Which is better? MR16 or GU10 lights?

[xs11ax]

Hi.

My wife wants me to install spotlights in the bedrooms and bathroom. i just wanted to have normal bulbs but nag nag etc etc long story short i lost!

So i need to know whats the difference between MR16 and GU10 and which one is better. Better meaning which is more economical.

Cheers.

 

[ban-all-sheds]

Hi.

My wife wants me to buy a large and heavy 4WD vehicle. i just wanted to have a normal car nag nag etc etc long story short i lost!

So i need to know whats the difference between a Toyota Landcruiser Amazon and a Mercedes-Benz ML500 and which one is better. Better meaning which is more economical.

Cheers.

And anyway - the two are not related. It is not a case of either them being the same, or being different - the terms apply to different parts of the lamp. It's like saying that a GLS lamp must have a BC base, and a lamp with a BC base must be a GLS and one with an ES base cannot be.

Load of b*****ks.

A lamp may be a GU10 MR16 or not. A lamp with a GU10 base may have an MR16 envelope, or it may not.

A lamp with an MR16 envelope may have a GU10 base, or it may not.

There is no correlation between GU10 and MR16, or vice-versa.

 

[slup]

It's quite clear from the question that that original poster is asking if there are any advantages / disadvantages between mains voltage halogen and 12V.

The 12V stuff lasts longer, has a better quality of light and doesn't destroy the dimmer every time a lamp blows - so in my opinion if downlighters are to be installed, they should be 12V ones.

 

[xs11ax]

thanks for the replies guys.

can you please take a look at my diagram here.....

//www.diynot.com/forums/viewtopic.php?t=163724

and tell me where i would put the transformer for the 12V lights.

cheers

 

[ericmark]

I can't agree with slup I have GU10 cold cathode lamps which have lasted a lot longer than the 12 volt lamps I use.
If I could fit cold cathode spot lamps into the 12 volt pods then maybe they would both last same time?
But you can't get 12 volt cold cathode lamps.
So with 12 volt you can only use either LED lamps or tungsten and the LED are useless.
The question which is more economical leads me to believe he may use energy saving lamps.
As to how long they will last some inverters used to power 12 volt lamps do correct the voltage and so if the house suffers from voltage surges than the 12 volt lamps may be better.
As to dimming units the whole idea of a quartz halogen lamp is to reflect the tungsten from the very hot envelope back to the filament if the envelope is not hot enough this will not work and the lamp life will be very much reduced so one should not use dimmer units on quartz halogen lamps.
Also both LED and cold cathode lamps are unlikely to work with dimmer units and the question which is more economical so I would assume cold cathode lamps will be used.
Most important advice is select a fitting which will take cold cathode lamps without having a good section of the lamp sticking out of the fitting as they are often longer than the tungsten versions.
Also point out problem with heat from lamps and unless special design they need to be 500mm from anything that will burn. So often special designs are required with hoods to stop heat.
Also with 12 volt types at least there is a whole host of different projection angles available and care is needed to select correct type.
Also with 12 volt types there are 10W to 50W lamps and these need to match the inverter or cheap transformer and many fail due to wrong replacement lamps being fitted on 12 volt this is also true for diachomic and non diachomic lamps easy to fit wrong type with 230 volt a GZ10 will take both types but GU10 will only take non diachomic types so unlikely to over heat the fitting.
There is also the problem in getting access to the inverter unless you intend to just leave it lose in ceiling space.
There was a nasty accident with that in Next where the pipe from an air conditioning unit came off and condensate was pumped onto the plaster board which could then not longer take the wait of the transformers lucky it happened at night?

 

[slup]

You wouldn't want non-dimmable CFL's in a bedroom though would you?

(Well I wouldn't but I do accept that doesn't mean no-one would...)

 

[P.S.]

the GU10 dimmable CFLi's work very well imo

http://www.tlc-direct.co.uk/Products/MGGU11D.html

 

[ericmark]

Thank you P.S. another reason to use 230 volt GU10 fittings although I now see the lights are for a bathroom!
In my area it would cost £115 on council charges alone to do this work in a bathroom and I can't see with the added DIY cost it can ever be worth DIY and so the whole question seems a waist of time?

 

[ban-all-sheds]

It's quite clear from the question that that original poster is asking if there are any advantages / disadvantages between mains voltage halogen and 12V..

He was asking a question like "what's the difference between ES and GLS".

 

[xs11ax]

thank you all.

my experience is electronics in video games so i am pretty new at this so you have all been a great help.

cheers.

 

[ban-all-sheds]

To cut to the chase - if you are even slightly interested in running costs you will not install any small recessed halogen lights, be they LV or ELV, with GU10 or GU5.3 bases, or MR16 or MR11 envelopes....

 

[ban-all-sheds]

I have GU10 cold cathode lamps

What make are they, Eric?