On Fri, 16 Jan 2015 07:30:12 -0500, wrote:

On Thu, 15 Jan 2015 23:08:59 -0600, Martin Eastburn
wrote:

On 1/15/2015 6:15 PM, wrote:
On Wed, 14 Jan 2015 23:14:33 -0600, Martin Eastburn
wrote:

On 1/14/2015 3:32 PM, Steve W. wrote:
wrote:
On Wed, 14 Jan 2015 10:45:56 -0600, "Paul K. Dickman"
wrote:

"Larry Jaques" wrote in message
...
Grease is an excellent idea. On a similar theme, I've been replacing
corroded light bulbs (with broken bulbs) in 2 different ladies' houses
recently and have used a skosh of either white lithium or vaseline on
the sockets and bases I'm putting the bulbs in. They won't have
another broken bulb again and all those gawdawful incans will be easy
to change from now on. One lady got so rambunctious that she ripped
up the socket base, too. This on a ladder 10' up in her house. She
had the concept OK, but you''re only supposed to put the needle nose
pliers on the broken bulb base and twist. She got both. Aluminum on
aluminum creates a sticky problem.

I use NO-OX grease, the stuff you use for Al wire. Mostly because I
bought a giant tube of it 20 years ago and it's still in my electric
toolkit and nearly full.

Somewhere, decades ago, they started making the bases on cheap bulbs
out of aluminum.
This wasn't a problem because they made the screw shell in the socket
out of brass or nickle.

Then they started cheaping out on the sockets too. Al on Al
(particularly in a base up configuration) is a recipe for problems.

Paul K. Dickman
Not a problem with the lights at our church - the bulbs have not been
lasting long enough for corrosion to set in!!! In the building 16
months and I've replaced half the bulbs already (and that's with less
than 6 hours a week use!!!)

What make are those bulbs???????

Switch to LED, at the rate you're swapping bulbs they would pay for
themselves in about a year!

I suspect the bulbs are special types - but LED's come in all shapes
now. Even Sams have flame lamps.

Martin
The bulbs are standard 100 watt edison base bulbs.

Lots of replacements available in LED.

Martin
yes, but there are over 40 of them and at least here in Canada 60 or
100 watt equivalents are still pricey. E still have a couple 8-packs
left - enough to relamp the rest with a few spares - picked up on sale
at thr ocal Home Hardware.

Give them away to churchgoers.

I've been paying $2-4USD per bulb direct from China, Singapore, and
Hong Kong via eBay. Yes, it's more expensive than incans, but the
church 1) won't have the expense of hiring someone to change them
every month. and 2) has a much lower running cost for the new LEDs.
It's a sound investment for the church of up to a mere $125, with a
ROI in under a year in most cases. Plus, it's a helluva lot less
hassle.

The 12w dimmables were my most expensive bulbs, at $3.99 ea, with free
shipping. I think I may stick with dimmables from now on, too, as
they are OK in motion detector and home automation circuits without
modification. The others strobe.

--
The reasonable man adapts himself to the world; the unreasonable
one persists in trying to adapt the world to himself. Therefore,
all progress depends on the unreasonable man.
-- George Bernard Shaw

On 16/01/15 14:56, Larry Jaques wrote:
On Fri, 16 Jan 2015 08:18:41 +0000, David Billington
wrote:

On 16/01/15 03:12, Larry Jaques wrote:
On Thu, 15 Jan 2015 17:57:43 +0000, David Billington
wrote:

On 15/01/15 16:53, Larry Jaques wrote:
LEDs beat the hell out of CFLs, too. The early/cheap Chiwanese bulbs
aren't all good, but instant refunds come from the vendors, so it's
not much of a loss. (Shipping takes 2-5 weeks, though some importers
are here in the States and I can buy through these small U.S.
companies and get quick shipping, supporting both them and the good
old USPS!

One thing to look out for is equivalent watts being sold as actual
watts. I'm having that problem with the Eagle Eye bulbs now. Only 1
shipment out of 4 was properly labeled, and I still don't have the 9W
LEDs I wanted for backup lights on my truck. sigh I'll use the
lesser bulbs in flashlights, I guess.

