Don't buy Lights of America 120V LED Bulbs

[Light Sabre]

I bought a bunch of Lights of America 120VAC LED bulbs to replace some of my CFL's. I have had 2 dead ones right out of the package. Have 4 that worked but now won't light at all. 3 others keep getting dimmer and dimmer and I haven't had them very long. Oldest ones maybe 6 months. They're overdriving the LED's more than likely. I have been getting them from Walmart for $6 per bulb. They're the multi 5mm showerhead type. :thumbsdow

 

[ponygt65]

I think the title should be.....don't buy LOA at all. :twothumbs


I can't STAND that company. They are hurting the industry.

 

[StarHalo]

I'd say the title could be "Don't Buy LED Bulbs". They're an awesome concept, and I know we'll all have them a couple of years from now, but they're not ready for primetime just yet..

 

[R33E8]

I'd say the title could be "Don't Buy LED Bulbs". They're an awesome concept, and I know we'll all have them a couple of years from now, but they're not ready for primetime just yet..

Or more specifically, LED bulbs that use 3/5/8/10mm LEDs... Some of the bulbs that use HBLEDs are actually worthwhile in some applications..

 

[ken2400]

I have found the 3/5/10 mm bulbs are OK as long as they are under driven and for short periods of time.
They can go longer when drive like a 5 ma or less.
Good for nightlights.

If you want a light that will last longer then get something that uses stars/bins but expect to send more $$$.

Don't be so concerned with lights that are on for like 5 to 10 mins a day. Change the ones out that on a lot like the living room and kitchen lights.

Good luck and thanks the the feedback.

 

[ponygt65]

They're an awesome concept, and I know we'll all have them a couple of years from now, but they're not ready for primetime just yet..

I can agree with that.

 

[blasterman]

They're an awesome concept, and I know we'll all have them a couple of years from now, but they're not ready for primetime just yet..

Because companies that are basically nothing more than domestic distributors for Chinese factories (LOA/Walmart) are pumping crap product you conclude LED bulbs aren't ready for mainstream?

If you've read the other threads, there's also reliability problems with higher end LED bulbs running higher end 1/3 watt LEDs because of the same problem. Basically, poor thermal management and dicey junk chinese current regulators. I'd never buy a 'showerhead' bulb based on 'toy' bin LEDs either, but even these LEDs are capable of MTF specs better than any Incan or CFL on the market.

This thread title should actually read; "Western consumers want, cheap disposable lighting they can buy in the same aisle as detergent and socks, and if it doesn't work right it's the fault of the technology and not the appetite for faulty electronics made by Asian slave labor".

As for a few years from now, I hope the LED lights used in your house are powered by a solar panel on your house running a native 12volt and you have trouble getting your HD bigscreen to work.

 

[PhotonWrangler]

I bought a pair of LOA 120v LED lughts at Sam's Club yesterday, then I saw this thread today. As a friend of mine used to say, weasel see...

 

[JohnR66]

My test of a 5mm warm white LED showed significant lumen depreciation after a 30ma 192 hour test. White ones fared much better as you can see below (column 1 are tested, 2 is control group). Are the LEDs in these bulbs warm white?

 

[purduephotog]

I bought a bunch of Lights of America 120VAC LED bulbs to replace some of my CFL's. I have had 2 dead ones right out of the package. Have 4 that worked but now won't light at all. 3 others keep getting dimmer and dimmer and I haven't had them very long. Oldest ones maybe 6 months. They're overdriving the LED's more than likely. I have been getting them from Walmart for $6 per bulb. They're the multi 5mm showerhead type. :thumbsdow

I'm sorry for laughing- I saw a whole bunch of these threads suddenly pop up at FatWallet, here- all over the place. Even a coworker of mine (we discuss LED lighting for work) went out and bought some.

Thanks for the update on them. I'm staying away from multi-5mm bulbs for a long time.

 

[snakebite]

loa=lights of china.
is there anything in their product line that is made here?
really doesnt matter as i have never seen anything they sell that lasted.
pure junk!
these cheap,junky led and cfl bulbs have already done a lot of damage to the buying public.
they buy this junk then it fails early or even blows up and stinks up the house.or worse starts a fire.

