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https://www.askthetrades.co.uk/cgi-bin/yabb/YaBB.pl DIY Forum >> Electrical Questions >> WTD: Good price on megaman GU10 CFL bulbs https://www.askthetrades.co.uk/cgi-bin/yabb/YaBB.pl?num=1230058033 Message started by CWatters on Dec 23^rd, 2008, 6:47pm

Title: WTD: Good price on megaman GU10 CFL bulbs
Post by CWatters on Dec 23^rd, 2008, 6:47pm

Anyone found good prices on Megaman 9W GU10 CFL bulbs? Best price I've seen so far is about �7.65 inc VAT and delivery.

Generally they seem to be twice the price of unbranded equivalents but claim twice the life. Worth it or not?

Title: Re: WTD: Good price on megaman GU10 CFL bulbs
Post by cosbycarl on Dec 23^rd, 2008, 8:48pm

thats wat wilts do em for down my area, maybe somewhere on the internet will do em cheaper perhaps?

Title: Re: WTD: Good price on megaman GU10 CFL bulbs
Post by CWatters on Dec 23^rd, 2008, 11:51pm

That was on the internet. I could find unbranded ones cheaper but not the 15000 hour megaman. The typical web price seemed to be around �8.50.

Title: Re: WTD: Good price on megaman GU10 CFL bulbs
Post by Lectrician on Dec 24^th, 2008, 7:37am

What sort of price are people paying for the JCC fire rated downlights with the megaman lamp included?

Title: Re: WTD: Good price on megaman GU10 CFL bulbs
Post by LSpark on Dec 26^th, 2008, 11:27pm

All I can say is the price your getting is good CW..

I have a few but I haven't actualy had time to try them out, I always trial lamps before reccomending them to my customers.

Title: Re: WTD: Good price on megaman GU10 CFL bulbs
Post by CWatters on Dec 27^th, 2008, 6:29pm

Thanks folks. Have now ordered 8 for a room in my house. I got one from a lighting store first for �12 to try out and it seems ok. Slightly less directional than the halogen in there at the moment. If they turn out �ok I have about 20 more to swap out in other rooms.

Title: Re: WTD: Good price on megaman GU10 CFL bulbs
Post by JerryD on Dec 28^th, 2008, 12:29pm

Not wishing to poop on anyones party but I have had no end of trouble with these Megaman lamps. I originally bought 12 but within three months, six of them had failed and been swopped out by my suplier. Of these six replacements, three have since failed. All failures were within 200 hours of initial useage.

I later removed the fittings (all bar two of them) as the light was awful anyway. (Replaced with 12v halogen)

Of the two Megamans that remain, they have been ok (so far)

Expensive tat as far as I'm concerned. :(

Title: Re: WTD: Good price on megaman GU10 CFL bulbs
Post by Goodsparks on Dec 28^th, 2008, 12:38pm

I've had 8 or so of the Aurora 9w cool white versions in some external downlighters for best part of 2 years now with no probs, have returned a few of the 11w versions though.

Title: Re: WTD: Good price on megaman GU10 CFL bulbs
Post by wozzy on Dec 28^th, 2008, 12:50pm

i find the CFLs just dont give enough quality light, especially if replacing existing downlights, the customers usually hate them, its not so bad in a new installation of downlights and enough of them can be installed.

Title: Re: WTD: Good price on megaman GU10 CFL bulbs
Post by LSpark on Dec 28^th, 2008, 12:57pm

I don't think it's so much the quality of light, but more the intensity and direction of the light, the colour is almost the same as halogen, if not a little warmer. I've used several of the PAR38 type CFL's, whilst I find these are good replacements for general low-level downlighting, they are no good for high-level, nor for directional spotlighting as they have a 110deg beam angle.

With regards the failures, the problem is that they are still in the early stages, and they try to cram too much into a small lamp, the result is the electronics are probably not that good, the lamp is not that big for the power required, and there is not much free air flow so they may not last as long as they should.

I have a customer that uses the aurora ones who had a few go, but I haven't any users of the megaman ones. I would return them if they are not lasting a reasonable length of time, or speak to megaman.

Btw Jerry, don't forget you cannot use CFL's like halogens, CFL's like to run for longer periods, at least 20minutes at a time, otherwise you will undoubtedly shorten their life. At the moment I think the CFL/Halogen choice has to be thought out carefully, but it gives you more options and I'm sure they will improve in time.

Title: Re: WTD: Good price on megaman GU10 CFL bulbs
Post by JerryD on Dec 29^th, 2008, 9:03am

LSpark wrote on Dec 28^th, 2008, 12:57pm:

Btw Jerry, don't forget you cannot use CFL's like halogens, CFL's like to run for longer periods, at least 20minutes at a time, otherwise you will undoubtedly shorten their life. At the moment I think the CFL/Halogen choice has to be thought out carefully, but it gives you more options and I'm sure they will improve in time.

All the Megamans I used were 11w versions and all in a bathroom. The two that remain (and seem ok) are in the shower enclosure, so their useage would have been the same as all the others (they all come on together). For the money they cost me they were a very poor purchase as the time involved replacing them plus their initial cost makes their 'energy saving' a joke. :'(

Title: Re: WTD: Good price on megaman GU10 CFL bulbs
Post by Zambezi on Dec 29^th, 2008, 11:24am

Has anybody actually worked out how much you "save" by using energy saving bulbs? They cost more and quite often involve changing fittings (as JerryD pointed out), most can't be dimmed (which can save money off the cost of running normal lamps) and they are normally not as bright/effective as normal lamps.
It is like fitting solar panels etc, it takes about 15 to 20 years for the install to start paying for itself. Not many people will still be living in the same house in 20 years time...

