A quick calculation suggests a Dubai LED (5W to keep common numbers) running 24x7x365 would save the consumer in the vicinity of $7 p.a. I suspect the main point of failure as with many LEDs is not the LED but the driver circuitry.
I appears to be one big hyped up marketing exercise, does it not? Even if more efficient, for what gain or value versus price could it be compared to other quality LEDs?
The is good reason for continuing to test LED lamps.
Is the common life expectancy test less important than other factors?
The ultimate question - is should I pay more for a more expensive LED bulb or are the cheaper store brands just as good? This sounds like a classic Choice consumer decision. @ChrisBarnes
So many changes in the LED area that I think select testing at least is very warranted
Is this following article true? Can it be tested by CHOICE or similar organisations, this is why at the least some testing needs to continue.
@grahroll Sorry but we have no capacity to test anti-microbial capabilities, whether for lighting or any other product (and outsourcing such tests can be expensive). Possibly we might look into this for a research article in the future.
With regard to other claims (such as for Colour Rendering Index or CRI, melanopic ratio etc) those are also generally beyond scope for us when testing light bulbs. We can measure luminous output and energy consumption, and long term life span.
@mark_m The reason we stopped testing is because, broadly, we found that at least for the major brands commonly found in supermarkets and hardware stores, the product claims are reasonably accurate.
The fact that LED light bulbs are now relatively cheap is the other main factor in stopping our tests. We put a lot of work into tracking which reviews deliver the most value for members, and therefore which tests we should invest in, and which ones should be less frequent or stopped altogether. Itâs hard to justify the expense of some tests when the products themselves are cheap and for most consumers, âOKâ performance is good enough.
But I appreciate all this feedback - itâs good to get these questions as they do help shape our planning.
Would CHOICEâs sister organisations like in the UK do this type of testing and CHOICE use the results?
I can understand the complex requirements including funds to do so, that prohibit CHOICE from undertaking such tests. Perhaps a multi organisation funded test?
I did a quick search to try to find any actual peer reviewed research but wasnât successful as I was time limited and of course there may be none.
Which? does publish LED light bulb tests - they are probably doing them as part of a multi organisation test, as thatâs how most of the European consumer orgs operate. Their test looks to be much like ours was, though they included CRI measurement as well. However the model list doesnât look like a great match for the Australian market though, even for common brands like Philips and Osram - this is a common stumbling block for sharing results with the European orgs. We can of course ship models over for testing just for us, but then we lose much of the cost benefit of sharing the test.
Hmm I wonder if Osram etc keep lists that they might share as to model rebranding for different markets?
I will contact some and see if it can be done.
Thank you for your feedback on my posts as it gives me ideas on how to approach some of the problems you note.
