discussion LED Light Bulbs with high CRI

[JD]

Have any of you come across any good quality LED bulbs of the GU10 50W equivalent? I have 3.5" recessed lights which is a limiting factor it seems as they only take GU10 bulbs and don't have any of the retrofit kits like 4"+ do.

My "ideal" light is the GE Reveal 50W Halogen GU10's, they give a nice warm colour and seem to have a high CRI as well since it makes the colours "pop". However, the heat and power usage is a burden in the summer months.

I had what I can only call the first-gen Philips bulbs (3000k, 300 lumens) which were dark and harsh. I picked up the current-gen version (3000k, 500 lumens) which is much brighter and whiter but the center beam is a bit too strong. It's only rated at 80 CRI, so the colours are not great either. They have a 2200k-2700k 400 lumen model too which may be closer to what I want but it's also only 80 CRI.

I think I'm looking for 90+ CRI, but I have yet to see any in stores.

 

[KaptCrunch]

home depot claim

Daylight- 5000K Brightness - 500 lumens

Philips Model # 457663

Assembled Width (in inches) 4.72

 

[CDN_Hammer]

I can't say I've tried any of these, but I have ordered other lights, and many other products from the site with good results. For the price of these you could experiment with a couple different types. Expect one to two months for shipping.
https://m.aliexpress.com/search.htm?keywords=GU10

 

[Daedalus2002]

I've bought these at Costco and using in both dining room and main washroom:

Luminus® GU10 7 W 520 Lumens Dimmable LED – 3 Pack

I believe Amazon has them as well

 

[JD]

In case anyone is following, I came across these: https://hyperikon.com/. I'll see how they do once they arrive. Picked up GU10 in 2700k and E26 in 4000k. Amazon.ca carries some of their products, that's how I found them.

If anyone is interested, PM me and I can send you my referral code to get you $20 off from their direct store. It's in USD, but doesn't seem to be any shipping charges.

 

[KaptCrunch]

JD
I see Free domestic shipping (48 United States) on all orders!, but Canada $ ?

 

[JD]

JD
I see Free domestic shipping (48 United States) on all orders!, but Canada $ ?

My order had no shipping charges either to Toronto. We'll see what happens... I suspect I'll owe money at the door for taxes.

 

[SKYMTL]

Why do you need a high CRI factor? You do realize that high CRI is typically "daylight" which is excessively cool for home environments, right?

 

[zoob]

Low CRI is ugly. It's a huge factor for why several people prefer incandescent bulbs vs. early CCFL and LED replacement bulbs. Incandescents are usually 95+.

You can get high CRI (90+) LED at 2700K (typical incandescent colour warmth) but you'll definitely pay more than the ones that only hit CRI of 80.

 

[JD]

Why do you need a high CRI factor? You do realize that high CRI is typically "daylight" which is excessively cool for home environments, right?

I actually prefer the brighter white in the kitchen and bathroom. Not 6500k, even 5000k is a bit too stark, but 3500-4000k is my range.

And as zoob said, low CRI is ugly. Colours simply don't look "right". It's just one of those things that bugs me to no end :haha: