LED Bulb Comparison's / Review

[Maine Sail]

Hi All,

I went ahead a acquired five different high output interior 12v LED bulbs for comparison.

I wanted to capture the actual beam width and the light color as best I could. I brought the bulbs home and set them up in my garage to shine on the back of the white garage door. I placed the test fixture 25" from the door and use a Deep Cycle battery at a 13.2V float stage charge to power them.

In order to capture every bulb with everything being equal I used a Nikon D-200 DSLR on a tripod with no flash and the garage was pitch black except for the one bulb being photographed. I even re-shot each and every bulb as new ones came in the mail so they were always shot within minutes of each other and at the same level of darkness in the garage. In between shoots I also moved the fixture and camera so I wanted every bulb to be in the exact same position to be fair. The camera was set to manual mode and every picture was taken remotely and on the same exact setting, so all could be as equal as possible. The camera settings were: 1s f/10.0 at 24.0mm iso200

Please note that a camera sees color temperatures differently than the naked eye and tends to skew everything to a warmer glow. The yellow/oragie tints are actually nice and warm and the whitest bulb, the Dr. LED, is almost blue in the real world.

None of the photos, where light was captured, was post processed or run through any photo editing software. This is how they came out of the camera.

I chose these settings because it gave a clearer delineation of where the effective light spread stopped and petered into darkness.

Current Draw is as follows:

20W Halogen = 1.745 amps
10W Halogen =.87 amps
Sensibulb = .194 amps
MarineBeam 6 bulb = .158 amps
MarineBeam 10 bulb = .188 amps
Dr. LED = .138 amps
Superbrite LED = .141 amps

To put it in perspective one 10W Halogen bulb uses 4.48 times (448% more) electricity than does one Sensibulb and one 20W halogen uses 8.9 times (899% more) electricity than the Sensibulb which was the highest drawing of the LED's tested.

This is the Dr. LED G4 / MR-11 it had the narrowest beam width and the coldest bluish color. It was also the least bright with the lowest current draw at .138 amps. At $28.99 I think the MarineBeam bulb is a better value and if you compare price, with beam width and light output, it can't really compare to the Sensibulb in warmness or beam width:

This is the SuperBrite LED's MR-11 WHP6. It's a six SMD bulb and a decent knock off to the Marinebeam MR-11-6 below. To the naked eye looks virtually identical but the lighting & current draw tell a different story. It has a cold blueish tint and is slightly less bright than the MarineBeam MR-11-6. At $14.95 it is a decent value but certainly not the best color representation. Another clue that it is not the same exact bulb as the Marinebeam is the current draw. This bulb drew .141 amps and the Marinebeam drew .158 amps.

This is the MarineBeam G4 / MR-11-6 it uses 6 SMD LED's and had a much wider beam width than the Dr. LED and about the same as the Superbrite LED bulb but was noticeably warmer in color output. Though the Sensibulb was considerably warmer and more natural looking this was the second most natural looking and fairly close to an incandescent bulbs color. It was brighter and warmer than the Dr. LED bulb and the Superbrite LED and at $24.99 it is a lot cheaper than the Sensibulb. It's a good choice for a price conscious user & it consumes .158 amps :

This is the MarineBeam G4/MR-11-10. Like the G4/MR-11-6 it uses SMD LED's but instead of six it uses ten. It was brighter but notably colder than it's smaller sibling bulb. At $27.99 it is a lot cheaper than the Sensibulb and a good choice for a price conscious user who needs more light output than the G4/MR-11-6 type bulbs can give.. I was not impressed with the color rendering of this bulb and it is tending towards colder rather than warmer especially when compared to the other MarineBeam bulb. It consumes .188 amps :

This is the Sensibulb and it fits both horizontal and vertical fixtures it had the widest beam width, even hitting & wrapping up onto the ceiling. It also had the warmest most incandescent like light output and was definitely the brightest of the five bulbs but also the most expensive at $37.99 (Defender) or $35.99 (with 10% discount from Sailors Solutions). It was significantly brighter than the Dr. LED bulb but also drew the most current of the three LED's at .194 amps (note the reflection off the ceiling and keep in mind this bulb was only 25" from the door):

I have also included this G4 10W Halogen bulb photo for comparison. It draws .88 amps or 448% more than the Sensibulb:

Here's a G4 20W Halogen bulb it draws 1.745 amps per hour or 899% more than the Sensibulb. In terms of light output the Sensibulb falls in between the 20 watt and the 10 watt halogens..

