Purchasing a new lightbulb

Whenever I need a replacement bulb I usually knock up a few butties and a nice flask of tea before setting off for an hour or three in the local B&Q attempting to decipher the various sizes, types and fittings available.

My man drawer is full of the buggers but they always seem to be the wrong ones and don't appear suitable for any light fitting or lamp anywhere in the house.

butties and a flask, very funny.

Michael Mcintyre does a brilliant comedy sketch about the man drawer, including the copious lightbulbs in it.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RgUpDGAIdds

To think that I know more than a B&Q man

LED lights are very approximately a tenth of the 'normal' type lights we used to have.  So if you want a 150 watt light then you need a 17 watt LED light bulb or near.  Then as it is a kitchen you would probably need a 'daylight' bulb not a 'warm white'.  Then they are expensive so it is probably best to go on amazon for them and if you will need more for other light fittings then it might be best to purchase a pack of four which works out cheaper.  The bulb will tell you the equivalent 'normal' wattage usually.

The savings in electricity to be made by having LED are considerable, but you must factor in the cost and how long you have your lights on for.

I am not an expert at this, so please check with others.

Add into the equation a wife who doesn't like the GU10 fittings if the light emitted doesn't exactly match the other ones in terms of intensity and pattern.  And, of course, none of them are the same.

Just spent half an hour in the bathroom switching bulbs around.

(Top Tip - if you want any credibility with an electrician, use the word 'lamp' rather than 'bulb')

Also recently wanted a 100w bayonet lamp for a reading light, finally managed to get one in Tesco.  Think it was a fiver!

Suppose all these low energy, supposedly 15 year lifetime bulbs save us money, but with a high initial cost, I am not so sure.

It is probably best not to go with halogen as the savings are not great.  My hallway lights are halogen and use 150 watts, but I have a small lamp which i use instead which looks better and more 'cosy' and only uses 4 watts!

Thanks annie and Jack. Apparently the low energy ones save you a whopping £6 a year (on average) I've found some proper old type ones on Amazon. Can even get a 200w.

200w ffs.... are you interrogating someone?

Amazon have a huge selection of bulbs and as you can usually find something else to buy to qualify for free delivery and they are cheaper.  But beware only buy from amazon fulfilled companies and ones that have  loads of reviews..

Old style 200 watts!!

Mind you, you would be able to turn down your central heating a couple of degrees as a result.

annie, Amazon stuck a £7.99 charge on my bank for Amazon Prime. Apparently a lot of people have been caught out by this.

Might have to take the lampshade off as well, Jack, if I get 200. I think 150 will suffice.

Always be careful the lampshade is rated for the wattage of the bulb !

Get modern, go LED --- GU50 replace with 6w LED

100Watt you'll need about 8 - 10watt LED

Screwfix do some resonable brands

I don't know where you got the £6 saving from, kenny, but it would be more like £60 if you had it on for about six hours per day compared to a 200w bulb.  Mind you I have just done a quick calculation as I am playing poker!  Also they are supposed to last much, much longer than a normal bulb.

I got it from the "Which" site, annie. I thought it sounded too low to be worth taking into consideration.

anything with smart on it don't buy,and never accept a smart meter,best tip of the day that

Thanks for that advice, AFTERTHOUGHT

I have a LED light fitting in my kitchen which only uses 7 watts, kenny, and it is really bright.

That's about 60w in old money, annie?

If you have a Home Bargains nearby they have quite a good range of LED bulbs that are very reasonable. Not had any failures with them so far.

I bought a dozen GU10 5w last year, 6 of em went within six months and others are on the way out. At 3 quid a pop they'd be value if they lasted as long as claimed but they probably don't. My sparky hates them as when they fail in a short time he has to visit the customer's house and fit the new bulb.

Azda sell regular bayonet halogen bulbs 105 watt equivalent to 140 watt.

About that, kenny, but I don't know the exact wattage as they were installed before I came.  It does not sound very bright but maybe because they are spotlights close to the ceiling that they give off very good light.  I agree with you if it was the old 60w bulb I would not have one in my kitchen. Only one out of four gu10 led lights have gone in four years.  I have just double checked with my smart meter and the three bulbs remaining just use 7 watts. Incredible!

I have heard a lot about these lights going well before they are supposed to saddo, so from now on I will only be looking at bulbs on amazon that have hundreds, possibly thousands, reviews.

Saddo - might be what or where you are buying them!   We started switching to LED as each Halogen etc failed about 2 years ago. Have replaced about 35 so far and only had one failure (after a month so I took it back and got a replacement). I get all my lamps from TLC who have branches all over the south.  Their catalogue is very good as it clearly shows wattage (consumption/cost to run), colour AND lumens (brightness).

The ones I bought were a top brand, and clearly part of a faulty batch, all will be replaced. My sparky says he gets far too many faulty ones these days, compared to the old halogen spots they are replacing.

I got six low energy 30 watt/ 150 watt equivalent, for outside lights, recently.

Hadn't realised they were daylight ones.

They were so bright that it was like being at the dentists!

Using incredible logic, and skill, I painted them thinly, with artists acrylic paint, and now they are a wonderful warm colour.

May not be safe :
.
https://answers.yahoo.com/question/index?qid=20100526130140AAExJnf

.
https://www.quora.com/What-kinds-of-paints-are-safe-to-paint-light-bulbs-with

Thanks Leopard....

Well I'm a trendsetter and, if it fails, there isn't going to be a holocaust....

Have been using for three weeks, so I will post back any problems.

I like the new led bulbs, so much better than the previous low energy bulbs. Bright as you like, no wait to warm up.
Watch if you've a dimmer, only some work, but they are available.
I get philips who are normally great and have no issues, wouldn't want no name brand cheapest chinese as there is electronics in there.

Other thing to watch is the colour temperature, I accidentally bought one that was a white/blue tint, some people like that but it really was too harsh for me, I replaced it with a warm colour which was much nicer in the bedroom. Sets the atmosphere for when I'm making sweet love to your wife .

I stockpiled the old style bulbs before they stopped selling them. I should be alright for 10 years at least.