These draw only 110mA @ 12v and are very bright, but not as bright as
they should be. http://tinyurl.com/p85ffbn A pair of those added to
the pair of 3W (70mA) LEDs should do the trick for me, though.
I have seen a report that mentioned quite a few of the cheap Chinese
bulbs being sold online, at least in the UK, don't meet CE and likely UL
regs even though they are labelled as meeting them. One of the main
issues was lack of a protective covers and that allowed access to
potentially lethal voltage if you touched them while on. Another issue
was the ease of dismantling to get at live potentially parts. One of the
cases highlighted was a LED replacement for a cooker hood bulb where the
house owner got a shock while cleaning due to the lack of a protective
cover on the front of the bulb. Just a heads up.
Thanks, David. I haven't seen a potentially unsafe LED yet, but I'll
keep my eyes peeled.

Some 120v E26 dimmable 12w spots came in today's mail and when I
disassembled one, the p/s was entirely wrapped in black electrical
tape. the 15w of the same type had the p/s adhered to the inside of
the back cover with RTV/caulk, also protecting fingers from mains
power.
Just to make it clear the lack of protective covers was over the LEDs
themselves. They showed probing around the LEDs on open contacts could
result in potentially lethal voltage and current which would have been a
fail on the CE testing so dangerous and bogus markings.
Bbbbut, neither the LEDs (nor the PCB they're installed on, if any)
take mains power, they take 3v. I don't understand how your danger
could show up, unless a 4-y/o was probing the inside of an uncapped
LED case with a screwdriver while it was plugged in and turned on.
The danger highlighted was that the problem was with SMD LEDs exposing
contacts on the LED panels and they could be wired in series so one end
of the string could be at mains potential, it has been tested and shown
to be so in the dangerous bulbs. This was a discussion I found and a
quick search for "dangerous LED bulbs"
https://www.avforums.com/threads/som...ethal.1862196/

Some concern mentioned there also about the like of GU bulbs where the
heatsink is close to live mains potential but no provision for a ground
on that bulb style so insulation failure could lead to the heatsink
going live.


--
The reasonable man adapts himself to the world; the unreasonable
one persists in trying to adapt the world to himself. Therefore,
all progress depends on the unreasonable man.
-- George Bernard Shaw

On Fri, 16 Jan 2015 07:10:37 -0800, Larry Jaques
wrote:

On Fri, 16 Jan 2015 07:30:12 -0500, wrote:

On Thu, 15 Jan 2015 23:08:59 -0600, Martin Eastburn
wrote:

On 1/15/2015 6:15 PM, wrote:
On Wed, 14 Jan 2015 23:14:33 -0600, Martin Eastburn
wrote:

On 1/14/2015 3:32 PM, Steve W. wrote:
wrote:
On Wed, 14 Jan 2015 10:45:56 -0600, "Paul K. Dickman"
wrote:

"Larry Jaques" wrote in message
...
Grease is an excellent idea. On a similar theme, I've been replacing
corroded light bulbs (with broken bulbs) in 2 different ladies' houses
recently and have used a skosh of either white lithium or vaseline on
the sockets and bases I'm putting the bulbs in. They won't have
another broken bulb again and all those gawdawful incans will be easy
to change from now on. One lady got so rambunctious that she ripped
up the socket base, too. This on a ladder 10' up in her house. She
had the concept OK, but you''re only supposed to put the needle nose
pliers on the broken bulb base and twist. She got both. Aluminum on
aluminum creates a sticky problem.

I use NO-OX grease, the stuff you use for Al wire. Mostly because I
bought a giant tube of it 20 years ago and it's still in my electric
toolkit and nearly full.

Somewhere, decades ago, they started making the bases on cheap bulbs
out of aluminum.
This wasn't a problem because they made the screw shell in the socket
out of brass or nickle.

Then they started cheaping out on the sockets too. Al on Al
(particularly in a base up configuration) is a recipe for problems.

Paul K. Dickman
Not a problem with the lights at our church - the bulbs have not been
lasting long enough for corrosion to set in!!! In the building 16
months and I've replaced half the bulbs already (and that's with less
than 6 hours a week use!!!)

What make are those bulbs???????

Switch to LED, at the rate you're swapping bulbs they would pay for
themselves in about a year!

I suspect the bulbs are special types - but LED's come in all shapes
now. Even Sams have flame lamps.

Martin
The bulbs are standard 100 watt edison base bulbs.

Lots of replacements available in LED.

Martin
yes, but there are over 40 of them and at least here in Canada 60 or
100 watt equivalents are still pricey. E still have a couple 8-packs
left - enough to relamp the rest with a few spares - picked up on sale
at thr ocal Home Hardware.

