Over the last decade LED light bulbs have had much to be desired when it comes to quality of light. Until recently the nice warm white color of an incandescent bulb for general lighting has not been technically possible. We’ve all seen the blue/purple tint of so-called white bulbs over the years. Until recently, LED bulbs have been perfect for low energy use stop lights and signal lights but they have not been good for general lighting in a house, cabin or RV.
This should be front page news!
That day of bad LED lighting is gone. The new generation of “wafer technology” produces a very pleasant “incandescent like” warm white light drawing about 1/7th the power. This should be front page news but soon everyone will catch on.
The other problem has been cost. A few years ago a low voltage light bulb that produced an eerie bluish-purple light could cost anywhere between $40 to $120 dollars each. Now the cost for a great low voltage bulb runs about $10 to $20 each. Of course, as their popularity grows and they become more common place, the prices will get much lower. Because of the cost many of our customers who rely on battery power when using a recreational vehicle (motor home or travel trailer) are replacing their most used incandescent light bulbs with the new LED bulbs. To save money they plan on replacing their less frequently used incandescent bulbs with LED bulbs as the price drops. Lighting uses a lot of battery power and the “writing on the wall” tells us that LED bulbs will be the standard in the future, both for 120 VAC at home and low voltage bulbs using battery power.
Vegas Trailer Supply carries a wide selection of Low Voltage/Low Wattage bulbs in three distinct white colors – Cool White, Natural White and Warm White. Most are for 12 VDC use but we are told that the 8-30 volt bulbs can be put on a dimmer.
Cool White: This bulb is a bright white bulb with a slight bluish tint to it. Its “color temperature” range is between 6000 - 6500K (K = Kelvin). It has a little more blue color than a cool white (CW) fluorescent tube.
Natural White: This is almost the same color temperature as a cool white fluorescent bulb (4100K) with a rating of 4000 to 4500K. It is a pleasant white that will do for almost any general lighting needs. One brand of LED light bulbs call this color Cool White but the part number has “NW” in it signifying Natural White.
Warm White: This is the color of typical 12 volt DC incandescent bulbs. It gives out a warm white light with a hint of yellow or light tan color. Its temperature range is 3000 to 3500K. This will be the most popular color sold because this is the color most of us are used to.
To replace a bulb, simply note the type of bulb or socket the bulb requires. The most common incandescent bulb is an 1141 bulb and we have several types of bulbs that will replace this single contact socket bulb. Other bulbs have two contact sockets, wedge base, festoon (glass fuse type) or two wire pins. One very popular bulb uses a socket connected to a wire so the flat panel bulb can lay directly on the plastic diffuser of a ceiling light. There is no heat with LED bulbs so this is a great lighting option. Others bulbs have a kit with multiple types of socket connections in the package.
We have a tester near the parts desk at Vegas Trailer Supply so you can see for yourself the color, brightness and amp draw of each type of bulb compared to an incandescent.
Happy illuminating!
