I have some very old track lighting with halogen MR 16 bulbs that I’ve been wanting to switch to LED for a long time. There’s finally some MR16 LED bulbs with good CRI but I’ve read about compatibility problems with transformers and MR16 LED bulbs that were confirmed by the saleswoman at the local lighting store. She suggested using PAR20 or PAR30 fixtures. I can live with the larger fixtures of the PAR20 and I’m lighting up eyewear displays so the decreased shadowing with the PAR20 may be an advantage but when I compare the lumen output of 50 watt equivalent bulbs, the PAR20 is 2/3 (or less) of the MR16 output. Is that a fair comparison of overall light output or do the MR16s have higher values because they are more concentrated in the center? I will be lighting a wall of frame displays so spread out light is OK. If MR16 are that much more efficient, can I expect them to work if I buy a good quality bulb and new fixtures or are they not yet ready for prime time? Or would the MR16 G10 be better since they don’t have the transformers in the fixture?
MR16 fittings are not intrinsically bright or dim. It is the globe that you put in them that determines the brightness.
A quality 50W halogen puts out a lot of light, with high CRI, from a small globe.
There is no LED on the market that yet matches the output & CRI from a globe of the same size. So if you really want to switch to LEDs then you have to sacrifice either CRI, Lumens or go to a larger globe (or a combination of these).
If you have people looking in mirrors at their face then you want a high CRI globe. It will be more flattering.
Maybe you can switch the LEDs for background lighting have just have a few halogens in key positions.
PAR20 bulbs are available with more output than MR16’s. Also better CRI. My kitchen and office use 550 lumen, 95 CRI PAR20 bulbs. My best MR16’s are Phillips 10W 490 lumen/85 CRI. Beware of crappy import bulbs. See:
Thanks for the comments. Yes, I want high CRI.
Yes, I read all of your thread Texaspyro and was hoping you’d respond. Do you still recommend that eBay seller for lots of bulbs? Would you still recommend the Sylvania 78748 PAR20 bulb? Also, do you know about the length of the bulbs? Someone on my maillist said the PAR20 LEDs he’s bought have a long neck and hang out of the fixture.
Yes, I recommend NEW_LIFE_ELECTRONICS. Bought a lot of stuff from them and never had any problems. They currently have several lots of MR16 and PAR30 bulbs that have been going for cheap.
The Sylvania 78748 bulb is, by far, the best PAR20 out there. They are 3.5” long. I did have one (of 20) fail after a year. The dealer replaced it immediately.
my gu10 phillips master pros are both brighter than, the same tint as and similar cri to, the mr16’s they replaced, the only bummer for you is, it was easy to just remove the rinky dink transformer and take mains voltage straight to a gu10 bulb holder, I dont think you will be able to do this, however, the existing transformer may actually run a row of mr16 led bulbs, it may not……
I also did find that some are ridiculously long. and wont easily work with recessed fittings, they may however work with fittings they hang out of……most of them also look pretty cool to be honest, I think they are designed to look good in the fittings they hang out of, it certainly seemed a shame to hide them in recessed fittings.
So how do you know what CRI you’re getting with them? They don’t have brands or the CRI data in the product info. Do you try to ID the brand by the appearance of the bulbs or just take your chances for that price?
Most of the household bulbs that they sell are Sylvania/Definity/Ecosmart… all made by Lighting Science Group. 80 CRI. Their bulbs seem to be store returns to Home Depot… I suspect returned for dimmer compatibility issues with crappy dimmers. I’ve bought over 300 bulbs from them without any problems.
If you get lucky, you can snag a group of bulbs for around what incandecents would cost. Lately their lots have been going for cheap… like 15 MR16 bulbs for 10 bucks. Shipping is a little on the high side, but if you score several auctions on the same day they usually combine shipping costs.
I bought a top-of-the line 42” Sony LED LCD TV from them once for $150… but shipping was $150. Same set at the store was $1500…