The Mr 16 lamps aren't great IMO. Phillips had - maybe still do - a 9 watt that was OK, but they had a small fan built into the heat sink and apparently in quiet rooms you could hear the fans, lol. They also cost around $40 !!!!
The LEDs will flicker with newish electronic transformers but usually run OK with older iron core trans. The issue seems to revolve around some transformers requiring a minimum load of 20 watts. Under that and the transformer cycles on and off. You could try to wire two or three lamps off one transformer but the effort would be better spent on new fittings IMO.
Yeh we did a job with the Philips ones and got the same feedback, light output is great but the heat fan is annoying. They have since released a 5W and 6W version without the fan but they are still freaking expensive.
Still, the light output from a brand new downlight is always much more impressive than an old halogen or anything that will be retrofit into the old fittings.
Pretty sure Philips have a 'version 2' of the ones you describe. Dimmable, 10W, able to be retro fitted to most transformers, cost around $20 online. Gets good reviews online.
I've just realised my issue though having them installed in a bathroom, they don't tolerate wet areas well.
The Mr 16 lamps aren't great IMO. Phillips had - maybe still do - a 9 watt that was OK, but they had a small fan built into the heat sink and apparently in quiet rooms you could hear the fans, lol. They also cost around $40 !!!!
The LEDs will flicker with newish electronic transformers but usually run OK with older iron core trans. The issue seems to revolve around some transformers requiring a minimum load of 20 watts. Under that and the transformer cycles on and off. You could try to wire two or three lamps off one transformer but the effort would be better spent on new fittings IMO.
Yeh we did a job with the Philips ones and got the same feedback, light output is great but the heat fan is annoying. They have since released a 5W and 6W version without the fan but they are still freaking expensive.
Still, the light output from a brand new downlight is always much more impressive than an old halogen or anything that will be retrofit into the old fittings.
Pretty sure Philips have a 'version 2' of the ones you describe. Dimmable, 10W, able to be retro fitted to most transformers, cost around $20 online. Gets good reviews online.
I've just realised my issue though having them installed in a bathroom, they don't tolerate wet areas well.
Nah they don't but you can get some other brands that do an IP55 LED fitting that is suitable for wet areas.
And be careful with 'suits most' transformers, it's basically a cover all for saying it 'might' work. Same with when they say 'suitable for most dimmers' means it 'might' dim. Even if it does dim, some will dim down only to around 50% which, as I've found, isn't enough for a lot of people.
Best thing to do if you want to dim them is to use the Lumex Digital dimmer, designed for LED low wattages and dims right down to off.
MR16 victim here: 18 of the damn things in a 45 sqm unit… Why the hell would I want a megawatt of lighting in that much space?
I tried a couple cheapy LED MR16s — I get a burst of light when you flick the switch, then it cuts out. That means I have new-ish transformers, right? The place was renovated within the past decade.
tell me about it. we just moved in to a new place late last year and the previous owners put a ridiculous amount of downlights in every room. i hate them. so bright, globes blow all the time and they suck power.
this thread is gold, i'll be looking to change mine over when i've got the cash to do so!
is it usually possible to change the fitting and transformer from inside? i've got a flat roof which makes doing any wiring etc a nightmare...
MR16 victim here: 18 of the damn things in a 45 sqm unit… Why the hell would I want a megawatt of lighting in that much space?
I tried a couple cheapy LED MR16s — I get a burst of light when you flick the switch, then it cuts out. That means I have new-ish transformers, right? The place was renovated within the past decade.
tell me about it. we just moved in to a new place late last year and the previous owners put a ridiculous amount of downlights in every room. i hate them. so bright, globes blow all the time and they suck power.
this thread is gold, i'll be looking to change mine over when i've got the cash to do so!
is it usually possible to change the fitting and transformer from inside? i've got a flat roof which makes doing any wiring etc a nightmare...
Depends how the previous bloke wired it, but usually its ok. Turn the power off first, pull the fitting out and see what follows with it. If the fitting pulls out the transformer, then the transformer drags the socket with it then it's easy as. Some sparkies fix the plugs to a batten, which makes it a bit more difficult.