Give them away to churchgoers.

I've been paying $2-4USD per bulb direct from China, Singapore, and
Hong Kong via eBay.

Been doing the same with MR16 and GU10s - and changing them too often

Yes, it's more expensive than incans, but the
church 1) won't have the expense of hiring someone to change them
every month.
No cost to change them. When one goes out I grab the "swizzle stick"
and change it - less than 5 minutes including chasing the stick and
bulb.
and 2) has a much lower running cost for the new LEDs.
It's a sound investment for the church of up to a mere $125, with a
ROI in under a year in most cases. Plus, it's a helluva lot less
hassle.
Where are you buying dimmable E26 or E27 100 watt (or even 60)
equivalent bulbs for under $10??? And they can't be the Phillips
"flatties"

The 12w dimmables were my most expensive bulbs, at $3.99 ea, with free
shipping. I think I may stick with dimmables from now on, too, as
they are OK in motion detector and home automation circuits without
modification. The others strobe.

I've gone through a couple hundred MR16 12 watt units at the office,
and in my home office I have a string of 7 lights that have consimed
over 35 GU10s in the last 3 years. I've used the 3X3 and 4X3 crees and
the COBs They've all been less than stellar in the longevity
department.

On Fri, 16 Jan 2015 15:39:51 +0000, David Billington
wrote:

On 16/01/15 14:56, Larry Jaques wrote:
On Fri, 16 Jan 2015 08:18:41 +0000, David Billington
wrote:

On 16/01/15 03:12, Larry Jaques wrote:
On Thu, 15 Jan 2015 17:57:43 +0000, David Billington
wrote:

On 15/01/15 16:53, Larry Jaques wrote:
LEDs beat the hell out of CFLs, too. The early/cheap Chiwanese bulbs
aren't all good, but instant refunds come from the vendors, so it's
not much of a loss. (Shipping takes 2-5 weeks, though some importers
are here in the States and I can buy through these small U.S.
companies and get quick shipping, supporting both them and the good
old USPS!

One thing to look out for is equivalent watts being sold as actual
watts. I'm having that problem with the Eagle Eye bulbs now. Only 1
shipment out of 4 was properly labeled, and I still don't have the 9W
LEDs I wanted for backup lights on my truck. sigh I'll use the
lesser bulbs in flashlights, I guess.

These draw only 110mA @ 12v and are very bright, but not as bright as
they should be. http://tinyurl.com/p85ffbn A pair of those added to
the pair of 3W (70mA) LEDs should do the trick for me, though.
I have seen a report that mentioned quite a few of the cheap Chinese
bulbs being sold online, at least in the UK, don't meet CE and likely UL
regs even though they are labelled as meeting them. One of the main
issues was lack of a protective covers and that allowed access to
potentially lethal voltage if you touched them while on. Another issue
was the ease of dismantling to get at live potentially parts. One of the
cases highlighted was a LED replacement for a cooker hood bulb where the
house owner got a shock while cleaning due to the lack of a protective
cover on the front of the bulb. Just a heads up.
Thanks, David. I haven't seen a potentially unsafe LED yet, but I'll
keep my eyes peeled.

Some 120v E26 dimmable 12w spots came in today's mail and when I
disassembled one, the p/s was entirely wrapped in black electrical
tape. the 15w of the same type had the p/s adhered to the inside of
the back cover with RTV/caulk, also protecting fingers from mains
power.
Just to make it clear the lack of protective covers was over the LEDs
themselves. They showed probing around the LEDs on open contacts could
result in potentially lethal voltage and current which would have been a
fail on the CE testing so dangerous and bogus markings.
Bbbbut, neither the LEDs (nor the PCB they're installed on, if any)
take mains power, they take 3v. I don't understand how your danger
could show up, unless a 4-y/o was probing the inside of an uncapped
LED case with a screwdriver while it was plugged in and turned on.
The danger highlighted was that the problem was with SMD LEDs exposing
contacts on the LED panels and they could be wired in series so one end
of the string could be at mains potential, it has been tested and shown
to be so in the dangerous bulbs. This was a discussion I found and a
quick search for "dangerous LED bulbs"
https://www.avforums.com/threads/som...ethal.1862196/

OK, I have a couple of those bulbs. AAMOF, my favorite LED bulbs are
those very same 20W "corncobs" with 84x 5050s on them. 100+ watts
worth of bright white light for the cost of 20. Wonderful. I was
handling it quite a bit in a switchless fixture with the power on, but
never got bitten by the 120v. Most people who install them have the
power turned off, so it's hardly a widespread danger, and I'm not a
bit concerned for myself. I've been bitten by 120v numerous times,
usually just a buzz. And I've been bitten by 240v a handful of times.
That throws you off more quickly.