These are the bulbs tested:

From L to R: Sensibulb, Marinebeam G4/MR-11-10, Marinebeam G4/MR-11-6, SuperBrite LED MR-11 WHP6, Doctor LED Mr-11

Front Row: 10 Watt G4 Halogen, 20 Watt G4 Halogen

Test Fixture:

Lumens:

The question of lumens comes up a lot so here it is straight from Practical Sailor. The lower the color temp the warmer the bulb. The Sensibulb is still the widest and brightest.

Here's the technical color temp and lumen data from the Practical Sailor test:

Sensibulb (Daylight)= 150 lumens / 60" beam width / 2990 color temp

Sensibulb (Soft Light)= 130 lumens / 58" beam width / 2650 color temp

Cruising solutions MR 11 6P = 72 lumens / 48" beam width / 3300 color temp

Cruising solutions MR 16 9P[/b]= 108 lumens / 44" beam width / 3300 color temp

Dr. LED MR-11= 35 lumens / 25" beam width / 3850 color temp



P.S. If you mention to the folks at Sailors Solutions that you read about the Sensibulb here, Nick, one of the owners, has agreed to give 10% off..

 

[chaco]

Call me when the R&D is Payed For !

All these LED Replacement Bulbs are out in Outer Space on PRICE
Think I will wait it out until the R&D is payed for and the Bulbs cost $3-$4 Paying $15-$25 for a 12V Lightbulb is RIDICULOUS

 

[Maine Sail]

All these LED Replacement Bulbs are out in Outer Space on PRICE
Think I will wait it out until the R&D is payed for and the Bulbs cost $3-$4 Paying $15-$25 for a 12V Lightbulb is RIDICULOUS

Yes but paying 1K plus to upgrade the house bank, buy a bigger alt etc. is even more ridiculous..

 

[TRMN8R]

All these LED Replacement Bulbs are out in Outer Space on PRICE
Think I will wait it out until the R&D is payed for and the Bulbs cost $3-$4 Paying $15-$25 for a 12V Lightbulb is RIDICULOUS

Yes but paying 1K plus to upgrade the house bank, buy a bigger alt etc. is even more ridiculous..

BOTH are ridiculous!!!

 

[Emerald]

I love oil lamps. Have three placed around the main cabin. Such a nice warm relaxing light. The bright electric goes on as needed for specific tasks, but it's amazing how much you can easily do once acclimated to the dimmer lighting. I ilke what I'm seeing in LED technology, and do look forward to replacing those 20 Watt halogen's with LEDs at some point, but for now, it's two Weems and Plath and a Den Haan that are doing most of the work

 

[rwthomas1]

I'm a Sensibulb fan and here's why:
-Indistinguishable from incandescent.
-Much lower amp draw, more lights on at night
-Less engine charging time
-Easier on my batteries
-I leave the Honda generator in the garage now
-Very simple conversion of EXISTING fixture.

You can argue cost all you want but they are still much cheaper than replacing whole fixtures. You can also simply replace the bulbs in the lights you use most frequently, maybe 3-4 lights and use much less power.

RT

 

[Glyn Judson]

LED's, vs. Tungsten, vs oil lamps.

All, We have conventional, automotive bulbs in all the fixtures in and outside the boat and we have a one-light rule when not under power. When leaving the galley headed to the V-berth, the galley light is left on only long enough to turn on the V-berth light, then back to the galley to turn that one off. As with David, we supplement that system with one Den Haan Trawler lamp. I've attached an old sail hank to the upper bail and have bronze eye straps strategically located in the overhead throughout the main cabin. When working in the galley, it is located nearby. When sitting at the drop-down table, it's overhead, etc. Further, I bought an extra bail from the maker, have it attached to the bottom of the lamp and have added a short length of 1/8" line to that. I secure the lamp over the galley when not in use, sail hank at the top and that line on the lower bail running through the teak trim edge of a locker hatch in the galley island and wedged into a Clam Cleat on a vertical bulkhead hidden from view. Regardless of weather or sea state, that lamp stays put. Glyn Judson, E31 hull #55, Marina del Rey, CA

 

[Mindscape]

Oil Lamp

Although I'm an LED 'fan' and have replaced a number of both interior and my running lights with LED's my favorite lite while at anchor or in the slip is from my oil lamp. It's a soft light that illuminates a large part of the interior and is bright enough to for most tasks. As we are on a pier with no power the oil lamp is an excellent lighting source as night. On top of it, it's far and away the best looking light and gets comments from non oil lamp folks over for a drink all the time. So I'll convert to LED's to save on electricity, no LED is going to come close to the savings my oil lamp provides

 

[treilley]

Frank, which oil lamp do you have and where is it located?

