Wesley's Tool-Box

After successfully deploying LED lamps across the FPL lamp fixtures, I thought that the lamps installed in the traditional screw-in sockets should be replaced as well. Ever since these lamps started to go mainstream about 5 years ago, the price kept dropping and the choices kept on growing. This meant that it was a good time to make the move.

Comparing the various offerings on the market, I ultimately settled on the BEAM series of lightbulbs from Sigma LED (formerly Sunsea). They were among the brightest for the rated power, yet priced competitively. Both the 8W and 10W versions cost me about US$3.75 (KRW 4,500) per bulb.


They were set to replace the 20W compact fluorescent (CFL) bulbs made by Hankuk Lighting and installed throughout the house by default. Here is how they compare.


The LED bulbs are shaped closer to the traditional incandescent bulbs, making them thicker and shorter than the CFL ones. Because of the larger diameter, some of the fixtures that were designed only with the CFL in mind may have trouble taking in the 10W ones. This is why I got 8W ones as a fallback.

Meanwhile, the spec comparison reveals a similar trend seen with the longer cousins. The LED bulbs meant to replace the CFL comes in at about half the power consumption and slightly lower total amount of light. I'll be checking if the reality reflects these numbers, of course.

The Sigma LED bulbs came in simple, clear packages that list its full specs on a side. The box that contained the 8W one were slightly smaller than the 10W one, but the overall design remained nearly identical.


With the new bulbs ready to be put to use, I opened up the fixtures to start the replacement. Interestingly, I noticed that the rated power specification for the fixtures specifically called for a CFL. The incandescents would exceed it by five-fold, even though the sockets they used were originally designed for these classic light sources.


Of course, this wouldn't matter to the LED bulbs at all because of the lower power consumption. I screwed the 10W LED bulbs in place, and if the fixture wouldn't fully close, I'd try the 8W one instead.


With the lightbulbs replaced, I measured the brightness (via Galactica Luxmeter app) and the power consumption (via Seojun smart meter) under an identical light fixture to gauge the performance.


It turns out that the story is similar to the last time, too. Despite the supposed lower total light production, actual brightness of the 10W LED bulb pretty much matches its CFL counterpart while nearly halving the power consumption. The 8W one also performed as expected compared to the 10W version.

In conclusion, the LED bulbs provided just what I set out to get, and at a price that is much more palatable than merely a couple of years ago. If there's a well-used lightbulb in the house that isn't still LED-based, I would recommend you to start looking for an LED replacement regardless of its age.