Some concern mentioned there also about the like of GU bulbs where the
heatsink is close to live mains potential but no provision for a ground
on that bulb style so insulation failure could lead to the heatsink
going live.

Well, life is a gamble. I have a healthy respect for electricity, but
more often troubleshoot it with the power turned ON. A nitrile glove
(sometimes two, when I'm sitting on a grounded object) protects me.
When a mains-potential lead pokes through the glove, it gives me that
distinctly familiar tingle I associate with electricity.

I loved the curmudgeon email I received earlier this week, especially
the first point. Here's a reprise, in case noone sent a copy to you:

Subject: A Curmudgeon's Perspective

This is too good to not ENJOY AND SMILE

1. I'm not saying let's go kill all the stupid people. I'm just saying
let's remove all the warning labels and let the problem work itself
out.
2. I changed my car horn to gunshot sounds. People move out of the way
much faster now.
3. You can tell a lot about a woman's mood just by her hands. If they
are holding a gun, she's probably ****ed off.
4. Gone are the days when girls cooked like their mothers . Now they
drink like their fathers.
5. You know that tingly little feeling you get when you really like
someone you've just met? That's common sense leaving your body.
6. I don't like making plans for the day. Because then the word
"premeditated" gets thrown around in the courtroom.
7. I didn't make it to the gym today. That makes 1,500 days in a row.
8. I decided to change calling the bathroom the John and renamed it
the Jim. I feel so much better saying I went to the Jim this morning.
9. Dear paranoid people who check behind shower curtains for
murderers. If you find one, _what's_your_plan_?
10. Everyone has a right to be stupid once in awhile, but some people
just abuse the privilege.

--
The reasonable man adapts himself to the world; the unreasonable
one persists in trying to adapt the world to himself. Therefore,
all progress depends on the unreasonable man.
-- George Bernard Shaw

On Fri, 16 Jan 2015 17:12:47 -0500, wrote:

On Fri, 16 Jan 2015 07:10:37 -0800, Larry Jaques
wrote:

On Fri, 16 Jan 2015 07:30:12 -0500, wrote:

On Thu, 15 Jan 2015 23:08:59 -0600, Martin Eastburn
wrote:

On 1/15/2015 6:15 PM, wrote:
On Wed, 14 Jan 2015 23:14:33 -0600, Martin Eastburn
wrote:

On 1/14/2015 3:32 PM, Steve W. wrote:
wrote:
On Wed, 14 Jan 2015 10:45:56 -0600, "Paul K. Dickman"
wrote:

"Larry Jaques" wrote in message
...
Grease is an excellent idea. On a similar theme, I've been replacing
corroded light bulbs (with broken bulbs) in 2 different ladies' houses
recently and have used a skosh of either white lithium or vaseline on
the sockets and bases I'm putting the bulbs in. They won't have
another broken bulb again and all those gawdawful incans will be easy
to change from now on. One lady got so rambunctious that she ripped
up the socket base, too. This on a ladder 10' up in her house. She
had the concept OK, but you''re only supposed to put the needle nose
pliers on the broken bulb base and twist. She got both. Aluminum on
aluminum creates a sticky problem.

I use NO-OX grease, the stuff you use for Al wire. Mostly because I
bought a giant tube of it 20 years ago and it's still in my electric
toolkit and nearly full.

Somewhere, decades ago, they started making the bases on cheap bulbs
out of aluminum.
This wasn't a problem because they made the screw shell in the socket
out of brass or nickle.

Then they started cheaping out on the sockets too. Al on Al
(particularly in a base up configuration) is a recipe for problems.

Paul K. Dickman
Not a problem with the lights at our church - the bulbs have not been
lasting long enough for corrosion to set in!!! In the building 16
months and I've replaced half the bulbs already (and that's with less
than 6 hours a week use!!!)

What make are those bulbs???????

Switch to LED, at the rate you're swapping bulbs they would pay for
themselves in about a year!

I suspect the bulbs are special types - but LED's come in all shapes
now. Even Sams have flame lamps.

Martin
The bulbs are standard 100 watt edison base bulbs.

