs, especially amount of light delivered, are not the same but close and the price is also under the 50% mark.
Bottom line, when you think you want to change try an Ikea LED and see how you like it, knowing that it is not the top performer, and if you don't like it you are free to bring it back withing the first 30 days after purchase.

Hey Buddy!! I have lost a lot of faith in IKEA in Australia. I used to buy a helluva lot of stuff from IKEA, but recently, they have been exposed as cheats in Australia. They charge around 60% to 80% more for goods in Australia than in other countries. Furniture made in Indonesia were around 80% more expensive here than the US or Europe.

I tend to buy a lot of my goods from Costco, because I can return the items anytime, yep! [b]ANYTIME[b] and get a full refund. 8 months ago, I returned my STRONG DTV recorder which I bought 2 years ago, because the HDD was playing up when advised to do so by a Costco salesman, and I got a full refund. I can go on about my laptop which I returned after 2 weeks and bought an ultrabook instead.

So I will price these LED lamps at either Bunnings Hardware or Costco. My wife still wants me to go to IKEA to check out cushion covers, so I will obey!.

[ioan]

Well that is truly bad form by IKEA.
And I was almost sure that everything is more expensive in Europe then everywhere else in the world, looks like I was wrong!
Must say you've got some great return policies over there. here it is 30 days at max, in most cases only 15 days after purchase date.

[SGWilko]

They've got better and cheaper nowadays.
As far as I can say LED's are great for where you need less diffuse light, as the lighting angles are rather small (mostly under 45 degrees).

I see a lot of traffic lights have been upgraded with LED lighting. You can tell LED is in use as when the lights flash amber, they are instant on, instant off. Quite a few vehicle manufacturers have then also now for stop/indicator lamps. Very bright indeed.

[Mark]

Yes but they are a bit disconcerting, just how fast they switch on and off, especially with indicators.

[SGWilko]

Yes but they are a bit disconcerting, just how fast they switch on and off, especially with indicators.

I think they are more effective, because they stand out so much more than normal fillament type lighting. Mind you, your average BMW driver doesn't bother indicating so it defeats the object!!!

[Jag_Warrior]

Something that I find to be rather strange: I replaced a standard bulb in a flashlight ("torch", for you Brits ) with an LED bulb and I was amazed at how bright it became. It really made all the difference in the world. But when I mounted an LED light fixture under a cabinet, heck, I can barely tell when it's even on.

[Mark]

Because your torch light was just very dim in the first place. It had to be otherwise it would drain the battery too fast and create too much heat. Whereas LEDs are far more efficient, small and emit less heat; making them ideal for the likes of torches, bicycle lights etc.

Whereas where mains power is available they don't complete with CFTs yet.

[Jag_Warrior]

Probably true. Everything is relative, I guess. But it is amazing how incredibly bright even a small LED flashlight is compared to a much larger light with just a standard bulb.

[NinjaMaster]

I bought a new house that had 50w halogen lights all through the kitchen/living room are adding up to a total of 750w if all turned on together. I found some 8w LED lights in a MR16 direct replacement configuration and found the light difference to be negligible. Now if they're all fired up I draw a meagre 120w. Also, they're dimmable and have a two year warranty which is good as I always found halogens to blow regularly so the extra cost should be paid for in reduced replacement of lamps alone.

[Mark]

One thing is true in that eventually all lighting will be done by LED, they have a lot of advantages over standard bulbs.