Consumer Tests - LED

Updated Jan 6, 2013

Tests performed by SP Technical Research Institute of Sweden for the consumer organisation Swedish Consumers’ Association and published in their consumer guide Råd & Rön. The lamps are tested in hanging position, uncovered. 3 lamps of each model are tested for light output, and 5 of each for durability. On-off periods are 2 hours 45 minutes on, 15 minutes off, 2:45 on, 0:15 off etc.

For easy overview in English, I’ve transferred the most relevant data to my own charts. Black numbers are from the actual tests, brown are my own, added for comparison and summary. The incandescent columns to the left shows the official recommended incandescent equivalent, and the single yellow column shows the difference in lumen (which is the measure of light quantity) between initial measured lumen of each energy saver from its incandescent equivalent to the left. 

LEDs 2011

LED ‘bulb’ models 2011 test result table

LEDs Spring 2012

(Original 2012 test result tables available only at a fee.)

• Light output: A little more light than corresponding CFLs, most even on plus compared with equivalent incandescent bulb original standards.

• Light loss: Less light loss than CFLs after 5 000 hours. However, the light will of course become progressively weaker with age and in that regard long life is not only a benefit.

• Lamp life: all bulbs still worked after 5 000 hours, except Osram’s 8 W bulb, marked 25 000 hour life, of which 20% had already gone out. (I hope R&R will keep measuring the same bulbs to see how they hold up over time.)

• Startup: All light up instantly, even at cooler temperatures.

• Cold temperature: No light loss at -25 degrees C.

• Light colour: Only one in the 2011 test (the 12W Philips MyAmbiance) and two of the 2012 test (Philips’ and Toshiba’s A-bulbs) appears to have an incandescent-like light colour, with correlated colour temperature (CCT) under 2700 degrees Kelvin. All other LEDs seem way too cold to visually pass for incandescent replacements, and all in the wrong order too: dimmer light should always be more red (lower CCT), not more blue as that is opposite to what happens with incandescent light when you dim it or use lower wattage.

• Colour renditition: CRI  79 – 90 = most around the same as CFLs but with more variation between models and brands, and no correlation between CRI and price.

• Dimming: Only the three in the 2011 test were dimmable at all, and none in the 2012 test. Actual dimming properties were not tested in these R&R tests. (Lighting designer Kevan Shaw recently tried the L-Prize winning LED in the same family and was not at all impressed with its dimming behaviour.)

The 12W Philips ‘MyAmbiance’ was dubbed “best in test” 2011 – all lamp categories.

Conclusion: More quantity than quality, and with a long way to go before light colour comes out right. Better functionality than CFLs. Shockingly high prices for lamps with no warranties to actually last as long as claimed, but guaranteed to get continuously dimmer over time.

LEDs Autumn 2012

(Original 2012 test result tables available only at a fee.)

More LED tests:

2011 – Öko-Test (Germany): LED-Lampen

2011 – Electronicsfeed.com: Are LEDs really a suitable replacement for 40W incandescent bulbs?

2011 - Retail Replacement Lamps 2011, U.S. Department Of Energy CALiPER program for testing SSL (LED) lamps:

In 2010, CALiPER conducted a study on LED replacement lamps found in retail stores. The results were less than satisfactory, and many products were classified as being unlikely to meet consumer expectations.

In November 2011, CALiPER purchased a new sample of products for a follow up study, with the intent of characterizing progress of this essential market segment. For the 2011 study, 38 LED replacement lamps were tested, including 11 A19 lamps, 5 G25 lamps, 9 120 V MR16/PAR16 lamps, 5 PAR20/R20 lamps, and 8 PAR30/R30 lamps.

The results of the second retail replacement lamp study indicate substantial improvement across many performance characteristics, as well as better performance at a given price. Besides notable increases in lumen output and efficacy, retailers stocked more products that performed as indicated by manufacturer’s claims, more products included the ENERGY STAR and/or LED Lighting Facts labels, equivalency claims were more accurate, and color quality improved. Specifically, in comparison to the first retail replacement lamp study:

• There continued to be a range in performance, but fewer products were considered unacceptable in terms of lumen output, efficacy, and color quality.

• A much higher percentage of products had performance similar to the incandescent and compact fluorescent (CFL) lamps they were intended to replace.

• Many more products were listed by LED Lighting Facts or were ENERGY STAR qualified; this is likely to foster more effective consumer evaluations.

• With a much higher percentage of products measured within tolerance of listed performance values, there were fewer obvious disparities between different manufacturers and different retailers.

This test, which included many more lamps than the Swedish test, both A19 (standard bulb type), decorative globe lamps and reflector lamps showed huge variations between lamps: prices between $8.99 – $59.98; lumen/watt 37 – 72; power factor 0.38 – 0.99; CRI 73 – 94; CCT 2624 – 6085 K with the majority over 3000K (which may not be as much of a problem in the U.S., as cool-white lamps are often more widely appreciated than in Europe).

Testfakta 2012

Link to Testfakta test table

Article: Billig lampa ger bäst belysning