Lots of replacements available in LED.

Martin
yes, but there are over 40 of them and at least here in Canada 60 or
100 watt equivalents are still pricey. E still have a couple 8-packs
left - enough to relamp the rest with a few spares - picked up on sale
at thr ocal Home Hardware.

Give them away to churchgoers.

I've been paying $2-4USD per bulb direct from China, Singapore, and
Hong Kong via eBay.

Been doing the same with MR16 and GU10s - and changing them too often

220v or 12v? I've had far fewer dropouts with 12v lamps from China.
Their voltage-drop circuits haven't been the best. With the new used
o-scope from Gunner, I may be able to troubleshoot those now, or start
building my own.


Yes, it's more expensive than incans, but the
church 1) won't have the expense of hiring someone to change them
every month.
No cost to change them. When one goes out I grab the "swizzle stick"
and change it - less than 5 minutes including chasing the stick and
bulb.
and 2) has a much lower running cost for the new LEDs.
It's a sound investment for the church of up to a mere $125, with a
ROI in under a year in most cases. Plus, it's a helluva lot less
hassle.
Where are you buying dimmable E26 or E27 100 watt (or even 60)
equivalent bulbs for under $10??? And they can't be the Phillips
"flatties"

I said I won't support the shabby output from North American suppliers
since they won't give me anything more than yellowish 60w light output
and they want far too much money for them. Once they build pure white
(5000k or better) 100-watt-equivalent bulbs, I'll consider them. 4100k
is OK for CFLs, but I want 5000k-6500k for LEDs.

My biggest gripe right now is that most of the medium to high-output
LEDs are in spot format, not flood. The corncobs fix that, but at
much higher price. I'm paying nearly $11 for a 20W corn bulb now,
delivered from halfway around the world. One died a few months later,
and they sent another one at no cost. http://tinyurl.com/pp5sxd6
current offering is $12.82 with 102x 5050 chips. They run cool and
bright for pennies on the dollar.


The 12w dimmables were my most expensive bulbs, at $3.99 ea, with free
shipping. I think I may stick with dimmables from now on, too, as
they are OK in motion detector and home automation circuits without
modification. The others strobe.

I've gone through a couple hundred MR16 12 watt units at the office,
and in my home office I have a string of 7 lights that have consimed
over 35 GU10s in the last 3 years. I've used the 3X3 and 4X3 crees and
the COBs They've all been less than stellar in the longevity
department.

I've only had one die. Heat is the largest problem, so the bunched
lights will be the first to go. My 15-watters may have that problem
(5x3), but I doubt the 12W (4x3) will. They have a large, gooped
heatsink and run quite a bit cooler. All of the multiple-chipped SMD
LEDs I've bought are still running cool and long. I run a 3.5W in my
articulated lamps and they're perfect for reading and tasks.
http://tinyurl.com/kjdjzve 12w $3.99 with free shipping. Most of my
purchases are shipping-subsidized by the Chinese gov't, I believe, but
it sure lowers the cost.

Thinking about this, I believe most of my lamps have used a different
brand of LED chip, Epistar. The above vendor claims it's the #1 Asian
brand for LEDs. I wonder if black market or substandard CREE chips
are the problem for you. Hot-running LED bulbs aren't in my future.
They're both a hassle and are more prone to die early deaths. Crees go
for more money, so I don't buy them. Most of my large bulbs are Buy-
it-now, but the smaller bulbs and larger batches are auctions with no
other bidding. For the T-10 bulb sockets/pigtails, I bid on a dozen
before getting two lots of 10 for $3.42 and $1.99, delivered. BIN was
$4-6 a lot. Then there's the month to wait for your product. g That
said, I may be overstocked for my lifetime with LEDs now, and the
total cost to me was less than if I'd bought a handful of American
bulbs. I had really lousy luck with FEIT brand CFLs when I was in
that particular buying-spree. 4 of 12 died. I'm still using some of
the old (3300k, ick) ULA CFLs from a dozen purchased a decade ago.
They're dimmable so they remain in the ceiling fan lamp above my
dining table. I think I have 8 left. Cost: $1.99 ea with free
shipping in 2004 when locally available CFLs were $5 a pop, and none
of those was dimmable.

sniff, sniff Oh, my lamb Vindaloo is done. Time to eat.
Globalization has its advantages.

