Eric says:

Good Halogen Replacement I’ve been looking for T3 bi-pin LED bulbs to replace the Phillips 10-watt halogen bulbs in my landscape pathway/walkway light fixtures and was thrilled to come across these bulbs. I bought this product along with the 15 LED, 1.5w light bulb, to test out their capability and compare it to another LED bulb I was testing (The Phillips).First impressions:The 18 LED bulb is significantly larger than either the 15 LED bulb, other LED bulbs I’ve tried or the standard halogen bulb. I’d say the 18 LED bulb is about 5 times larger than the standard halogen bulb (see photos). This will present a problem to anyone trying to fit the bulb into a tight space in a fixture.The 15 LED bulb on the other hand is much smaller – about half the size and will more easily fit into the glass enclosures of most garden fixtures. Yet even this one is still larger than the halogen bulb, but not as large as some other LED bulbs other there.Physical Characteristics:Both bulbs are very rough in their construction. Lots of sharp edges and the pins are not exactly straight. Not show stoppers, but then again, nothing you want to be seen in a fixture during the day. With the 15 LED bulb, you can hide it behind many frosted glass enclosures, whereas the 18 LED bulb you will have to forgo the bulb covers and leave it exposed. Considering the price I would have expected a bit better build construction and fit and finish to the bulb then there was. My initial impression was that they looked like they were built by someone in their garage.Pin spacing is perfect, no issues with installation. The only comment I would have here is that the pins were actually a bit long, but not a major issue. Also once installed I had to re-bend the pins a bit to make the bulb stand up straight in the fixture.Light Quality:Here is where I think these light bulbs excel. Compared to many other LED lights, these came in truly in the warm white color range. Putting it next to the halogen bulb, the colors looked almost identical, which is good if you want to replace bulbs one at a time. I would have to say that to be truly critical; the 18LED is a bit warmer than the 15 LED bulb. But then that’s nitpicking.Light Output:As expected the 18 LED 3 watt bulb produced about the same amount of light as the 10 watt halogen bulb, with a very similar coverage area. There were no “lines”, as all LED’s blended together nicely to produce a smooth light pattern on the ground. Again, put next to the halogen bulb, you’d be hard pressed to tell the difference, unless you look directly at the bulb.The 15 LED 1.4 watt bulb was not as bright as either the 18 LED bulb or the halogen bulb. But the color temperature was a near perfect match. I would say (without having light meter), that the light output was about 20% less. Say the equivalent of having a 7 watt halogen bulb, which may be fine for many applications. Again, the coverage pattern was excellent. Plus if you have really long cable runs, the light output at the end may actually be better than the halogen.The only time you’ll be able to tell that there is an LED light in the fixture is if you are looking directly at the bulb. Then you’ll clearly see the column of 3 LED’s. It might capture people’s interest if anyone is looking at it and comparing it to the standard halogen bulb.In my test I also looked at the Phillips 3 watt LED bulb with separate diffuser. You’ll see this pictured in my photos for comparison. This bulb is very directional and even with the diffuser on, the majority of the light is directed in one direction. The color temperature is high – more into the cool white range, giving it the typical LED light look. Size is bigger than the standard bulb and with the white housing, prevents the glass enclosures from being put over it.In conclusion, the Philips bulb would be good if you want white light and a lot of it. It’s the brightest of the LED’s I’ve evaluated. Plus I like the fact that you don’t see the individual LED’s when it’s on. This would be good in a fixture that bounces the light up off a reflector before putting it on the ground.Both the 15 and 18 LED bulbs are good if you want to replace bulbs slowly and integrate them with your existing halogen bulbs. The 15 LED bulb is the choice if you want to make sure it fits inside the glass enclosures in your fixture. Whereas the 18 is the way to go if you want a lot of light, but don’t care the bulb show through and the glass enclosure is not needed.See the photos for size comparisons and notes.