How to choose LED lamps for the home and which ones are better (2019 ranking)

Power

The first and probably most important characteristic for buyers is the power of LED bulbs. The cost of lighting will depend on how much watts a lamp consumes.

A very important nuance that you must remember - when replacing incandescent lamps LEDs, the power of the modern version needs to be reduced by at least 7.5 times. In simple words - if a 75 W bulb was screwed in, the LED should be selected with a power of about 10 watts.

You can see the difference in the comparison table:

As you can see, even with the example of replacing one light source, the savings are huge. But what if you make a replacement throughout the apartment?For home and apartment, it is better to choose LED lamps with a power of 12 watts or more, which illuminate the room better than 75-watt incandescent lamps.

Immediately I would like to say a few words about another important parameter - stress. There are light bulbs operating from 12 and 220 V. The first option is used in rooms with high humidity, for example, during installationbathroom lighting. You should not buy 12-volt products with the expectation that they will consume less electricity, because this is not true.

We also recommend watching a video comparing alternative energy-saving light sources:

We also compared energy-saving and LED lamps separately in the article: https://our.electricianexp.com/en/chto-luchshe-svetodiodnye-lampy-ili-energosberegayushhie.html.

Colour temperature

The next parameter to choose wisely is LED color temperature. As you can see in the picture, the higher the temperature (in Kelvin), the colder the glow will be.

For a comfortable time in the room, you do not need to choose LED lamps with bright daylight, which are most often used in offices and industrial premises. Better give preference to the range from 2700 to 3000 K, because this temperature gap is a yellowish glow of the usual sunlight. The packaging may indicate color in verbal form. Buy those models that are signed as “warm white” or “soft white”.

Base Type

We have already spoken with you in detail about types of lamp capswhere the most popular product designs were provided. When choosing LED lamps according to the type of cap, it is better to dwell on the option as it was before. For example, if a standard threaded socket E27 was screwed into the chandelier, look for an LED with the same thread on the market.

If you decide install a spotlight, You need to choose a LED lamp with GU 5.3 cap. In sconces and night lights, the threads E27 and E14 (Mignon) are used. The shape of the light sources can be very diverse: pear-shaped, elongated, round. Here, give preference to your taste and design of the lamp.

The presence of a radiator

The radiator removes the temperature from the LED block. If the design does not provide a cooling system in the form of an aluminum ribbed surface, bypass such a model side.

Sometimes manufacturers of cheap products install a radiator in the form of a plastic outlet. We do not recommend you to choose this option, as plastic has many drawbacks and compared with aluminum, it does not have such a high cooling efficiency. On this occasion, you can see a lot of negative reviews on the forums from those people who took advantage of this option.

It should be noted right there that opaque bulbs do not allow you to see whether a radiator is installed or not, therefore, when choosing LED lamps for your home and apartment, think about whether you need opaque bulbs.

By the way, it is possible to understand whether there is a radiator in the LED lamp by weight. If the bulb is heavy (it differs in weight from its analogues), most likely a high-quality aluminum radiator is installed in it. This embodiment can be undoubtedly chosen for an apartment or a house.

Work resource

Also, when choosing an LED lamp, pay attention to such a characteristic as a working life. To date, this figure may exceed the bar of 50 thousand hours, and this is about 15 years of work. At the same time, we do not recommend relying too much on the accuracy of the information. The thing is, what happens over time LED degradation and the quality of their glow is markedly reduced.

It will be better not to start from the working resource, but from the warranty period of operation. This time can be from 3 to 5 years, which means the following - if during this period of time the bulb fails, you will be replaced with a new one for free. Actually a useful thing, but the problem is that domestic and not very high-quality firms allow a warranty period of up to 3 years (foreign from 5). As a rule, during these 3 years, breakdowns are extremely rare.

Dispersion angle

This parameter also needs to be considered when choosing LED bulbs for the home. The nature of the illumination will depend on whether a scattering lens is installed and whether it is coated internally with a phosphor.

Also pay attention to how the LEDs are arranged. If they are all in the same plane, the light will be narrowly focused. At the same time, multi-level placement of diodes will create diffuse lighting.

Color transfer coefficient

Few pay attention to this LED lamp characterization when choosing them, but, nevertheless, it is also important. For bright lighting, the color transfer coefficient should be at least 80. A high value is considered to be a value of 95, but at a price such a model will be much more expensive. The color rendition is indicated on the package, but it can not always be found on the front side.

Here I would like to tell you a little trick. You can check how high-quality the manufacturer of the light bulb you have chosen is by this ratio. If the lamp is cheap, and the value on the package is high, then this is a fake.

Dimmer Compatible

When we considered instructions for connecting a dimmer, then drew attention to the fact that not all models of dimmers can be used with ice lamps. The LEDs for connecting to the dimmer must be specially designed, this must be indicated on the package.