--
The reasonable man adapts himself to the world; the unreasonable
one persists in trying to adapt the world to himself. Therefore,
all progress depends on the unreasonable man.
-- George Bernard Shaw

On Fri, 16 Jan 2015 18:17:48 -0800, Larry Jaques
wrote:

On Fri, 16 Jan 2015 17:12:47 -0500, wrote:

On Fri, 16 Jan 2015 07:10:37 -0800, Larry Jaques
wrote:

On Fri, 16 Jan 2015 07:30:12 -0500, wrote:

On Thu, 15 Jan 2015 23:08:59 -0600, Martin Eastburn
wrote:

On 1/15/2015 6:15 PM, wrote:
On Wed, 14 Jan 2015 23:14:33 -0600, Martin Eastburn
wrote:

On 1/14/2015 3:32 PM, Steve W. wrote:
wrote:
On Wed, 14 Jan 2015 10:45:56 -0600, "Paul K. Dickman"
wrote:

"Larry Jaques" wrote in message
...
Grease is an excellent idea. On a similar theme, I've been replacing
corroded light bulbs (with broken bulbs) in 2 different ladies' houses
recently and have used a skosh of either white lithium or vaseline on
the sockets and bases I'm putting the bulbs in. They won't have
another broken bulb again and all those gawdawful incans will be easy
to change from now on. One lady got so rambunctious that she ripped
up the socket base, too. This on a ladder 10' up in her house. She
had the concept OK, but you''re only supposed to put the needle nose
pliers on the broken bulb base and twist. She got both. Aluminum on
aluminum creates a sticky problem.

I use NO-OX grease, the stuff you use for Al wire. Mostly because I
bought a giant tube of it 20 years ago and it's still in my electric
toolkit and nearly full.

Somewhere, decades ago, they started making the bases on cheap bulbs
out of aluminum.
This wasn't a problem because they made the screw shell in the socket
out of brass or nickle.

Then they started cheaping out on the sockets too. Al on Al
(particularly in a base up configuration) is a recipe for problems.

Paul K. Dickman
Not a problem with the lights at our church - the bulbs have not been
lasting long enough for corrosion to set in!!! In the building 16
months and I've replaced half the bulbs already (and that's with less
than 6 hours a week use!!!)

What make are those bulbs???????

Switch to LED, at the rate you're swapping bulbs they would pay for
themselves in about a year!

I suspect the bulbs are special types - but LED's come in all shapes
now. Even Sams have flame lamps.

Martin
The bulbs are standard 100 watt edison base bulbs.

Lots of replacements available in LED.

Martin
yes, but there are over 40 of them and at least here in Canada 60 or
100 watt equivalents are still pricey. E still have a couple 8-packs
left - enough to relamp the rest with a few spares - picked up on sale
at thr ocal Home Hardware.

Give them away to churchgoers.

I've been paying $2-4USD per bulb direct from China, Singapore, and
Hong Kong via eBay.

Been doing the same with MR16 and GU10s - and changing them too often

220v or 12v? I've had far fewer dropouts with 12v lamps from China.
Their voltage-drop circuits haven't been the best. With the new used
o-scope from Gunner, I may be able to troubleshoot those now, or start
building my own.


Yes, it's more expensive than incans, but the
church 1) won't have the expense of hiring someone to change them
every month.
No cost to change them. When one goes out I grab the "swizzle stick"
and change it - less than 5 minutes including chasing the stick and
bulb.
and 2) has a much lower running cost for the new LEDs.
It's a sound investment for the church of up to a mere $125, with a
ROI in under a year in most cases. Plus, it's a helluva lot less
hassle.
Where are you buying dimmable E26 or E27 100 watt (or even 60)
equivalent bulbs for under $10??? And they can't be the Phillips
"flatties"

I said I won't support the shabby output from North American suppliers
since they won't give me anything more than yellowish 60w light output
and they want far too much money for them. Once they build pure white
(5000k or better) 100-watt-equivalent bulbs, I'll consider them. 4100k
is OK for CFLs, but I want 5000k-6500k for LEDs.

My biggest gripe right now is that most of the medium to high-output
LEDs are in spot format, not flood. The corncobs fix that, but at
much higher price. I'm paying nearly $11 for a 20W corn bulb now,
delivered from halfway around the world. One died a few months later,
and they sent another one at no cost. http://tinyurl.com/pp5sxd6
current offering is $12.82 with 102x 5050 chips. They run cool and
bright for pennies on the dollar.


