zmcgovern45
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I have several umbrellas, so I could try it out... Wasn't planning on it as the umbrellas diffuse the light and a focused beam of light is what is beneficial for spotting defects.
DIY LED Work Light (much better than halogen!)
- Thread starter zmcgovern45
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I have several umbrellas, so I could try it out... Wasn't planning on it as the umbrellas diffuse the light and a focused beam of light is what is beneficial for spotting defects.
Dr_Pain
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- Nov 28, 2012
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Well..... with your assistance, I am pulling the trigger on 2 set ups. I've actually modified the original slightly with the tripod I IM'd you earlier. I've also purchased a boom set up (after much research and reading of reviews). I'll let you know what comes of it 
Thanks Zach for your assistance.
P.S. I said umbrellas but was thinking softbox (without a diffuser) or something similar to focus the light and possibly reflect some additional light
Thanks Zach for your assistance.
P.S. I said umbrellas but was thinking softbox (without a diffuser) or something similar to focus the light and possibly reflect some additional light
K
Kappy
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Since the specs and pricing on the Utilitech bulb at Lowes and the Philips bulb at Home Depot appear to be very similar, would you choose the slightly brighter Utilitech - 2800 lumens versus 2600 for the Philips, if using 2 bulbs - or the Philips with the longer warranty - 6 years versus 2 years for the Utilitech? I wonder how much noticeable difference in brightness there would be between the 2.
Tato
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- Nov 27, 2013
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Just to add to the last post, (I'm not a lighting connoisseur), I've got a friend who is lighting designer, once he showed me some differences of the Phillips led bulbs against other quality bulbs.
From his concerns that date, the Phillips bulb 'shadows of objects on the walls' were much sharper, were the other quality bulb was ~blurry / double imaged. Same bulb spot, same condition. He justified saying Phillips leds were better and also well positioned to create a pleasurable light condition.
I don't know if that's important at all, or if he 'played a trick on my eyes' to show he knew something, but for his 'ambience designs' that date was important.
I can say it was impartial because he was buying bulbs from me, not selling (I used to import/sell 'stuff' as a side job). And the Phillips were also way more expensive. He told that quality and durability pays for itself in the long run.
This was about 2 years ago. Actually, I don't know how's the Led market in the US nowadays, since you may have much more advance in this field than us.
Kind Regards.
From his concerns that date, the Phillips bulb 'shadows of objects on the walls' were much sharper, were the other quality bulb was ~blurry / double imaged. Same bulb spot, same condition. He justified saying Phillips leds were better and also well positioned to create a pleasurable light condition.
I don't know if that's important at all, or if he 'played a trick on my eyes' to show he knew something, but for his 'ambience designs' that date was important.
I can say it was impartial because he was buying bulbs from me, not selling (I used to import/sell 'stuff' as a side job). And the Phillips were also way more expensive. He told that quality and durability pays for itself in the long run.
This was about 2 years ago. Actually, I don't know how's the Led market in the US nowadays, since you may have much more advance in this field than us.
Kind Regards.
281
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Do you have a link for the bulb at HD?
My stand and bulb base came today - can't beat it for $25 now I just need the bulbs...
ski2
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I don't believe this bulb will highlite swirls and scratches like a single diode LED flood as it has multiple LED bulbs. Lowes has both par 30 and par 38, 5000K bulbs in stock with the singe diode. It's this point source of light that really shows the swirls.
Here's a link to one at Lowes Shop Utilitech 23-Watt (90W Equivalent) Par38 Medium Base (E-26) Daylight Dimmable Outdoor LED Flood Light Bulb at Lowes.com
K
Kappy
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Sorry about that. I didn't see anything in the description that indicated that it wasn't a single diode and haven't seen one in person. Can you tell by looking at the lens?
zmcgovern45
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You can tell by looking at them that the HD light has what appear to be 9 individual LED's spread out to make a large square pattern on the face of the bulb while the Lowe's has either a single LED or a very tight cluster directly in the center of the light.
This concentrated cluster, or single LED, seems to be the most effective at showing defects as it provides one, single bright light source to look at rather than several, smaller, not so bright sources.
