Time To Switch To LED - Couple Of Questions

[EViS]

I'm fairly new to the LED world and want to begin by replacing all of my own GU10 halogens for LED's before recommending them onto any customers.

I've had a good search of the forums but still have a couple of questions which hopefully some of your can answer.

1. Should I be going for a standard LED GU10 or an SMD (5050) LED bulb?
2. Wattage doesn't seem to be an accurate comparison between halogen and LED. So what l/m should I be looking at for the equivalent 20, 30 and 50 watt halogen?

 

[LlandrilloSpark]

I use SMD 5050 GU10 SERIES 2 5wattfrom NEXTGEN, 430 Lumens per lamp on warm white, absolutley brilliant, equiv to about 45watt halogen

I lit a barn conversion with a 4.5m pitched ceiling with them and the owner was well chuffed, just did a whole bungalow with them and put 19 in an extention before xmas.

The latest room I did was 9metres by 5metres, I put 4 rows of 4 in,housed in fire rated sylvania fittings, each row could be dimmed so there were a lot of combinations for the lighting, customer is very very pleased and im going back on the 7th to start changing the rest of the house

 

[Danspark]

I've just replaced my own 50w GU10 lamps in the kitchen for Philips master 6w. There is no noticeable difference. Philips suggest they will work for 40,000 hrs (if memory serves me right) and give a 5 year guarantee. I guess this is because this is the predicted life span if they were on continuously. £14.50 plus the vat. They dim well well but only in banks of 8 using the recommended dimmer mod'

 

[Robert Turnbull]

What's the difference between SMD 5050 and GU10 replacement?
What I've gathered 4-5w is usually like a 35w gu10 and 6-7w like a 50w

 

[telectrix]

about right. generally, the LEDs with 3/4 spotlight type LEDs are narrow beam, the smd are a wide beam. rate ther light output by the lumens. most 5 watt are around 280lum, equal to about 35watt halogen,

 

[EViS]

Thanks guys, however I'm still none the wiser as to whether I should be looking at SMD or 'spotlight' LED bulbs. What's the most popular type to fit these days and most reliable (if there is a difference)?

 

[kingeri]

I was in the pound shop the other day and they are flogging GU10 LEDs in there, 0.5w, 9 LEDs. Bought one for the laugh, my God they're awful!