The 12w dimmables were my most expensive bulbs, at $3.99 ea, with free
shipping. I think I may stick with dimmables from now on, too, as
they are OK in motion detector and home automation circuits without
modification. The others strobe.

I've gone through a couple hundred MR16 12 watt units at the office,
and in my home office I have a string of 7 lights that have consimed
over 35 GU10s in the last 3 years. I've used the 3X3 and 4X3 crees and
the COBs They've all been less than stellar in the longevity
department.

I've only had one die. Heat is the largest problem, so the bunched
lights will be the first to go. My 15-watters may have that problem
(5x3), but I doubt the 12W (4x3) will. They have a large, gooped
heatsink and run quite a bit cooler. All of the multiple-chipped SMD
LEDs I've bought are still running cool and long. I run a 3.5W in my
articulated lamps and they're perfect for reading and tasks.
http://tinyurl.com/kjdjzve 12w $3.99 with free shipping. Most of my
purchases are shipping-subsidized by the Chinese gov't, I believe, but
it sure lowers the cost.

Thinking about this, I believe most of my lamps have used a different
brand of LED chip, Epistar. The above vendor claims it's the #1 Asian
brand for LEDs. I wonder if black market or substandard CREE chips
are the problem for you. Hot-running LED bulbs aren't in my future.

I think it is crappy assembly with little or no heat transfer to the
heatsink.
They're both a hassle and are more prone to die early deaths. Crees go
for more money, so I don't buy them. Most of my large bulbs are Buy-
it-now, but the smaller bulbs and larger batches are auctions with no
other bidding. For the T-10 bulb sockets/pigtails, I bid on a dozen
before getting two lots of 10 for $3.42 and $1.99, delivered. BIN was
$4-6 a lot. Then there's the month to wait for your product. g That
said, I may be overstocked for my lifetime with LEDs now, and the
total cost to me was less than if I'd bought a handful of American
bulbs. I had really lousy luck with FEIT brand CFLs when I was in
that particular buying-spree. 4 of 12 died. I'm still using some of
the old (3300k, ick) ULA CFLs from a dozen purchased a decade ago.
They're dimmable so they remain in the ceiling fan lamp above my
dining table. I think I have 8 left. Cost: $1.99 ea with free
shipping in 2004 when locally available CFLs were $5 a pop, and none
of those was dimmable.

sniff, sniff Oh, my lamb Vindaloo is done. Time to eat.
Globalization has its advantages.

On Fri, 16 Jan 2015 23:28:54 -0500, wrote:

On Fri, 16 Jan 2015 18:17:48 -0800, Larry Jaques
wrote:
Thinking about this, I believe most of my lamps have used a different
brand of LED chip, Epistar. The above vendor claims it's the #1 Asian
brand for LEDs. I wonder if black market or substandard CREE chips
are the problem for you. Hot-running LED bulbs aren't in my future.

I think it is crappy assembly with little or no heat transfer to the
heatsink.

With that in mind, I recently sent away for some tubs of thermal
grease/heatsink compound. Are any of yours disassemblable, so you can
head off the problem prior to their death?

--
Progress is the product of human agency. Things get better because
we make them better. Things go wrong when we get too comfortable,
when we fail to take risks or seize opportunities.
-- Susan Rice

On Sat, 17 Jan 2015 06:21:47 -0800, Larry Jaques
wrote:

On Fri, 16 Jan 2015 23:28:54 -0500, wrote:

On Fri, 16 Jan 2015 18:17:48 -0800, Larry Jaques
wrote:
Thinking about this, I believe most of my lamps have used a different
brand of LED chip, Epistar. The above vendor claims it's the #1 Asian
brand for LEDs. I wonder if black market or substandard CREE chips
are the problem for you. Hot-running LED bulbs aren't in my future.

I think it is crappy assembly with little or no heat transfer to the
heatsink.

With that in mind, I recently sent away for some tubs of thermal
grease/heatsink compound. Are any of yours disassemblable, so you can
head off the problem prior to their death?
I bought some comound too - and they are all diss-assebleable, but
getting heatsink compound between the heat sink and the LED chip on
the multi-led units is virtually impossible as the LED chips are
soldered on. On the COBs the LED assembly is just clamped to the heat
sink by the reflector and retaining ring. Taking them apart and adding
heat transfer paste would be a relatively simple job if they weren't
already 12 feet above the floor in fixtures in a suspended ceiling.

I can apply it to new replacements.