Advantages and disadvantages of LEDs, pros and cons


led bulb

In the previous article we looked at the classification of LEDs by type and type of LEDs. In the current material we will consider the question: “Are LEDs so good?”, “The advantages and disadvantages of LEDs, their pros and cons. Despite the fact that everywhere there is a lot of information about what “positive” sources of solid-state lighting, we were able to gather and not a few “minuses”. Although they do not affect the main component of LEDs – lighting, but together it is worth paying attention to this when choosing or switching to diode lighting.

I can not say that my article will be radically different from many others on the Internet. But in it I have tried to collect the most comprehensive list of positives and negatives, especially those that are usually not remembered.

Pros and cons of LEDs

I should firstly mention that the advantages and disadvantages of LEDs. described in this article are of a relative nature. And they can not categorically draw conclusions in one direction or the other.

Of course, the most important positive quality of any LED is considered a low power consumption. In almost every article you can read about this indisputable advantage. In most of this statement is 100 percent true. But even here you can throw a fly in the ointment. It is true that SMD, COB or filament can save a lot of energy. However, due to the fact that in stalls quite a lot of fakes of origin for a small amount of money we can get often unsatisfactory light characteristics. And then no savings are out of the question. After all, if we do not get a sufficient amount of light, we quickly throw out unnecessary “toy” and go back to the conventional light sources. And therefore savings are out of the question.

Lifetime of LEDs

1. The second advantage is a long life. Exact numbers on this characteristic does not have any manufacturer. All there is only on paper. In fact, the life of the diode will depend only on the specific conditions of use. But even comparing the different data we can conclude that most semiconductors are able to shine from 30,000 to 100,000 hours. In annual terms, this ranges from 10 to 30 years. Such a scatter is only typical for manufacturers who do not have their own laboratories and produce products without any kind of quality control. If you look at the expensive models of LEDs from well-known manufacturers, their figures can be trusted minus 10 percent. Serious laboratory studies allow no doubt about this.

Eco-friendliness of solid-state lighting

2. Greenness. One of the important pros and advantages of LEDs, because in an era of total control over our health, we often buy goods that can not damage our already undermined health. According to the engineers of any company producing light-emitting diodes, not a single chip is not made using poisonous materials. This may be so. But questioned the fact that the majority of Piranha LEDs were produced on lead substrate. We have already written about this fact. And in this case the environmental friendliness is out of the question.

Increased luminous efficacy compared with incandescent bulbs

3. high luminous efficacy. The main characteristic that attracts all buyers. Diodes are several orders of magnitude superior to incandescent, fluorescent, etc. At 1 watt of power you can easily get 250 lumens. In the early days of LEDs, such output was considered fantastic.

Disadvantages and disadvantages of LEDs, as well as lamps built on them

The main and main disadvantage is the warranty. The warranty is not only on the LEDs, but on the light sources assembled on their basis. Every manufacturer of lamps, in pursuit of his buyer offers a warranty for the smooth operation of its products for 3-5 years. It’s worth thinking … Why so little? After all, the life of the diodes themselves are much longer! The answer is simple. Any lamp is not just LEDs. This is a complex device, which contains numerous electronic components. They are earlier diodes and fail. So, if the warranty of your lamp is 3 years. and it broke after three years and one day, then with a high probability you will be left without lamp and without money. And therefore the “fat plus” in the form of energy savings you will not get. The average payback period of a good light source is at least 5 years. It’s not pleasant, but it’s bearable. Especially if you give preference to not cheap knockoffs, and quality lamps from reputable manufacturers.

The first and important disadvantage – pulsation

1. The most unpleasant problem with LED lamps – flicker. High-frequency flicker, ripple. This is the scourge of today’s lamps. A more detailed description of this problem, we will consider in a future article. For now, we will take into account that the ripple is the main drawback of LED lamps. It often suffers from other lamps, which use capacitors instead of drivers. And if you take into account the advantages and disadvantages of LEDs (any), it is this criterion often plays a role in refusing to buy LEDs, because many people do not know how to deal with the pulsation, flicker LED lamps and diodes directly.

led strip

The high price of chips

2. The cost of LEDs and lamps. This characteristic has remained and will continue to be relevant to buyers for a long time. At quality and expensive LEDs from the famous prices are just big. And you want a cheap and beautiful)))). But in this aspect it does not fit. In the LED lighting cheap will never be good quality. Not that market.

I spent a lot of time assembling various derivatives of LEDs. It seems that everything was satisfactory. Cheap and cheap. But at that time I was young and green in diode lighting. Then I got LEDs in my shop and my surprise was endless. With the same power I got almost three times more light than other diodes. I had to look for the “golden mean” again on Ali. Unfortunately, it took me a long time to find a supplier who was able to sell diodes of good quality at a reasonable price. Not much worse than the big names. If you are interested, write to me, I will give you the link. Not cheap. But the quality. Small retail. The advantages and disadvantages of these LEDs will suit everyone.

Driver

3. I mentioned earlier that all diode lamps have a driver in their composition. The higher quality power supply, the more expensive the final cost of the product … This is also attributed to the disadvantages of LEDs. We want to make it cheaper.

Dimming, dissipation angle and color temperature

4. Dimming. Can also be attributed to the cost. Any LED bulbs do not work with incandescent dimmers. This means you need to buy a new dimmer, and the lamp itself, which supports dimming, also does not cost cheap.

5. Small angle of dispersion. Diodes emit light in a narrow beam. In order to get more or less normal light you have to use secondary optics. Lamps without lenses and collimators look less than respectable.

6. LED lamps come in a variety of color temperatures. For an apartment you can choose from 3500 to 7000K. Without a clear understanding is not possible to pick up uninformed buyer bulb luminescence.  And most manufacturers do not always indicate the temperature correctly.

7. And another interesting observation. Buying in two stores on the incandescent we get identical in light “bulb”. This is not the case with LEDs and LED bulbs. In nature, there are no identical diode lamps. Therefore, two lamps bought in different stores with the same glow and wattage are very likely to shine differently. Of course, if it happens that the lamps are assembled on the diodes of the same brand and produced at the same time, the distortion will be minimal. But again, this is from the realm of fantasy. Who doesn’t believe it. You can try it. ) As you know, the smart one learns from other people’s mistakes.  I had no examples, I checked.)) (The light show is something else!)

Advantages and disadvantages of LEDs – conclusions

In principle, despite the fact that the minuses, disadvantages collected by an order of magnitude more than the positives, the advantages of LEDs still have. And the advantages and disadvantages of LEDs can not be considered in this case separately from each other to get a complete picture of this type of lighting.

Power saving, ease of installation, long life, safety, environmental friendliness. LED industry is evolving every day. And what the new day will bring us – no one knows. Maybe tomorrow everything will change and I will “change” my favorite LEDs. But for now… For now I am as faithful to them as a young man in love with a young woman with no memory.