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Bottom line: inexpensive, but really cheaply made. Doesn't fit well, and falls apart. Light quality is questionable also. Replaced it with Lighting EVER® 5W GU10 LED Bulbs, 50W and couldn't be happier despite the price difference. Light is a lot better, quality is perfect. Also I want to mention that returning these bulbs was a pain in the a***. I eventually managed to get a return and a refund without paying for anything, but I had to go through every step of the game, initially they wanted to only replace (no refund) and have me pay for shipping. Really...?
Pros:
price. I was sold on it just because of the price. For a 3 led light, that's pretty damn good.
design. They look so neat, at least if you like this brossed metal / modern look, which I do.
Cons:
light quality (compared to halogen: great. Compared to other higher end LEDs: shameful)
Assembly quality. This for me is the biggest issue. When screwing the leds in, it wasn't unusual to have the top part (glass cover, metal circle) unscrewing and falling apart, or simply this part turning without the bulb actually turning (so not getting in place properly). We tightened all of them carefully, but still it happened again. We used them on different fixtures, some recessed (difficult bulb access with hands) some flat (outside of the bulb exactly at the housing level) and some regular (bulb emerging a little bit outside of its housing). In every case, we had the led falling apart while half way through in the housing, and it was no fun to fix it. The worst was of course when installing them in recessed fixtures, where fingers can't fit and a special suction device is required to install the bulb. When half of the bulb gets stuck inside and the other stays in your hand, you are in trouble.
blinking. After installation, one bulb started blinking immediately (which didn't happen with the previous bulb). We tried everything, checked the connections, most of the time fixing the issue temporarily. But after a few minutes, hours, days, depending, here it comes again. Then a second bulb decided to join the party. Recently, a third one decided that blinking was cooler than just staying quietly on, thus triggering the return decision.
I do not think that it is an electrical issue inside the bulb, but I do think that the connectors are either of poor quality or of slightly smaller dimensions, which makes the contact erratic (again: never happened with any of the lights installed previously that were also GU10). Anyway, I'm not planning of making my living room a dance floor, so I'll pass on the blinking frenzy.
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I purchased two GU10 LED bulbs, for comparison, with the goal of eliminating the energy-sucking, heat-generating halogen "ovens" I am currently using. My primary criteria were:Less than $10 per bulb (including shipping costs)
Minimum 35 watt "equivalent" (with 50 watt equivalency as a bonus)
Warm White (ideally "close" to halogen)
Minimum 40 degree beam angle
Ideally close to the equivalent size of halogen (my bulbs are exposed, not flush or recessed in cans, so the size can deviate somewhat)
Stylish bulb housing that emits some light from the sides (like a true halogen bulb) to aesthetically enhance my stainless steel and glass light fixture.
Dimmable
Minimum 4-star Amazon rating
Obviously a tall order at my desired price point (given the current state of LED technology).
Product# 1: Lighting EVER Dimmable 4W GU10 LED Bulbs, 35W Equivalent, Recessed Lighting, Track Lighting, Warm White
PROS:
Very reassuring professional packaging.
Outstanding build quality and very stylish. Better than the photos. It looks and feels like a substantive, precision-made product. The highly polished, swirled aluminum housing fins look GREAT in any fixture where the lamp is exposed. (If you have recessed "cans" that hide the sides of your bulb, this will be of little consequence to you).
Emits some light from the sides of the bulb's housing fins (very little), in an attempt to emulate the effect of exposed halogen bulbs.
Absolutely perfect size, identical to a halogen (for anyone who needs flush recessed bulbs in a can-type housing)
Instant on. No delays whatsoever.
Light output is nearly equivalent to a 35 watt halogen.
Beam angle is equivalent to my 35w halogen (approximately 40 degrees)
Dimmable
CONS:
EXTREMELY GREEN LIGHT OUTPUT. This was an insurmountable problem that ultimately made me return the bulb. Let me repeat it for anyone who is "hopeful" (as I was): This bulb's output is absolutely NOTHING like your halogen bulb. Although the product description indicates "Warm White", and lists a color temperature of 3000 Kelvin, I would subjectively disagree with that claim. Although I do not possess a light meter, I would guesstimate that the color temperature is somewhere in the range of 4000 to 4500 Kelvin. Regardless, it is NOT warm white, bright white, cool white, or daylight. It's GREEN. It is so green that anyone viewed beneath its green pallor will unquestionably look like they are combatting a serious case of food poisoning. I'm not sure how the manufacturer arrived at the designation of "Warm White". However, given the obvious quality of the bulb housing and packaging, I've given it 3 stars for effort. I genuinely hope this manufacturer works on improving this bulb's color temperature in future iterations, because they would have a winner on their hands. As it stands, I returned this item because of the ghastly color. (Note to self: These could be useful at Halloween).
Product# 2: TORCHSTAR Dimmable LED GU10 3200K Warm White Spotlight 110V 4W (330 Lumen 50 Watt Equivalent) 45 Degree Beam angle
(THIS PRODUCT)
PROS:
Professional packaging (with a few less-reassuring English translation inaccuracies).
Excellent build quality, as depicted in the photos. When "off", the TORCHSTAR housing does not look as "high tech" as the LIGHTING EVER. However, when the bulb is "on" in a fixture...
This bulb almost "glows" a soft light from the entire length of its housing fins, and it does an OUTSTANDING job of emulating the glow of an exposed halogen bulb, It actually looks better than an exposed halogen bulb in my stainless steel and glass light fixture. (If your bulbs are recessed, you will not benefit from this effect).
Bulb is slightly longer than a true halogen (by approximately 5 millimeters). If you absolutely need the face of your bulbs to sit flush in a recessed or can-type housing, this may be a deal breaker. (5 mm = .196 inches)
Instant on. No delays.
Light output is slightly brighter than a 35 watt halogen. (Product claims 50 watt equivalency, but I only have 35 watt halogen bulbs on hand for comparison).
Beam angle is slightly wider than my 35 watt halogen. (Product is rated at 45 degrees).
Dimmable.
CONS:
This too is NOT a warm white bulb, in my humble opinion. It is, however, vastly closer to "Warm White" than the Lighting Ever bulb, and nobody will think your suffering from a case of food poisoning while standing beneath its light. While the Torchstar also emits a hint of green, it is not over-powering like the Lighting Ever bulb... and the color temperature is much closer to Torchstar's advertised 3200 Kelvin, than Lighting Ever's advertised 3000 Kelvin. Make no mistake... this is not the rich "hint of red" 2700 Kelvin that a true halogen warm white bulb emits. Nevertheless, given the current options AT THIS PRICE POINT, Torchstar's bulb is the winner.
In conclusion, I've re-ordered the Torchstar bulbs and returned the Lighting Ever bulb.
(Note: There is a bulb from HitLights currently on Amazon that also meets much of the aforementioned criteria, especially the target price point. However, according to customer reviews and photos, the housing is significantly larger than a standard GU10 halogen bulb. Additionally, the sides of the bulb housing do not emit light like a true halogen. Hence, it was excluded from contention).
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