Best type down lighters

[Happychappy1971]

Hello all we are thinking about fitting some downlighters ,was wondering what type are the best?.There is so many types ,ones with integrated led bulbs,replaceable gu10 led bulbs .then some downlighters have built in drivers and others not.DO some led gu10 bulbs have drivers in the bulb?just wondering what’s best ones thanks in advance

 

[Notch7]

integrated led would be my choice.

 

[Taylortwocities]

Whssign

• Taylortwocities
• 16 Jul 2016

What he said

 

[winston1]

integrated led would be my choice.

Trouble is when they fail the whole thing needs replacing and may no
longer be available. GU10 types would be my choice. All LED GU10 lamps have internal drivers as they operate directly off mains voltage.

 

[Notch7]

Trouble is when they fail the whole thing needs replacing and may no
longer be available. GU10 types would be my choice. All LED GU10 lamps have internal drivers as they operate directly off mains voltage.

Buy a couple of spare units!

 

[ban-all-sheds]

Hello all we are thinking about fitting some downlighters ,was wondering what type are the best?

Large ones, 180-200mm dia and up, not little torches.

Think about whether the fact that small ones are always installed in multiple quantities might indicate that they aren't actually very good at doing the job of lighting up rooms. And whether if lying in a bed or a bath you want to look up into small spot sources of bright light.

Also consider the practical considerations of all those holes in ceilings wrt insulation, noise, draughts, cooking smells...

 

[Happychappy1971]

Hi thanks everyone for the replies so is there a guide for the distances apart?. Or is it mostly personal preference to how much light you want?.

 

[sparkwright]

I have to agree the integrated ones can pack up randomly when you least expect it, so GU10 fittings will allow a simple lamp (bulb) change.

GU10 will also allow you to go from cool white to warm white (or vice versa) by simply changing the lamps.

All depends if you want a long, trouble-free set of lights.

As far as spacing the lights go, opinions here will no doubt vary a lot.

A lot depends on where the joists are, a lot depends on what 'looks right'.

I could tell you how I usually TRY to space them, but chances are it won't work for you.

 

[Notch7]

Generally the argument is that integrated last longer, have better heatsink and better chipsets.

From downlights.co.uk:

While the optimistic view will be that they will ‘last forever’. Pessimists will ask "What happens when they fail?" If they do fail they need to be disconnected from the mains and replaced with the same fitting so that they match.

Downlights.co.uk has been selling integrated LED downlights since they launched and sometimes they do fail but the failure rate is very low, much lower when compared to GU10 LEDs. Failure rates can vary but if you invest in high quality downlights such as EcoLED or Halers then the failure rate is negligible, lower than 0.5%.

Another advantage of choosing a leading brand like these is that the design rarely changes, they have perfected their products like Volkswagen have done with their Polo or Golf models of cars.

To provide consumers with more confidence on this new technology manufacturers offer longer guarantees of 5 to 7 years, compared to 3 to 5 years for GU10. Integrated downlights are generally brighter, look better but cost more. While GU10 downlights have replaceable LEDs and usually cost less but are less reliable.

Reliability

Overheating is the number one cause of LED failure; integrated LED downlights are designed to deal with heat dissipation more effectively. Because the fitting is manufactured specifically around the LED they are designed to last around twice as long and are more reliable.

They are fitted with a much more substantial, advanced heat sink that effectively transfers the excess heat away from the LED chip allowing it to run cooler for longer. This design also allows for bigger and brighter LED chips to be used

 

[Screech20]

Aurora Enlite have been my go to downlights for a while now. Less than a tenner each and not had one pack up on me yet.

Spacing all depends on the area you’re trying to light, joust locations and the unit you decide to use.

 

[ban-all-sheds]

Another advantage of choosing a leading brand like these is that the design rarely changes, they have perfected their products like Volkswagen have done with their Polo or Golf models of cars.

What a brilliant way to set people's minds at rest.

Everyone knows that the VW Golf is unchanged since 1974, and that the Mk 7 is exactly the same as the Mk 1, and that if, for whatever reason, it was important to you that a fleet of cars all looked the same you could buy Golfs because you could always replace a failed old one with a new current one and nobody would be able to spot the difference.

Just HFT do these blurb writers think we are?

 

[ban-all-sheds]

Hi thanks everyone for the replies so is there a guide for the distances apart?. Or is it mostly personal preference to how much light you want?.

There is indeed.

If your personal preference is to try and light a room with 2" diameter torches recessed into the ceiling then the guide is to have *"()$&%() shedloads of them, and to not have any personal preferences in the areas of even lighting.

 

[ban-all-sheds]

I'm curious.

You say you are thinking about installing small downlighters, and yet you don't seem to know much about lighting up rooms with them.

What made you think that they were a type of lighting you wanted?

 

[Happychappy1971]

My other half made me think so lol she’s very persistent ,sometimes I have to do what she wants.Yes you are wright I don’t know a lot about them in rooms as we don’t have any in the ceilings as yet.Thanks for all the replies

 

[ban-all-sheds]

Good luck.