PJay Posted March 9, 2011 Share Posted March 9, 2011 Any one know if LED lights are brighter for reading , please. Can we just change bud , or do we need a new fitting? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Keith T Posted March 9, 2011 Share Posted March 9, 2011 This is only a personal,view,but I don't find LED that good for reading unless they are virutallyon your shoulder!!! The advantage is of course they use much less power, and do not generate the heat of Halogen bulbs. We also find they do not last that long,and even though we replcaed the two we have in our cab with better and more updated ones, already some of the LEDs have given up the ghost! It depends on what type of fittings you have, but there are quite a few replacement ones for exisiting lights. We got ours from CAK Tanks, at one of the shows, and if you have a look at their website www.caktanks.co.uk you may find what you are looking for. If not give them a clal, they are very helpful. Hope this helps. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mike B. Posted March 9, 2011 Share Posted March 9, 2011 Keith T - 2011-03-09 3:26 PM This is only a personal,view,but I don't find LED that good for reading unless they are virutallyon your shoulder!!! The advantage is of course they use much less power, and do not generate the heat of Halogen bulbs. We also find they do not last that long,and even though we replcaed the two we have in our cab with better and more updated ones, already some of the LEDs have given up the ghost! It depends on what type of fittings you have, but there are quite a few replacement ones for exisiting lights. We got ours from CAK Tanks, at one of the shows, and if you have a look at their website www.caktanks.co.uk you may find what you are looking for. If not give them a clal, they are very helpful. Hope this helps. That's interesting Keith-I was thinking of changing mine but I thought they were brighter than existing ones. I have seen the replacement ones at shows and thought they appeared expensive-if you feel they burn out quicker does this mean they are even more expensive or does it work out about the same? I was going to study them at Peterborough and compare the prices-will be interested to see the responses on this thread Mike Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest 1footinthegrave Posted March 9, 2011 Share Posted March 9, 2011 Early ones were garbage ( do you want some ), new smd types are a different ball game and we find the warm white ones excellent, but try to go up in quoted light output from your halogen units we have been able to do that, as a result reading is much improved from the smaller halogen bulbs, putting in a 20 watt halogen in a fitting designed for a 10 watt is not really an option due to heat build up which could damage the fitting, but a 25 watt equivalent SMD is not an issue. We can now ( if we wish ) have ALL of our lights on ( we have ten in total ) for only about the same current draw of one 20 watt halogen. They do need to be "voltage safe " units though, if they are not maybe that's why the previous posters units are failing as 12 volt units need a regulated power supply ( or driver I believe it's called ), voltage safe units do not. We had this problem with some purchased from Ultraleds that soon started to fail ( told us it was our fault ) Check out this site, lots of useful info there as well. http://www.bedazzled.uk.com/12v_LED_Bulb_Replacement.htm Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Corky 8 Posted March 9, 2011 Share Posted March 9, 2011 If your a wild camper, Led ,s will save you some battery power, I bought 8 from e bay (from Hong Kong ) they fitted ok (two pin) worked fine, cheap as well, unfortunately after a journey of only 60 mile ,I found three had broken off at the pins I think due to vibration ??? and by the time we had reached our destination all the remainder had broken in the same manner, UK bought ones my be better ? gone back to UK bought halogen bulbs Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest 1footinthegrave Posted March 9, 2011 Share Posted March 9, 2011 Been there done it, tempting though aint it 99p including postage from HK off Ebay, a bit like my wide angle lens for my Lumix camera, that went straight in the bin. Like I said ones bought from the site above are brilliant, literally, and as we rarely go on hook up they have been a boon. Mind you the initial cost took some swallowing, the alternative for us was an additional leisure battery, but then there was the issue of how far we would drive to recharge them. They are coming on leaps and bounds with the technology, my guess is they will replace all conventional lighting in the next few years. That will save "Dave" having to order some new power stations maybe. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Paul- Posted March 9, 2011 Share Posted March 9, 2011 The early bead type had a lot of problems, they were 12 volt leds disigned to be used on 12 volt systems (transformer type systems) motorhomes & caravans work at 13. 8 volts when on hook up, possibly more with some charge controllers on solar systems or generators If you want leads get the smd leds & buy from a good supplier they should be designed to work from 11 to 30 volts approx Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sshortcircuit Posted March 9, 2011 Share Posted March 9, 2011 Well, 2 years on my 99p Led's from HK are still going strong and provide more than enough light to read with at considerably reduced power consumption. It would be interesting to find out where the expensive Led's are manufactured, HK maybe? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Basil Posted March 9, 2011 Share Posted March 9, 2011 Replaced all our spotlight bulbs (6) with LED's from Aten Lighting see http://www.atenlighting.co.uk/home.php?cat= bought from Peterboro show three years back. We got the 'white' light ones that many find too white but they are far superior in light output and use less power with them all on than one of the old ones. When we are reading we prefer the white to the warm white yellowy tinge ones that we feel are 'snuggle up for the night' ones. Bas Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
