Downlights and the different varieties..

[HappyHippyDad]

I was with a customer today discussing installing new downlights.

I can't quite see the point in installing the really expensive ones as opposed to the cheaper ones. I don't mean the silly cheap ones on ebay that will just fall apart, but for example...

Lap fixed LED from screwfix £7 approx (good reviews and feel like good quality) compared to JCC, robus, enlite etc etc £15-20?

Also, do you guys prefer integrated LED downlights or ones that you can change the bulb? Again, I struggle with the concept of integrated as you have to change the whole downlight when they go. Are they supposed to have a longer life expectancy? A quality LED lamp is supposed to have about 15 years life expectancy so why not just fit a downlight with a quality changeable LED lamp as opposed to an integrated unit?

 

[HappyHippyDad]

Well some interesting replies there with a big divergence in attitude towards integrated and non integrated.

I shall be sticking with non integrated I think. Like SC said, not being able to find a replacement 2 or 3 years later when they've gone out of stock would be embarrassing!

Cheers guys

 

[davesparks]

You could always keep a small stock of spares yourself, order an extra fitting each time and you'll soon have enough to cover yourself.

 

[Midwest]

Personally I use eco600s from ecostar, I've found them to be incredibly reliable and they look better than most as you can't see the individual LEDs.
The price is a bit much for some people but I've never had an issue with it.

I did try to price them up before when you previously recommended them, could not find any prices on-line. Guess if you have to ask, you can't afford them.

 

[ChrisElectrical88]

Click spotlights evertime. Use the exact same core unit and then you get the correctly IP rating covers for the envioment.

Each on comes with a built in click plug for easy loop in and out connections.

Fitting, LED lamp and besel about £12 all in. Will save you 1 few minutes a fitting.

 

[davesparks]

I did try to price them up before when you previously recommended them, could not find any prices on-line. Guess if you have to ask, you can't afford them.

They are wholesaler only as far as I know, the standard eco600 is around £30+vat off the top of my head

 

[Marcus Vaughan]

JCC have now discontinued this line and flogged all their stock to a wholesale discounter.

Yep. I’ve got a box of them that I’m about to send back. Customer first wanted half cool white and half warm white, then changed their mind to all warm white - but ....... you can’t get them anymore...

I’m using Lucecos now.

 

[mattg4321]

I fitted about 100 Ecostar downlights that were specified on a job about 5 years ago and thought they were very nice. Would use them again, but the cost is pretty high.

I wouldn't use the integrated emergency packs again though. Rubbish!

I think I got them from Edmundsons.

I also fitted some Nemesis units also from Photonstar. They were nice too, and dimmed really well I seem to remember.

 

[Electric Magic]

There are a number of GU10 insulation coverable fittings. Enlite EFD Pro, Ansell Edge (with a 50p attachment), and Knightsbridge Evolve to name a few (all of which also use pushfit connectors and cost between £4 and £7 each). Only time I use integrated fittings (and then it's either Halers or Aurora M Pro) if there's insufficient space in the void for one of the GU10 fittings above.

 

[Marvo]

Never used the integrated fittings, they're not widely available here.

As for whether it's worth paying more for some brands of GU10, I'd say it is.

There's lots of considerations when specifying an appropriate lamp for a customer. Obviously price is one and reliability another but for some customers power factor could be very important if they're not billed in kwh for example. Some cheaper lamps have a power factor below 0.5 and their running costs would be sky high compared to a lamp with a PF of 0.9 or higher.

Stability under dimming is another and whether they will dim using both forward and trailing edge PWM which would mean the same lamps could be used everywhere on a premises. Also colour rendering and consistancy of colour throughout the premises is very important to some customers.

Product consistancy over time is another factor, cheaper brands tend to change internal components from one batch to another, this results in many inconsistancies from colour rendering and stability under low dimming levels to reliability.

I've always stuck with Enlite lamps, we had a commercial contract where we installed over 600 dimmable GU10's a couple of years ago and to date there's been zero failures.

 

[Bellendian]

My go to fitting is Enlite E8's. I'm a pretty firm believer in the fact that an integrated fitting can be designed properly to dissipate heat, rather than trying to cram it all into a gu10 style lamp plugged into a largely empty tin can!
Years back I kitted out a few rentals with the old deep can gu10s to take megaman gu10 cfls....they were a complete disaster, constantly failing, all now been replaced by E8s.
Have fitted hundreds now, only failure I'm aware of is 1 that failed after a day.
I like the fact that the E8 is a 'cover all' solution at a sensible price. Good for bathrooms, good for having fibreglass on top, interchangeable bezel colour, ticks a lot of boxes for me.

 

[Midwest]

They are wholesaler only as far as I know, the standard eco600 is around £30+vat off the top of my head

What! I'd rather buy a GU10 + can

 

[Starjack]

Well some interesting replies there with a big divergence in attitude towards integrated and non integrated.

I shall be sticking with non integrated I think. Like SC said, not being able to find a replacement 2 or 3 years later when they've gone out of stock would be embarrassing!

Cheers guys

You could be dead in 3 years time. Live for the moment.

 

[Starjack]

I was with a customer today discussing installing new downlights.

I can't quite see the point in installing the really expensive ones as opposed to the cheaper ones. I don't mean the silly cheap ones on ebay that will just fall apart, but for example...

Lap fixed LED from screwfix £7 approx (good reviews and feel like good quality) compared to JCC, robus, enlite etc etc £15-20?

Also, do you guys prefer integrated LED downlights or ones that you can change the bulb? Again, I struggle with the concept of integrated as you have to change the whole downlight when they go. Are they supposed to have a longer life expectancy? A quality LED lamp is supposed to have about 15 years life expectancy so why not just fit a downlight with a quality changeable LED lamp as opposed to an integrated unit?

Did you tell her about your new Toolbelt

 

[Starjack]

They're Lamps not Bulbs , it's like dealing with Plumbers

 

[davesparks]

What! I'd rather buy a GU10 + can

It's horses for courses I guess, personally I find GU10s and other low cost integrated fittings to be ugly and I'm pretty sure my customers wouldnt accept them either.