May 3, 20242 yr A few years ago we converted our whole house to 220v GU10 downlights. I think there us about 50 in total. The contractor who installed the lights supplied them with 5w Voltex branded bulbs. Before the job was done some of these ether died completely or started flickering. Later I bought a whole bunch of these from Voltex. They are really cheap at around R15 each. About half I had to replace within the first 6 months. I replaced these with way more expensive bulb ls from Builders Warehouse, but these weren't any better. It is becoming a chore to replace the bulbs. I have 2 Osram LEDs that's been going strong for 14 years. I paid my early adoption tax for these, I think they were R150 back then, but were well worth it. Which bulbs GU10 do I buy that will last as long as they claim?
May 3, 20242 yr 51 minutes ago, TheoVogel said: A few years ago we converted our whole house to 220v GU10 downlights. I think there us about 50 in total. The contractor who installed the lights supplied them with 5w Voltex branded bulbs. Before the job was done some of these ether died completely or started flickering. Later I bought a whole bunch of these from Voltex. They are really cheap at around R15 each. About half I had to replace within the first 6 months. I replaced these with way more expensive bulb ls from Builders Warehouse, but these weren't any better. It is becoming a chore to replace the bulbs. I have 2 Osram LEDs that's been going strong for 14 years. I paid my early adoption tax for these, I think they were R150 back then, but were well worth it. Which bulbs GU10 do I buy that will last as long as they claim? Your experience about failing is in line with mine. Can never get more than 9mnths but it is tied to the hours they work. Those on during the whole night only last about 3 months. Different makes and styles. The Eskom free issue when they replaced filament with LED with brand Philips marked not for resell are also now in use for 14 yrs. Not a single one failed.
May 31, 20242 yr On 2024/05/03 at 6:28 PM, Scorp007 said: Your experience about failing is in line with mine. Can never get more than 9mnths but it is tied to the hours they work. Those on during the whole night only last about 3 months. Different makes and styles. The Eskom free issue when they replaced filament with LED with brand Philips marked not for resell are also now in use for 14 yrs. Not a single one failed. I also still have those Eskom replacement LED's they are the best.
May 31, 20242 yr On 2024/05/03 at 6:28 PM, Scorp007 said: LED with brand Philips marked not for resell are also now in use for 14 yrs. Not a single one failed. They will start failing after about 3000 hours of operation. I have replaced many of them, the cheap ones with multiple small LEDs last longer. Edited May 31, 20242 yr by P1000
May 31, 20242 yr On 2024/05/31 at 9:07 AM, P1000 said: They will start failing after about 3000 hours of operation. I have replaced many of them, the cheap ones with multiple small LEDs last longer. Interesting that the Philips Eskom issue only has 3 LEDs. The type with the many small LEDs were the worth in my case. 6 months at most. Edited June 14, 20242 yr by Scorp007 Typing error. Meant 3 LEDs not 2.
May 31, 20242 yr 17 minutes ago, Scorp007 said: Interesting that the Philips Eskom issue only has 2 LEDs IIRC, there were 4 different Eskom Philips bulbs, 2x of them MR16 (12V) and 2x GU10, both of which I remember having only a single LED. All of them that have failed (of both GU10 types) were because the LED chip cracked, some would flash as they heated up and lost connection. Off course, you also get garbage of the multi-led types, but at least the LED temperature is lower as it's spread over a larger area. With most of these cause of death is usually a failed capacitor. https://web.archive.org/web/20140907002122/http://www.karebostore.co.za/ Edited May 31, 20242 yr by P1000
June 9, 20242 yr I use the Aurora LED ICE range from livecopper everything else dies apart from the Philips 3w bulbs I use in the bedrooms (very hard to find nowadays)
June 13, 20242 yr Agree with Timbo, Enlite rebranded as Aurora a while back. The Enlite lamps were superb, I installed 160 in one retail outlet about 5 years ago and there wasn't a single failure to date. The power factor was superb, the dimming curve is silky smooth and very stable at all levels and the colour rendering is very good. They weren't cheap but overall good value and I'd highly recommend them as a brand.
May 9, 20251 yr That really sounds frustrating. You changed all your lights to 220v GU10 downlights and started with 5w Voltex bulbs, but many stopped working or started flickering right away. Even the more expensive bulbs you got later didn’t last much longer, and now it feels like you’re always changing them. The two Osram bulbs that have lasted 14 years show that some brands are just made better. To avoid this problem, try buying GU10 bulbs from well-known brands like Osram, Philips, or GE. Check the box for a warranty and make sure other people say good things about them. Paying more at the start can be worth it if the bulbs actually last.
May 9, 20251 yr I have never been able to buy LED downlights that last longer than 1 year yet the Eskom free issue 14 yrs ago are ALL still working fine. These were marked not for resale and the Philips brand. Then I have found some other type of China LED lamps that I use through the night generally last only up to 1 year. But if the same lamp is used for only an hour or 2 they do last years. My guess is it is related to the actual heat build up while on.
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