I'm sure either bulb would work OK though.
EDIT: Although these are completely different types of light, this is easier to show what I'm talking about.
Notice the tight cluster of LEDs in the center of this fixture.
Compared to the much different distribution of diodes in this fixture.
K
Kappy
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I was looking for other LED bulb options and saw this EcoSmart bulb on the Home Depot site. The specs say 1300 lumens, with a 5 year warranty, and it looks like a single diode in the photo. The specs also say it's shatter resistant.
EcoSmart, 120W Equivalent Day Light (5000K) PAR38 LED Flood Light Bulb (E)*, ECS 38 120WE CW FL 120 TP at The Home Depot - Tablet
EcoSmart, 120W Equivalent Day Light (5000K) PAR38 LED Flood Light Bulb (E)*, ECS 38 120WE CW FL 120 TP at The Home Depot - Tablet
ski2
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That looks like one, but note that it is "out of stock online" and I haven't seen any in my HD in months.
zmcgovern45
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Spent several hours working with these new lights last night... this is the most time I have spent with them so far so I figured I would share some of my feelings.
1) They are absolutely awesome at showing defects. The slightest towel marring/wash induced swirls were shown... not something I could ever see with Halogen lights
2) I wish the stand went a bit lower... I will have to come up with a way to remove the lights from the stand and set them on the ground when needed. (Although Claude (Dr Pain) found another awesome stand that fixes this issue... he can post a link to it if he wants)
3) These bulbs definitely do put off some heat, but it is WAY less than the Halogens... I mean WAY less. Here are some temp. readings.
Halogen Case/Heat Sink:
LED Case/Heat Sink:
Halogen Face (stupid hot!):
LED Face (the face of the bulb was cooler than the rear casing.. this was noticeable by touching each area as well):
Still very pleased with these lights.
1) They are absolutely awesome at showing defects. The slightest towel marring/wash induced swirls were shown... not something I could ever see with Halogen lights
2) I wish the stand went a bit lower... I will have to come up with a way to remove the lights from the stand and set them on the ground when needed. (Although Claude (Dr Pain) found another awesome stand that fixes this issue... he can post a link to it if he wants)
3) These bulbs definitely do put off some heat, but it is WAY less than the Halogens... I mean WAY less. Here are some temp. readings.
Halogen Case/Heat Sink:
LED Case/Heat Sink:
Halogen Face (stupid hot!):
LED Face (the face of the bulb was cooler than the rear casing.. this was noticeable by touching each area as well):
Still very pleased with these lights.
Setec Astronomy
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- Aug 31, 2010
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Arghh...I've already got the stand and the head, trying to decide on bulbs...should have waited!!
I think these bulbs would do the job and are half the price:
20W LED PAR38 Reflector Light Bulb at Menards
Jim
20W LED PAR38 Reflector Light Bulb at Menards
Jim
zmcgovern45
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I'm sure they would work fine. Consider the true differences between the 2 options....
The Menards bulbs are $27 compared to the $37 bulbs I used from Lowes... this is a 27% price difference, but also consider the 28% decrease in brightness with the cheaper bulbs (1000 lumen vs. 1400 lumen)
Just depends on what is most important to you... price or performance.
ski2
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Was in HD today and found these lights in stock. Seem to be the same as the original EcoSmarts, but without the "fins." About the same price as the ones at Lowes.
K
Kappy
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So was I and they had a full display of the EcoSmart bulbs. The only advantage that I can see, without trying the bulb, is the longer warranty. I have no idea if 1400 lumens will be noticeably brighter than 1300, 2800 versus 2600 for two bulbs, or if the bulb concentrates the light within the same area as the Utilitech, which is also important.
I considered getting the EcoSmart bulb to compare side by side to the one from Lowes, but the packaging is not user friendly and I didn't want to rip apart all of the plastic if I wasn't going to keep the bulb. Since the Utilitech bulb has already been Zach-tested and approved, it might be the easiest and best one to get, regardless of the shorter warranty.
zmcgovern45
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Get one of each to try... The packaging was a PITA, but I would not feel bad returning one if it truly wasn't the best option for you. That is why they have return policies