Our boat has 14 10w Halogen bulbs w/ G-4 bases in the cabin light fixtures and we are interested in converting to Warm White LED's. Has someone experimented with the various Warm White LED manufacturer's? Given equivalent color temperatures, are the LED's the same?
LED Cabin Light Conversion
- Thread starter RickS
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Yes. I have converted all my G4 halogen bulbs to warm white LEDs. I am using the SuperBright LED's G4-WWHP6-D in my overhead fixtures and the G4-WWHP10 in bulkhead fixtures. The **10 is slightly larger and puts out about as much light as the halogen bulb but is slightly larger than the **6 and won't fit into the Hella fixtures in my boat. The **6 is almost as bright as the halogen and plenty bright for me. By carefully bending the plug wires they will fit flat into most fixtures. Scroll around the website and you can find the dimensions to check the fixtures on your boat.
http://www.superbrightleds.com/other_bulbs.htm
http://www.superbrightleds.com/other_bulbs.htm
I installed Sensibulbs a couple of years ago and I'm a satisfied customer, I leave lights on all the time while at anchor and never worry about battery drain
http://www.sailorssolutions.com/
http://www.sailorssolutions.com/
Rick,
LED bulbs are not all created equal and can vary quite a bit even for bulbs that are nearly indistinguishable from one another. The good bulbs will cost some money but generally be worth it if you truly want a "warm white". I have not come across any bulb that can touch the Sensibulb for warmth, brightness and beam width/spread but I am always looking. Things change every day and there will be more quality LED's hitting the market at an over all lower price almost on a daily basis..
I had a chance to see some bulbs by a maker listed in this thread just last week. The owner paid short money for these so called "warm white" bulbs but they were FAR from either warm or white. The boat looked like a Spencer Gifts black light inside..
Color temps by manufacturer are anything but accurate. All the bulbs in the link below claim "warm white" and about 3000K +/- but they are all over the map in reality.
There are LOTS of unscrupulous/snake oil LED re-sellers selling the cheapest made junk you can imagine. Much of it has no voltage regulation, terrible color, abhorrent beam width and can interfere with radios. Sadly you mostly do get what you pay for with LED's. Expect to pay about between $18.00 to $36.00 per bulb for a respectable, voltage regulated warm white unit..
Feel free to read the thread/link below:
LED Bulb Comparisons (LINK)
P.S. I plan to add more bulbs to this comparison over the winter..
Try http://www.mastlight.com/Strips4.htmlbar or http://www.e-marine-inc.com/
These LEDs that are direct replacements for our G4 Xenon(?) ceiling lights. I saw these lights on his boat, then got some at the Annapolis boat show.
http://www.mastlight.com/G4.html for 14 dollars, 6-LED, plugin replacements for our B323 puck-style ceiling light fixtures. They are good, with a wider spread of light, a little more light than the originals. I like mine in the 3 cabins, as they are general lighting, and not the best for reading.
http://www.e-marine-inc.com/products/lighting/marinebeam.html , LB30130 is a 10-LED replacement. Brighter than the 6, I suggest them in the salon, at least. Don't know the /for-ten price.
They gave me an LB30205 that works in the berth spotlights. It is not as bright as the original G4 lamps, but it is a soft effect lamp. However, they like the Sensibulbulb for 39.95 at http://www.e-marine-inc.com/products/lighting/sensibulb.html for the spotlights. Mindfull of LED heat, this one has a heatsink on the back, and the 2 pins can be put on the back or the side.
I just came home with a festoon LED made by ANCOR, a Marinco company. It was about 11 bucks. Also got a "Nu-Lites" 14-led G4 for spot fixtures for about 10 bucks. Bend the leads and trim them and they'd fit ceiling lights. Time will tell how good that one is.
Be advised that EMarine took my order on the 12th, billed my credit card the 16th, and as of today (27th) they still do not have any to ship to me. Sold out at the boat show, says they.
These LEDs that are direct replacements for our G4 Xenon(?) ceiling lights. I saw these lights on his boat, then got some at the Annapolis boat show.
http://www.mastlight.com/G4.html for 14 dollars, 6-LED, plugin replacements for our B323 puck-style ceiling light fixtures. They are good, with a wider spread of light, a little more light than the originals. I like mine in the 3 cabins, as they are general lighting, and not the best for reading.
http://www.e-marine-inc.com/products/lighting/marinebeam.html , LB30130 is a 10-LED replacement. Brighter than the 6, I suggest them in the salon, at least. Don't know the /for-ten price.
They gave me an LB30205 that works in the berth spotlights. It is not as bright as the original G4 lamps, but it is a soft effect lamp. However, they like the Sensibulbulb for 39.95 at http://www.e-marine-inc.com/products/lighting/sensibulb.html for the spotlights. Mindfull of LED heat, this one has a heatsink on the back, and the 2 pins can be put on the back or the side.