Title: Re: WTD: Good price on megaman GU10 CFL bulbs
Post by wozzy on Dec 29^th, 2008, 11:49am

the 11w megamans is what i have been using, not impressed with them, but had next to no failures with them, i think at the moment as was said earlier the purchase of them has to be a very carefully thought out thing, some customer have loved them and love the 'energy saving' benefit, others hate the light they give, horses for courses.

the aurora website has a calculator: http://www.aurora.eu.com/EnergyCalculator.aspx

Title: Re: WTD: Good price on megaman GU10 CFL bulbs
Post by CWatters on Dec 29^th, 2008, 2:03pm

I currently have 7 x 50W halogen and 1 x 9W megaman in my office while I wait for the rest to arrive. It's clear the 9W isn't a direct replacement for the 50W but I think the brightness will be fine for my purposes and I'm sure the 11W would be fine for most people.

The one I have is a warm white version and the colour seems to be a pretty good match once it's wramed up. Other colour temperatures are available.

Overall I don't think I would use them in a loo where they would still be warming up as you turn them off on the way out but I'll report back when I have all 7 converted.

LED's still aren't quite there. These Respondalight LED downlights seem to be the best at the moment but are v.expensive and the specs suggest they aren't wquite as bright as a 35W halogen. If I remember correctly they claim "upto 500 Lumens". A 35W halogen can manage 600. A 50W can make 900-1000.

http://www.realworlddesigns.co.uk/respondalight.php

Reports on other forums suggest the beam angle is a bit narrow and has more sharply defined edges.

Personally I doubt there will ever be a good LED GU10 because LEDs that bright need heatsinks. Not because they waste a lot of heat but because they can't tollerate the little they do produce.

Title: Re: WTD: Good price on megaman GU10 CFL bulbs
Post by CWatters on Dec 29^th, 2008, 2:12pm

wozzy wrote on Dec 29^th, 2008, 11:49am:

the aurora website has a calculator: http://www.aurora.eu.com/EnergyCalculator.aspx

Thanks, saved some calculator bashing. Looks like the payback period for me varies between a year and two years depending on the room and I need them to last about 2500 hours.

Title: Re: WTD: Good price on megaman GU10 CFL bulbs
Post by NickW on Dec 30^th, 2008, 9:43am

One thing often forgotten is that the heat 'saved' by not having tungsten bulbs is replaced by the central heating. Swings and Roundabouts.

Title: Re: WTD: Good price on megaman GU10 CFL bulbs
Post by CWatters on Dec 30^th, 2008, 10:33pm

Well they arrived today and I can't say I'm overly impressed. I probably should have gone for the 11W rather than the 9W. They also seem too diffuse (not directional enough) with too much light going on the walls rather than my desk. Will see how I get on.

Title: Re: WTD: Good price on megaman GU10 CFL bulbs
Post by scotspark on Jan 1^st, 2009, 7:46pm

I have 5 11w gu10 lamps in my office and find them ideal as you dont want the glare of dichroics in there.

I dont use megaman lamps anymore as the ones my wholesaler supplys now are cheaper and have a brighter switch on and quicker warm up time. I also tend to use cool white

Title: Re: WTD: Good price on megaman GU10 CFL bulbs
Post by LSpark on Jan 2^nd, 2009, 5:52am

wrote on Dec 30^th, 2008, 9:43am:

One thing often forgotten is that the heat 'saved' by not having tungsten bulbs is replaced by the central heating. Swings and Roundabouts.

True, but overall the argument doesn't seem that logical since

a) you want your heating to do the heating and not your light bulbs
b) you don�t want additional heat from light bulbs in summer
c) the amount they produce is not that great, although it depends on the type of lamp
d) gas is cheaper than electricity

CWatters wrote on Dec 30^th, 2008, 10:33pm:

I probably should have gone for the 11W rather than the 9W

Always be sure to get a complete equivalent e.g. 9W to replace 40W candle and so on, not 7W which is equivalent to say 35W. And generally it is sensible to go up one. I installed 18x 18W 4-Pin CFL Sticks on a job recently, I thought they would have been just right, and they are OK, but the next up (26W) would have been better.

scotspark wrote on Jan 1^st, 2009, 7:46pm:

I dont use megaman lamps anymore as the ones my wholesaler supplys now are cheaper and have a brighter switch on and quicker warm up time. I also tend to use cool white

Are they Kosnic?. Cool white tends to appear brighter, and often is, but sometimes isn�t. It's useful if the lamps specify the lumens as you have something to compare against. I think the colour rendition is better on the cooler colours too, although I may be wrong.

Title: Re: WTD: Good price on megaman GU10 CFL bulbs
Post by scotspark on Jan 2^nd, 2009, 12:30pm

not sure the make.

I also have a lux meter so can measure light output but only tend to use it in commercial premises where there is a specified lux level reqd

Title: Re: WTD: Good price on megaman GU10 CFL bulbs
Post by Lectrician on Jan 2^nd, 2009, 12:39pm

I use my lux meter mainly for testing EM lighting, but have found it useful for checking lighting in commercial apps such as warehousing, and light level at desk height etc.

They are so cheap these days it is a good thing to have.

Title: Re: WTD: Good price on megaman GU10 CFL bulbs
Post by LSpark on Jan 2^nd, 2009, 4:26pm

Yep, have one also, and too use it mostly for EMG levels.

I find they can be a pain to use sometimes, since you have to maintain the same level of measurement. Have used them before to check lux output from energy savers when changing several hundred.