# Forum Home Renovation Lighting  LED "Filaments"

## FrodoOne

While I now cannot find the reference on this site (within the last two years) I believe that I then did cast doubt on the possibility that lamps would be constructed with LEDs resembling long filaments  on the basis that the LED was, basically, a point source of light and a filament had length. 
I was wrong. 
There are now a great number of lamps  sometimes resembling very old fashioned "carbon filament" incandescent lamps  employing this LED technology under a very well-known brand name and available in the big green shed.
(In fact, it is quite annoying that these lamps seem to have largely displaced the normal LED lamps within the range offered by that establishment.) 
These lamps are available in both Bayonet and Edison screw (and in various sizes thereof) BUT only in warm white and only in clear, not frosted. (It seems that this manufacturer may be interested only in promoting these as decorative.) 
I did note that one of these lamps (which I purchased) was promoted as being 7.5W with a light output of 806 lumens.  (I also note that, at a cursory glance, the 7.5 W actually advertised might be viewed as being 75 W) 
I have previously purchased LED lamps (with inbuilt ballast) rated at (about) 10 W with a light output of about 800 lumens.  Comparing these two in similar bedside lamps showed me that the light output was virtually identical, except that the LED Filament lamp had a more even distribution of light in the vertical direction - because of the lack of any "ballast" getting in the way..
While I did hope that these lamps might be suitable for use in enclosed fittings, there is an injunction on the package to use them only in open fittings.

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## OBBob

Yep ... can't underestimate what developments consumer technology will drive. I don't think these have be borne from a desire for cool lamps, I think they probably came from computer and TV back-lighting and the leaps forward in automotive DRLs.

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## METRIX

Picked some up the other day, and they are amazing how they mimic the real yellow look of a vintage bulb, are rated at 4W but was really surprised how much light they gave out. 
Went for the T45 style bulb, as it will work better in the fitting we chose, these are wide and flat  (now all I need is the fittings) thats another story.

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## Smurf

I actually think this is what will kill all other forms of household lighting (well, apart from tubes in garages etc). 
They're the first LED "drop in" replacements that don't have the downside of producing highly directional light. Even without the decorative aspect, they're a very good substitute for incandescent / halogen bulbs and leave CFL's for dead in every way. 
8 years ago the shelves were still full of incandescents. Now if you go to any mainstream retailer you'll find that the range of CFL's has already been reduced to the basic types (the ones with glass covers etc are pretty much gone now) and there's pretty much always at least one line of CFL's on clearance sale. Give it another year or two and CFL will be gone completely in the context of self ballasted lamps. 
Something that surprised me only a few days ago was going into the office of a modest size transport company. That's the sort of place you wouldn't expect to know about, or have any real focus on, saving electricity since it would be a truly trivial business cost. But suffice to say that whilst waiting I looked up and noticed that they've replaced every single fluoro tube in what look to be 30+ year old fittings with LED's. If places like that are onto it then we're surely at the "game over" point for pretty much all other lighting technologies now.

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## FrodoOne

For further information relating to these "LED Filament lamps", see components - How do filament LED bulbs work, looking very similar to incandescent bulbs? - Electrical Engineering Stack Exchange 
This contains the following information and photo : -
"These LEDs are not a single radial die, they are made with a transparent substrate with many LED dies in series (probably 25) placed on it. The whole thing is then coated in phosphor. The light isn't completely uniform but it's good enough. "

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## OBBob

love a bit of destructive investigation.  :Smilie:

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## OBBob

You can now get the replacement fluro tubes with a motion sensor ... might be good for the shed, although at $50 a pop not that cheap.

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## FrodoOne

Further information concerning *"Dimmable* LED 'Filament' Lamps"   http://www.sylvanialighting.com.au/S...p-Brochure.pdf

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## FrodoOne

> Further information concerning *"Dimmable* LED 'Filament' Lamps"   http://www.sylvanialighting.com.au/S...p-Brochure.pdf

  The reference seems to have been changed to http://www.sylvanialighting.com.au/S...ingle_page.pdf

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