If it's hardwired in (ie. no plug), then you need a sparky.
yep, it's always possible to change them from the inside. you might need long arms depending on the set-up, lol. Austinn Lucy would have had trouble being a sparky.........
and it's why i generally recommend plug-in fittings. yes, it costs you an extra few dollars to supply and install a plug-base, but down the track it can pay off for the homeowner. The small cut-out downlights that were all the craze for a while were just stupid from a maintenance point of view. you had to direct wire them or else couldn't fit your hand through to plug/unplug.
For those with existing halogens, and in Vic (maybe SA too) they have this VEET thing where the government will subsidise the change from halogen to LED.
That’s what LEDified and Mbertec do.
I found their sell at all costs attitude a bit off putting, and their low spec LEDs not so good.
But still an ‘easy’ and possibly cost effective option for most people.
I got a light shop, so happy to do some "Red sash" hot deals for Blitzers.
yep, and if saving power and saving some dollars is the aim, it makes sense to go that way. I'd be curious to know what people think of the finished product in terms of light output. A lot of halogens are running at pretty poor efficiency for the last part of their lifespan so owners get used to a given light level and when the LEDs are swapped in it's like "wow, how bright are they" even though the level is actually less than if they'd relamped all the halogens with 35w IRC lamps.
It's a bit rough because some companies "cheat" with where they are measuring the output, but to equate apporximate outputs, look for an 800 lumen LED if you currently run old-school 50 watt downlights in general living areas.
thanks for the advice gents.
can't wait to get rid of these halogens...
I got a light shop, so happy to do some "Red sash" hot deals for Blitzers.
What city?
The greatest city on earth.
Go to Rexel Electrical wholesalers.
buy the Robus IP44 10watt LED downlights. Make sure you buy the 3000K color output, not the 5000k. They have a 90 degree spread, so it should be a fairly even light output. Definitely dimmable, but you need to make sure you get the correct dimmers for LED.
You can also pick up a similar "Atom" fitting (suspect they come out of the same factory), i've used them in one or two places but had to get one replaced as it failed on plug-in.
If you prefer the traditional gimble downlight look, both brands will do them too. The deletion of the IP44 lens reduces the angle throw though, and you come back to the same sorts of output as normal downlights. From memory the widest spread is 60 degree. The Robus ones were designed to mimic the color and output of the old 50w Dicroic lamps, they were originally meant to be a retrofit item with a fairy standard 90mm cutout. The one thing i dislike about them (from a practical viewpoint) is that they default to the Australian Standard code for distance off timber joists etc, which is insane for an LED downlight. But as a "clean ceiling" you'll be able to space them accordingly.
All of these are plug-in kits, not hard wired. After initial install, if one ever fails (they should give you roughly 18 years in normal domestic use) you can just unplug and change, no need for a sparky.
tell em i sent you.
Disagree on the colour, I reckon the best output for domestic lighting is the 4000k.
But everyone has a different opinion on light output. The ones I have put in my house are the M-Elec 1box-90. First LED downright in the world to give out a 3000k, 4000k and 6000k all in have one downlight. The driver has an inbuilt memory, so when you switch it on it will default to 6000k, then you. Just switch it on and off at the switch to change to 4000k then again for 3000k. Once you've got the output you like then leave it for five seconds and the light will save that as it's default colour. If you ever want to change it, just a quick on and off again. IP44, seven year warranty, comes with a white or chrome trim and the LED panel is replaceable which not many brands have.
They're not cheap, but easily the best quality. Haven't seen anything in my time better than the M-Elec gear.
For a decent one around the 30-35 mark they're all pretty much the same, Robus, Domus, CLA, Vibe, plus a hundred others.
http://www.melec.com.au/1box-90.html
I only see a 4 year warranty?
Is it the same?
Also Sal is this the one you mentioned?
http://www.rexel.com.au/products/10W-IP44-DIMMABLE-DOWNLIGHT-WARM-WHITE-LEDS-WHITE_RC10WDLDWW-01_2017672.html
OK, we just got 5 LED downlights installed in our kitchen (and removed the flouro tubes).
72mm, 10w, slightly warm in colour. "HQ-COB LED downlight kit" for those playing at home. Very happy with the colour, brightness level, cosmetics, etc.
My sparky mate charged me $35 for each kit and $45/hr for labour, seems ok to me.
I got him to replace some switches and hang 2 pendants over our breakfast bar, 3 pendants over our dining table, and another pendant in the corner of our living room. He had to re-wire the living room pendant too as the existing one was on speaker wire...
nice one. I tried out one of the cheapy osram kits from bunnings. $20 I think and so far so good. might replace a couple more as I go. light is nice, dimming works OK.
does anyone know of a sealed gimble you can use with LEDs? my next step is trying to reduce the heat loss via the downlights, it's like having chimneys everywhere in your ceiling.
