G9 LED bulbs... they're all dim! What gives??

[dmcelroy23]

Hi there! I just got my first two lamps that use G9 LED bulbs.

Very frustratingly, it's almost impossible to find bulbs within my criteria, which I really didn't expect to be the case.

I am looking specifically for 2700K warm white (i.e. very warm) and more than 5W. All I can seem to find are 5W and below... and even 5W is a stretch!

The weird thing is that my lamps say they'll take max 20W LEDs... so I'm just confused why I can't find like 7W or 8W.

Anyone have any wisdom on this issue??

 

[brianmoooore]

Trouble with a G9 is that it's a very small lamp envelope. Ideal for a halogen lamp, but there isn't much space inside for LED chips. With current technology, it seems about 5W is as high as you can go., and keep anywhere near the G9 size.
The fitting's instructions could mean 20W equivalent.

 

[Avo Mk8]

As above. There are a few 6W available, and if you sacrifice 2700k for 3000k, even more 7W
How about: ALASON 7W LED G9 Capsule Light Bulb Warm White 2700K, 85-265V, 360 Degrees, 65W Halogen G9 Bulbs Replacement, Energy Saving G9 Lamp, No Strobe, Flicker Free, 4-Pack : Amazon.co.uk: Lighting - https://www.amazon.co.uk/ALASON-Capsule-85-265V-Degrees-Replacement/dp/B08MYLWFBF/ref=sr_1_5

 

[littlespark]

Higher wattage doesn’t always mean brighter with LED.
Packets now have a lumen number for brightness

 

[Avo Mk8]

Higher wattage doesn’t always mean brighter with LED.
Packets now have a lumen number for brightness

Indeed. But there can be something of a correlation, e.g. 700 lumens in the above link, whereas around 450 lumens for 5W. Unfortunately no mention in the post about the lumen figure that is not bright enough.

I think lumen output for a given power may also be related to colour temperature, where the warm 2700k end of the spectrum is less efficient than the 5-6000k (maybe only to the tune of around 5%), which could be one contributory factor to why they're not bright enough.
Looking for high CRI also affects efficiency. I've seen figures suggesting a 4000k 90CRI bulb emits about 25% less light than the equivalent 70CRI bulb.
Also interesting that some higher brightness G9 bulbs that have been on the market are now consistently "out of stock".
Maybe design fail/ reliability, or chip shortages? Who knows?

I agree with the point above that the compact nature of these bulbs must make it difficult to get high light output from an LED implementation.