Zetalux 2 Pro - Review

[jd_oc]

I went ahead and ordered two Zetalux 2 Pro bulbs direct from EarthLED about 3 weeks ago. It shipped pretty quick and I had them on my doorstep in about 10 days. $78.00 shipped for two.

I was using incandescent bulbs in my bathroom because I haven't found any CFLs that render skin tones well (rest of the house is CFL). So, I wanted to replace those 2 60 watt bulbs with LEDs. I went ahead with the cool white color (5000K) to see how I liked it.

Using what I have at my disposal, I took 'light' measurements using my DSLR before and after putting the bulbs in. I took multiple pictures (readings) before and after in different areas, and based on this the light was approximately 20% less with the new LEDs. However, the LEDs are more directional, so right in front of them, it is actually a little brighter.

While I have gotten used to the 5000K color temp, I think I would prefer a more neutral 4000K color (like the new Toshiba E-Cores that are finally coming to the USA). However, I think these render skin tones pretty well.

Also, using a watt meter, I found these 'pro' bulb are only sucking down 6 watts of power (vs 56 watts for the 60watt bulb). That's nearly 1/10th the power at 80% of the light! LEDs are soooo close to being 'there' for a mainstream 60 watt replacement, IMHO.

Using a laser thermometer I measured a peak temp on the heat sink of 152 deg F. Putting it in an enclosed light socket, the steady state temp was 170 deg F, I'm thinking that could seriously affect life time, so use these in uncovered environments.

If you guys have any questions, just let me know. Oh, BTW, I think they look pretty good, with the white heat sink and frosted dome.

 

[LEDninja]

I took 'light' measurements using my DSLR before and after putting the bulbs in. I took multiple pictures (readings) before and after in different areas, and based on this the light was approximately 20% less with the new LEDs. However, the LEDs are more directional, so right in front of them, it is actually a little brighter.

Using a laser thermometer I measured a peak temp on the heat sink of 152 deg F. Putting it in an enclosed light socket, the steady state temp was 170 deg F, I'm thinking that could seriously affect life time, so use these in uncovered environments.

Thanks for taking the measurements.
I was originally rather skeptical of the lumens rating of these bulbs. At 80% of a 60W incan, they are at or brighter than claimed.

Runs on the hot side though.

 

[blasterman]

Putting it in an enclosed light socket, the steady state temp was 170 deg F, I'm thinking that could seriously affect life time, so use these in uncovered environments.

It's the junction temp that matters, but yeah, this is a bit warm. With small heat sinks like this we can assume the emitter(s) are baking at a higher temp. Easy enough to tell what the manufacturer thinks it is if you just look at the graphs on Cree's site. What you'll find more aggravating is the likely color shift that will occur with warmer bulbs as the bulb ages.

Yes, ambient air temp is very critical with small heat-sinks like this, so an enclosed light socket will hurt it's lifespan.

Gee, ya think we were talking about CFLs there for a second

I'm trying to find one of the EcoSmarts at Home Depot to test, but they are all out.