Go to Rexel Electrical wholesalers.
buy the Robus IP44 10watt LED downlights. Make sure you buy the 3000K color output, not the 5000k. They have a 90 degree spread, so it should be a fairly even light output. Definitely dimmable, but you need to make sure you get the correct dimmers for LED.
You can also pick up a similar "Atom" fitting (suspect they come out of the same factory), i've used them in one or two places but had to get one replaced as it failed on plug-in.
If you prefer the traditional gimble downlight look, both brands will do them too. The deletion of the IP44 lens reduces the angle throw though, and you come back to the same sorts of output as normal downlights. From memory the widest spread is 60 degree. The Robus ones were designed to mimic the color and output of the old 50w Dicroic lamps, they were originally meant to be a retrofit item with a fairy standard 90mm cutout. The one thing i dislike about them (from a practical viewpoint) is that they default to the Australian Standard code for distance off timber joists etc, which is insane for an LED downlight. But as a "clean ceiling" you'll be able to space them accordingly.
All of these are plug-in kits, not hard wired. After initial install, if one ever fails (they should give you roughly 18 years in normal domestic use) you can just unplug and change, no need for a sparky.
tell em i sent you.
Disagree on the colour, I reckon the best output for domestic lighting is the 4000k.
But everyone has a different opinion on light output. The ones I have put in my house are the M-Elec 1box-90. First LED downright in the world to give out a 3000k, 4000k and 6000k all in have one downlight. The driver has an inbuilt memory, so when you switch it on it will default to 6000k, then you. Just switch it on and off at the switch to change to 4000k then again for 3000k. Once you've got the output you like then leave it for five seconds and the light will save that as it's default colour. If you ever want to change it, just a quick on and off again. IP44, seven year warranty, comes with a white or chrome trim and the LED panel is replaceable which not many brands have.
They're not cheap, but easily the best quality. Haven't seen anything in my time better than the M-Elec gear.
For a decent one around the 30-35 mark they're all pretty much the same, Robus, Domus, CLA, Vibe, plus a hundred others.
http://www.melec.com.au/1box-90.html
I only see a 4 year warranty?
Is it the same?
Also Sal is this the one you mentioned?
http://www.rexel.com.au/products/10W-IP44-DIMMABLE-DOWNLIGHT-WARM-WHITE-LEDS-WHITE_RC10WDLDWW-01_2017672.html
If you get them installed by a M-Elec Platinum Installer they extend the warranty to seven years.
OK, we just got 5 LED downlights installed in our kitchen (and removed the flouro tubes).
72mm, 10w, slightly warm in colour. "HQ-COB LED downlight kit" for those playing at home. Very happy with the colour, brightness level, cosmetics, etc.
My sparky mate charged me $35 for each kit and $45/hr for labour, seems ok to me.
I got him to replace some switches and hang 2 pendants over our breakfast bar, 3 pendants over our dining table, and another pendant in the corner of our living room. He had to re-wire the living room pendant too as the existing one was on speaker wire...
What brand were they out of interest?
OK, we just got 5 LED downlights installed in our kitchen (and removed the flouro tubes).
72mm, 10w, slightly warm in colour. "HQ-COB LED downlight kit" for those playing at home. Very happy with the colour, brightness level, cosmetics, etc.
My sparky mate charged me $35 for each kit and $45/hr for labour, seems ok to me.
I got him to replace some switches and hang 2 pendants over our breakfast bar, 3 pendants over our dining table, and another pendant in the corner of our living room. He had to re-wire the living room pendant too as the existing one was on speaker wire...
What brand were they out of interest?
Good question. The only other detail on the box was the email address HQLED.com.au, which seems to be 'suspended'.
He said he got them from Middy's (sp?), some tradie shop for sparkies I assume.
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Here's the lights we had installed in the kitchen/living/dining area...
LED's
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Pineapples...
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Trendy Pendy's (kinks are almost non-existant now)
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Got some pendants (normal garden variety) the other month. $260 from Australian lighting or $90 online.
Got a bunch of other stuff as well, would'ev been ~$1700 from Aus lighting or under $800 shopping around online.
Jerks.