 

[Light Sabre]

My test of a 5mm warm white LED showed significant lumen depreciation after a 30ma 192 hour test. White ones fared much better as you can see below (column 1 are tested, 2 is control group). Are the LEDs in these bulbs warm white?

No, all mine were the bright white ones.

 

[JohnR66]

No, all mine were the bright white ones.

LoA must be using very poor LEDs or driving the heck out of them. Given LoA, you can be sure their doing both :shakehead If the bulb gets very warm after runing it a while and it has 5mm LEDs in it, it is a sure sign it will fade.

It is a shame these cheap-*** companies want to spoil LEDs for future markets by souring the consumer.

 

[PhotonWrangler]

I've just opened up one of the LOA 120v 3.5w accent lights from Sam's Club. There's a small printed circuit board in the base of the lamp which includes a full wave rectifier circuit, a few capacitors, a 22 ohm 1/2w common resistor and a handful of 100 ohm 1/4w dropping resistors, one for each of the "tiers" of the lamp. There's also a fuse soldered to the board. I've got to give them credit for the full-wave rectifier circuit.

 

[eyeeatingfish]

I'd say the title could be "Don't Buy LED Bulbs". They're an awesome concept, and I know we'll all have them a couple of years from now, but they're not ready for primetime just yet..

I have two different ones in my house right now and they do serve a purpose. Mostly as small desk lamp type bulbs. Great for something on 24 hours a day.

 

[jtr1962]

Right now LED bulbs aren't subject to any sort of independent testing. Therefore, manufacturers can put any claims they want to on the package. As soon as they start to be sold in larger numbers, we'll probably require the same standards as already exist for other types of lighting. That's when we'll see an end to the cheap junk. 5mm LEDs really have no place in fixed lighting applications. Even the best ones dim to 50% in under 10,000 hours. The only way to approach power LED lifetimes of 50,000+ hours is by severely underdriving them (i.e. 3 to 5 mA instead of 20 or more). Most manufacturers tend to do the opposite just to reduce the number of LEDs.

 

[JohnR66]

I've just opened up one of the LOA 120v 3.5w accent lights from Sam's Club. There's a small printed circuit board in the base of the lamp which includes a full wave rectifier circuit, a few capacitors, a 22 ohm 1/2w common resistor and a handful of 100 ohm 1/4w dropping resistors, one for each of the "tiers" of the lamp. There's also a fuse soldered to the board. I've got to give them credit for the full-wave rectifier circuit.

PhotonWrangler, If you would be so kind as to measure (careful - line voltage device) the voltage drop across one of those 100 Ohm series resistors to find the current going through the LEDs, I'd appreciate it.

 

[EngrPaul]

Don't buy Lights of America

I agree 100%

Don't be fooled by "lasts X years guaranteed".

If you can find the original packaging and receipt after the 2 months it takes for them to burn out, you discover for what it costs to redeem your warranty you might as well buy another light.

They got it all figured out.

 

[PhotonWrangler]

PhotonWrangler, If you would be so kind as to measure (careful - line voltage device) the voltage drop across one of those 100 Ohm series resistors to find the current going through the LEDs, I'd appreciate it.

I've just measured 2.25v across the resistor that's in series with the top tier of the lamp, where there are 6 LEDs. That comes out to 22.5ma passing through the series-connected LEDs. This surprises me a little considering the high brightness. Apparently they're not as overdriven as I thought they'd be.

 

[R33E8]

Right now LED bulbs aren't subject to any sort of independent testing. Therefore, manufacturers can put any claims they want to on the package. As soon as they start to be sold in larger numbers, we'll probably require the same standards as already exist for other types of lighting. That's when we'll see an end to the cheap junk. 5mm LEDs really have no place in fixed lighting applications. Even the best ones dim to 50% in under 10,000 hours. The only way to approach power LED lifetimes of 50,000+ hours is by severely underdriving them (i.e. 3 to 5 mA instead of 20 or more). Most manufacturers tend to do the opposite just to reduce the number of LEDs.

Actually there is one group that is doing random testing on LED bulbs... They show efficacy and other data and compare it to the manufacturers ratings.. Needless to say, almost every bulb is overrated.. The only thing I do not like is that they keep the bulbs and manufacturers anonymous.. Here is a snippet of one of their rounds of testing..

http://www.netl.doe.gov/ssl/PDFs/CPTP Pilot Testing Results Summary--draft-12-06-06.pdf