I just came home with a festoon LED made by ANCOR, a Marinco company. It was about 11 bucks. Also got a "Nu-Lites" 14-led G4 for spot fixtures for about 10 bucks. Bend the leads and trim them and they'd fit ceiling lights. Time will tell how good that one is.
Be advised that EMarine took my order on the 12th, billed my credit card the 16th, and as of today (27th) they still do not have any to ship to me. Sold out at the boat show, says they.
I found that more than half of the Dr. LED interior lights died in less than 200 hours of use and they were not cheap.
Allan
Allan
Allan you're not alone in these failures. Making quality LED's that can stand up in the marine environment is not as easy a task as it would appear.
I was about to chime in with Dr. LED & then I saw post about failures. Good light quality but I haven't used them more than maybe 20 hours over the last 2-3 years. I have tried some cheap ones but didn't like light color or brightness. Sensi-bulbs are great in overhead fixtures.
********** Buyers Beware Of DR LED products ****** Over Priced Crap***********
I just had a little go-round with the Dr LED by e-mail about why my $80 nav table light fell apart the first time i used It. Its had 12v cigarette type plug in until it broke off.I thought that I could just get a new end piece and fix it myself. I was told by the good Dr. that it was unrepairable and that I didn't unplug it the proper way and the laws of physics had taken effect and broke my new light and that's life. Now, the thing that gets my goat is there was nothing in the packaging that said, I was not to pull it out by the head or the neck. This isn't what happened at all. It was very lose in the socket and simply just fell out about ten seconds after I put it in. Needless to say, I wont be giving him anymore of my money. And he doesnt care.
Good LED cabin lights @ Target
In the camping department they have a 4.5" X 1/2" LED tent lights that have 25 or 30 high intensity LEDs for $6.95 ea. They come w/ a little carabiner clip so it can be hung or you can get some velcro to secure them anywhere you like. which is what I did. They are powered by 4 AA batteries that are supplied in the package. I have them in every cabin, 2 in the galley, the head and one in the cockpit. All for less than $50 W/tax. My boat is lit up like a nuclear plant. Ive had them for almost a year now and no problems at all. All the LEDs still working and going strong. Check it out, you will likey alot
In the camping department they have a 4.5" X 1/2" LED tent lights that have 25 or 30 high intensity LEDs for $6.95 ea. They come w/ a little carabiner clip so it can be hung or you can get some velcro to secure them anywhere you like. which is what I did. They are powered by 4 AA batteries that are supplied in the package. I have them in every cabin, 2 in the galley, the head and one in the cockpit. All for less than $50 W/tax. My boat is lit up like a nuclear plant. Ive had them for almost a year now and no problems at all. All the LEDs still working and going strong. Check it out, you will likey alot
I can probably think of better things to do with $500. LED's came after I had invested in a battery bank and generator adequate for our use so at this time would be an unwarranted expense. Can't stand the cheap ones.
LED Heresey
I just don't understand the big rush to LEDs! We switched to halogen a long time ago. I have a robust battery bank and the difference over the course of even two days on the hook may be all of a few amps because we go to bed early, use the lamp oil trawler lamp in the saloon, and read in bed for maybe twenty minutes before lights out. No generator required. Our anchor light is lamp oil, too!
I just don't understand the big rush to LEDs! We switched to halogen a long time ago. I have a robust battery bank and the difference over the course of even two days on the hook may be all of a few amps because we go to bed early, use the lamp oil trawler lamp in the saloon, and read in bed for maybe twenty minutes before lights out. No generator required. Our anchor light is lamp oil, too!
Oil lamps? Stu you're living in the dark ages. LED lighting uses only milli-amps, They are vibration, shock and water proof. They don't get hot and can virtually be left on for weeks, All of them at once . The downfall is the high price and nasty light they produce isn't warm and cosy like an oil lamp. No wonder I'm so cranky all the time. I need to get an oil lamp. 
Oil lamps
They are very calming. We actually have three different types of lighting in the saloon: trawler lamp, original light fixtures (1986) (with halogen replacements for incandescent bulbs behind plastic) and two surface mount halogens over the galley and saloon table for higher level lighting. It's really great to be able to use the lighting for different times and purposes.
Because I'm a luddite, I'm going to rip the all electric lights out pretty soon.
They are very calming. We actually have three different types of lighting in the saloon: trawler lamp, original light fixtures (1986) (with halogen replacements for incandescent bulbs behind plastic) and two surface mount halogens over the galley and saloon table for higher level lighting. It's really great to be able to use the lighting for different times and purposes.
Because I'm a luddite, I'm going to rip the all electric lights out pretty soon.
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