The world's best 12V. light bulb?

[Vaughn]

We have a 12 volt PV system in our house that operates our yard lights
plus a few lamps and outlets inside. We have been using 12-watt (40
watt incandescent equiv) CFL's, with pretty good results. I recently
splurged on a 12-volt LED lamp just as a test.

There is one lamp that hangs between our easy chairs that we use for
reading every evening. We have always ran two of those 12-watt CFL's
with a Wye adapter. So when our new LED lamp arrived, I replaced one of
those CFL's, planning to run a long-term side-by-side test.

You could feel the difference in efficiency by simply feeling the lamps!
The CFL was distinctly warm while the LED was only slightly above
ambient temperature. The comparison test was quickly abandoned because
the combination of the LED and the CFL was too bright! So now we have
one LED bulb that is producing definitely more light than the two CFL's
together. (Yes, our CFL's may have been a bit tired)

This is the light bulb we bought:E27-NW12W-G-12V We selected the
Natural White color temperature, but it's a bit on the harsh side. Next
time we will try the warm white.

http://www.superbrightleds.com/moreinfo/led-globe/e27-led-bulb,-12w,-12-volt-dc/1568/


Does anyone else have any similar recommendations? Anything out there
cheaper?

(We have no connection to that particular company save having made that
one order from them)

Vaughn

 

[j]

We have a 12 volt PV system in our house that operates our yard lights
plus a few lamps and outlets inside. We have been using 12-watt (40
watt incandescent equiv) CFL's, with pretty good results. I recently
splurged on a 12-volt LED lamp just as a test.

There is one lamp that hangs between our easy chairs that we use for
reading every evening. We have always ran two of those 12-watt CFL's
with a Wye adapter. So when our new LED lamp arrived, I replaced one of
those CFL's, planning to run a long-term side-by-side test.

You could feel the difference in efficiency by simply feeling the lamps!
The CFL was distinctly warm while the LED was only slightly above
ambient temperature. The comparison test was quickly abandoned because
the combination of the LED and the CFL was too bright! So now we have
one LED bulb that is producing definitely more light than the two CFL's
together. (Yes, our CFL's may have been a bit tired)

This is the light bulb we bought:E27-NW12W-G-12V We selected the
Natural White color temperature, but it's a bit on the harsh side. Next
time we will try the warm white.

http://www.superbrightleds.com/moreinfo/led-globe/e27-led-bulb,-12w,-12-volt-dc/1568/


Does anyone else have any similar recommendations? Anything out there
cheaper?

I think you are ahead of the game. There isn't a lot of call for 12V
edison base bulbs, although I have a small and very old trailer that
uses them.

Home Despot has been promoting these:

http://www.homedepot.com/p/Cree-9-5...8027OMF-12DE26-1U110/203991774#specifications

Those are 120v, slightly more efficient and half the price, but by the
time you add inverter losses, I think your solution is cleaner and better.

It took about a dozen years for CFLs to go from crappy and expensive to
being ubiquitous. The helixes first came out in '95. The first good
"60W" Edison base LED dates to 2009. We are on the way, but I think
another half dozen years or so before LEDS are where CFLs are now. $4 is
the magic number.

Thanks for the post.

Jeff

 

[v8z]

We have a 12 volt PV system in our house that operates our yard lights
plus a few lamps and outlets inside. We have been using 12-watt (40 watt
incandescent equiv) CFL's, with pretty good results. I recently splurged
on a 12-volt LED lamp just as a test.

There is one lamp that hangs between our easy chairs that we use for
reading every evening. We have always ran two of those 12-watt CFL's with
a Wye adapter. So when our new LED lamp arrived, I replaced one of those
CFL's, planning to run a long-term side-by-side test.

You could feel the difference in efficiency by simply feeling the lamps!
The CFL was distinctly warm while the LED was only slightly above ambient
temperature. The comparison test was quickly abandoned because the
combination of the LED and the CFL was too bright! So now we have one LED
bulb that is producing definitely more light than the two CFL's together.
(Yes, our CFL's may have been a bit tired)

This is the light bulb we bought:E27-NW12W-G-12V We selected the Natural
White color temperature, but it's a bit on the harsh side. Next time we
will try the warm white.

http://www.superbrightleds.com/moreinfo/led-globe/e27-led-bulb,-12w,-12-volt-dc/1568/

Does anyone else have any similar recommendations? Anything out there
cheaper?

(We have no connection to that particular company save having made that
one order from them)

Vaughn

I'm using some Sunmia bulbs in a testbed 12vdc only new garage. Their 3w
att LED is extremely bright and not a bad color. I'm lighting the storage
attic above the 25x32 garage with three of them in warehouse, reflector type
fixtures. I'm also trying some of the other wattage bulbs, but I would only
reccomend the 1 and 1.5watt leds for mood lighting or night light.

http://www.eco-distributing.com/DC-LED-Lighting_c_93.html carries them, and
being LED without any transformer, I'm expecting them to last a good long
while.

I'm also trying some of the Phocos 12vdc only CFL lamps. They seem to
output more light per watt once they warm up, but it takes them a moment to
turn on after you hit the switch, and about 10 mins. to heat up to full
brightness. After warming up, their 12vdc 15 watt CFL could be compared to
75 watt incandescent. My 82 year old dad was sceptical of the amount of
light 40 of them could provide, but once they warmed up, he said "you could
rebuild an engine in here...." I'm waiting on winter to see how they
perform from a cold start in the unheatedm un-insulated storage garage.