If you choose a LED lamp that does not work with a dimmer, both the dimmer and the bulbs will quickly fail.Learn more about dimmable led lights You can in our corresponding article!

Appearance of the packaging

The packaging itself says a lot about the quality of the light bulb. As a rule, in popular led lamp manufacturers The following items are displayed on the package:

• information about the manufacturer;
• power;
• warranty period of work;
• base type;
• luminous flux (indicated in Lumens);
• color rendering coefficient;
• color temperature (both in verbal form and in Kelvin);
• barcode.

If many of these parameters are not specified, the products are unlikely to be of high quality. Also, when choosing LED lamps for home and apartment, we advise you to pay attention to the build quality itself. Good manufacturers have all fasteners made without gaps, bumps and roughnesses.

A visual lesson on packaging review is discussed in detail in this video:

Manufacturers

As you know, much of the above depends on the manufacturer. As for countries, both domestic and foreign companies produce fairly reliable products. Consider how to choose the right LED lamp by manufacturer.

Giants such as Osram, Philips, Nichia, CREE and GAUSS are leaders in the ranking. A lot of positive reviews about the Chinese company MAXUS, whose products have the highest warranty period at a relatively low price. Of the domestic manufacturers, such Russian campaigns as Feron, Svetlana-Optoelectronics and Optogan (Optogan) are popular.

If we talk about Chinese LED lamps, companies such as Camelion, Jazzway and Electrum have established themselves well.

Extra options

In 2019, they are gaining more and more popularity. smart led bulbsthat have such functionality:

1. Protection against thieves. The light bulb during the week remembers the time the owners turn it on and off, and in their absence it turns on and off independently, simulating the effect of presence.
2. The presence of a timer on and off. Settings are set manually.
3. Remote Control In addition to turning the light on and off, you can choose the brightness or color of the glow.
4. Smoke and motion sensors.
5. The presence of a battery. When the light is turned off, the lamp can still work for several hours, which ensures emergency lighting in the house.
6. Wi-Fi signal boost. Smart LED lights can expand Wi-Fi coverage with built-in antennas. This will enhance the wireless signal in those places where it is very weak.
7. The presence of speakers. Yes, light bulbs can even play your favorite music from your smartphone. To do this, you just need to synchronize the lamp and the phone via Bluetooth.

The most popular LED smart lamp models are Philips Hue, Xiaomi Yeelight LED and Luminous BT Smart Bulb. Want to choose a smart LED light bulb for your apartment or home? Pay attention to the listed models.

In addition, when choosing LED lamps, pay attention to the range of operating temperatures. For the street, you need to choose a light bulb that can operate at a minimum temperature mark of about -40 ° C. For baths and saunas, on the contrary, the operating temperature of the LEDs should be about + 90 ° C.

Well, the last thing I would like to talk about is the ripple coefficient. If the lamp is pulsing, This indicates a low quality rectifier in the power supply. The stronger the ripple, the faster a person gets tired, and his nervous system is also more excited. Unfortunately, it is impossible to estimate the pulsation coefficient with the naked eye. This will require a special device or at least a mobile phone camera. Ask to turn on the light bulb, point the camera at it, if the image starts blinking, then the LED lamp is pulsating, we do not recommend choosing it.

Best LED bulbs of 2019

So, we figured out the criteria for choosing LED lamps, now let's talk about which models are better to choose for the house and apartment. Since the most popular type of cap is E27, the rating will be compiled accordingly.

List of 7 best light bulbs according to the version of the our.electricianexp website:

1. OSRAM LS CLA100 11.5W / 827 FR E27 (11.5 W, 1060 Lm, 2700 K, Ra 80).
2. IKEA LEDARE LED E27 13W 1000lm (13 W, 1000 Lm, 2700 K, Ra 93.8).
3. Philips “Essential”, base E27 (11 W, 1150 Lm, 3000K, Ra 80).
4. Gauss LED Elementary A60 E27 10W 4100K (920 Lm, Ra 80).
5. Philips SceneSwitch A60 E27 8W 806 lm (3000 K / 6500 K, Ra 80).
6. Tagan TG-E2701 E27 10W 800lm (2700K, Ra 80).
7. IKEA RYET LED E27 13 1000lm (2700 K, Ra 80).

It is also important to highlight the best smart LED lamps in 2019:

1. Yeelight LED Bulb Color Silver (YLDP02YL), E27, 9W.
2. LIFX Mini, E27, A19, 9W.
3. Rubetek RL-3103, E27, 7W.
4. Insteon LED Bulb.
5. SONOFF B1.

That's all I wanted to tell you about how to choose LED lamps for the home and which models are better for domestic use. We hope that this information was new and useful for you!

Also read:

• How to choose an LED strip
• How to make lighting in the apartment
• Cheapest electric heating
• Installation of street lighting