747 Posted March 9, 2011 Share Posted March 9, 2011 sshortcircuit - 2011-03-09 7:57 PM Well, 2 years on my 99p Led's from HK are still going strong and provide more than enough light to read with at considerably reduced power consumption. It would be interesting to find out where the expensive Led's are manufactured, HK maybe? Well they will undoubtedly have all been made in the far East (the Mecca for counterfeit goods) Some will have been made in a modern factory with quality control procedures and some in back alley sweatshops. You can work out which is which. I could have bought all kinds of stuff from the markets in China and HK when I was out there, all of it fake. There is always someone who comes up with this silly argument and that is why I never get involved in LED threads (except to make the OP aware that not all advice is good advice) Rant over. ps Buy a Lottery ticket as you seem the lucky sort. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest 1footinthegrave Posted March 10, 2011 Share Posted March 10, 2011 It's a learning curve, one poster infers maybe all LEDs are made in China, just as most consumer goods these days, almost certainly they are, none the less as the previous poster points out some is just complete junk, maybe he got lucky with his 99p ones, I and many others ( see other forums ) do / did not. Units bought from a UK retailer will be China produced almost certainly, but perhaps they have more insight into their supply chain though and quality control. This applies to all goods that come out of China, some of it is excellent with leading edge manufacturers there, and some is just landfill before you even buy it. Like I said 99p Ebay, in the bin not long after, been there done it, but you pay's your money you may get lucky............... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sshortcircuit Posted March 10, 2011 Share Posted March 10, 2011 Can't understand how asking a question is a "silly argument" but then that again is another point of view. Back to the OP, in my experience they are brighter and I have no problem with reading. No need to change fitting. Where you buy them is up to yourself and as you can see different views with different outcomes. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest 1footinthegrave Posted March 10, 2011 Share Posted March 10, 2011 sshortcircuit - 2011-03-10 7:45 AM Can't understand how asking a question is a "silly argument" but then that again is another point of view. Back to the OP, in my experience they are brighter and I have no problem with reading. No need to change fitting. Where you buy them is up to yourself and as you can see different views with different outcomes. Although the OP did not ask where to buy, if forum posters have purchased a good product it follows they may want to point them in the right direction perhaps. As a footnote, the issue you raised as far as the supply chain is concerned is that through the wonders of the internet I've discovered that some of this technology is manufactured in the USA but no doubt with a pretty hefty price tag, you learn something new everyday. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sshortcircuit Posted March 10, 2011 Share Posted March 10, 2011 Very interesting 1 ft. Here I go digressing from the OP, but I fly radio control models. I am able to purchase a receiver that does exactly the same job as the manufacturer unit at about a third of the price. It is sold not as a copy but a unit developed to do the same and I have really been impressed by its performance. Many items used in the models come out of the same factory and are simply re-branded with different prices attached. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lennyhb Posted March 10, 2011 Share Posted March 10, 2011 We have changed all our bulbs to LED's the G4's were UK sourced & the MR11's cheap ones from Hong Kong all perform well. Make sure you get the SMD type with 12-15 SMD chips you will find them brighter than the halogens you are replacing, also with warm white the light colour is very similar to the halogen bulbs you are replacing. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest 1footinthegrave Posted March 10, 2011 Share Posted March 10, 2011 sshortcircuit - 2011-03-10 9:21 AM Very interesting 1 ft. Here I go digressing from the OP, but I fly radio control models. I am able to purchase a receiver that does exactly the same job as the manufacturer unit at about a third of the price. It is sold not as a copy but a unit developed to do the same and I have really been impressed by its performance. Many items used in the models come out of the same factory and are simply re-branded with different prices attached. yes that of course is true, a "cheap" branded tv I once owned was I later discovered when I took the back off an an attempt at repair, full of Hitachi components, probably was exactly that, an Hitachi. Many companies adopt this marketing strategy. I too have purchased "budget" items and brands that sometimes are as good or even better than a premium brand. My first gut reaction is to save money every time, but sometimes the old saying rings true " you get what you pay for" not always I grant you, but sometimes none the less. On the Motor home front Fiat quoted £300 for a back box for my "bus" managed to source one that appears just as good for a third of that price, whether it is still on the van six years down the line of course is open to question, but my guess is it will be, I'll let you know. ;-) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
StewartJ Posted March 10, 2011 Share Posted March 10, 2011 Recently purchased additional spots identical to those fitted to my autotrail also some spare LED lamps, well impressed with both prices (spots less than half the price quoted from dealer and other well known internet component supplier) Awesome delivery at 36 hours and reasonable P & P http://www.scscomponents.co.uk/ Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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