Thanks

 

[Mindscape]

E.S.Sørensen

I've got an E.S.Sørensen table lamp, I don't know the exact model, but it's the one with the globe with compass roses etched on it. I've tried a couple of different oil lamps and came to the conclusion that a round wick is better (more light) and that some clear glass in the globe is good as it helps with more light as well. I also have a Den Hann anchor light that I have used as both an actual hoisted anchor light and as a small interior light. When using this light as an interior light I remove the actual lamp from the housing with the fresnel lens. The wick in this light is a simple small solid wick and does not put out as much light.
I use either light as a table light on my dinette table. I prefer this set up so that I can move the light if I need to. The down side is I must store the lamp when not in use and underway.
A side benifit of the table lamp is the amount of heat it generates, on a cold and damp evening or morning it can take the edge off pretty quickly. On evenings when I don't want the heat I just open the hatch and the heat is almost entirely disappated thru the hatch.
E.S.Sørensen does make a gimbaled version and has an number of mounted designs. If you use an oil lamp be aware of the heat that is generated and the need to difuse it either with a smoke bell of some sort or some other method.

My anchor light does not get the use it used to, but when I had a smaller (19') boat with limited power and electricity I used this light hoisted aloft with another line tied to a bail on the bottom. This light saw many a night and now has that weathered and worn look, but it never went out worked in wind and rain.

 

[stuartm80127]

Interior/Exterior LEDs

Hi All,

Over the storage season, I re-fitted my E27 with mostly all LED's and I kept my treasured oil lamp for the unparraled warmth and character when all other lighting sources are off. I used a mix of DR LED bayonette bulbs on the existing side mount interior lights and several new DR. LED chrome fixtures (3) on ceiling mount interior (work well to-date). The Dr. LED bayonette bulbs just don't have the luminosity and are a real pain to read from. I plan to try the 9 LED SMD square from ledshoponline.com in Austrailia. Over the storage season, I tried the DR LED for my anchor and tri-color. I promptly returned the DR. LED bulb to West Marine because the red lens was blocking most of the light from the LED and the green lens looked much more blue. I then tried the Aussie SMT LED and was very pleased with the bulb for both an anchor and a tri-color application and use them now for both. I will admit that their luminosity is nothing like a 20W bulb but their power drain fits well within my budget. I kept all of my deck running lights and my steaming light incandescent because the alternator can handle the extra load and they are brighter than any LED I have seen to-date that fit into that form factor.

 

[Loren Beach]

LED changeover

Time marches on, and LED prices seem to be coming down.
Still a great thread, because it is so hard to find real-world testing of this stuff (by someone not promoting a product)

I just replaced all of our "festoon" style bulbs in our Meta brand lights. With a $ saving from a friend's Fisheries Supply account, the price was around $8. each.
These are Lunasea, "warm white, low power, long life". Item LLB-186W-21-00. (very small print on the tag, but that looks right)

Anyhow, the light output looks close enough - unscientific observation - to the incandescent bulbs I removed. Now the amp meter readout hardly moves a digit when I switch one or two on them on.

Since our Meta fixtures were standard on mid-late 80's Ericson's and Olson's I thought this change might interest some other owners.

My friend with the vendor account had already replaced all of the bulbs in the same fixtures in his '86 E-38-200. So far, so good.

Speaking of fancy living afloat, this season also saw the addition of a third Hella two-speed fan, in the aft cabin. Low amp draw, and quiet. More comfort and less battery drain is a Good Thing.


Cheers,
Loren

 

[toddster]

I recently shopped at "superbrightleds.com" No particular endorsement, but their listings do specify a luminosity number for each product. Shipping was also fast - I had them in two days by USPS priority mail. (I'm building a new engine control panel and replacing all the gauge lamps with red LEDs.)

I didn't have any re-usable interior light fixtures, so a few years ago, I put in LED strip lights under the side decks, for general cabin lighting. They're dimmable, and bright enough for reading at full power. But altogether, ten feet of white LED strips draws about 3 amps, which seems like a lot. They're usable at 1 amp, if you're not reading. The adhesive backing is not really a long-term mounting solution. But you know - at five years old, they may be hopelessly obsolete.

Re: The oil lamp (discussion from 8 years ago) I have a cold-blast hurricane lamp on the "decorative object" shelf in my kitchen, along with a bunch of other old farm stuff. I've always been paranoid about trying it on the boat because of combustion in a confined space, and low overhead. But I suppose that people used them for a hundred years before electrics came along... BTW: I looked it up on line in hopes that it might be a valuable antique, but that particular model turns out to be the most common lighting fixture on the planet. Sells for as little as $15 in every country on Earth. Parts available everywhere. Hmm... starts to sound pretty good!