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View Full Version : Recommeded LEDs for memorabilia room?



dplettn
03-03-2014, 02:39 PM
Does anyone on our forum have any experience to share regarding using LEDs for a memorabilia room. It would be especially helpful to know what works best in 6 inch canned lighting fixtures on a dimmer.

Even if your experience isn't with canned fixtures, knowing how many Kelvin shows bats, jerseys, etc best without making the room "odd" for normal family uses would be great. 2700? 3200? What is ideal for showcasing the "use" we forum members so love? What are the pros and cons of more or less Kelvin?

Thanks in advance to those of you who share your expertise!

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I collect Reds (Votto, Bruce, Larkin, Davis, Bench) and Bengals game used items. If you have anything for sale, please contact me at plettner at fuse dot net.



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the chart below may help to translate "Kelvin" for folks who associate light in some other metric.

frikativ54
03-03-2014, 03:42 PM
I think you might want to ask Smitty (xpress34). I recall that he was using LEDs in his memorabilia room...

esquiresports
03-03-2014, 05:15 PM
I have changed to LEDs throughout my house. I prefer 2700 or 2800 because of the warmer yellow light they give off. I even use these in my can lights in my sports room. 3000K will give you a whiter "cleaner" light without, in my opinion, being too harsh. The best deal on LEDs for can lights on a dimmer is Costco - cheaper than Amazon. They are 2700K and are available in 65 watt and 100 watt equivalent formats. Pricing is best in-store. I believe around $16 for 65 watt. In California, these pay themselves in very little time.

paul457
03-03-2014, 07:46 PM
It's all personal preference. I went to HD and picked up one of each, warm white, bright white, and day light to see what looked best in my space.

FWIW I went with bright whites. The warms whites were too yellow and the day lights were too harsh (for my tastes).

paul457
03-03-2014, 07:47 PM
It's all personal preference. I went to HD and picked up one of each, warm white, bright white, and day light to see what looked best in my space.

FWIW I went with bright whites. The warms whites were too yellow and the day lights were too harsh (for my tastes).

Oh... And the bright whites I have are rated at 3000k.

HawaiiSportsNut
03-03-2014, 08:04 PM
I have been using LED spot lights in my room for about an year now. My walls are white with a bit of blue tint. I originally used cool white LEDs but everything got to blue for me, so I changed it to the warm white LEDs. I am glad that I changed to the warm whites because everything has a more natural color to them.

You can choose the color of the LEDs according to your color scheme of your room or to your personal preference. It may cost a bit more but you can buy one bulb of the opposite ends of the color spectrum & one in the middle to see what works best for you. It would still be cheaper than doing what I did by buying 12 cool whites & changing them all to the warm whites. The cool white bulbs wasn't a total loss as my friend wife was happy to use them for her Precious Moments collection.

42itus
03-04-2014, 01:05 AM
I'm a lighting designer and I'll give you my opinion. The 3500k will make the colors right. But the 2700 will make your room comfortable. If you want excellent color rendition, look for something with a CRI, color rendition index, of 80 or higher. I would avoid anything at Costco, it's crap. In a nutshell, the LED will degrade and within a year will not be as bright as it was initially. That is, if it still works after a year.

The best bang for your buck is CR6 from CREE. It should run between $35-$40 at your local lighting distributor. If you're looking for something to give you high performance for 15+years, go with this one. If you go with the FEIT from Costco, you will probably end up replacing it after a couple of years. Keep the receipt.

PM me if you have questions.

jake33
03-04-2014, 10:18 AM
I work for an company that imports LED's and needless to say I changed my memorabilia room to have LED lights.

A lot of females notice LED's and do not like them. Men and women's eyes are made differently and notice things differently. Women's eyes are more sensitive to light (many women complain about driving at night time and lack of vision as well), while men have a harder time interpreting color (much easier for men to go color blind than women).

Anyways, I am trying to talk my company into marketing their line of LED lights to being a go to company for memorabilia rooms, due to UV rays not damaging items.

LED's last a lot longer and the prices in the market have gone downa good 50% in last 2 years.
It does take some adjusting to.

LED's ar emeasured in LUMENS, not so much watts, as we are used to.
I suggest getting a 3.4 Watt bulk for memorabilia room. Any higher wattage than that and you are running way too bright.

LED's can last 5-10 years too, even with heavy usage.

GMEN92
03-04-2014, 10:42 AM
I already have recessed lights in basement.. Is it better to get just the led bulb replacement.. Or get the retro fit assembly that screws into high hats? Thanks..

dplettn
03-04-2014, 12:21 PM
Thanks to you all, I now know 3000K is right for me... but I still don't know what specific make/models to buy or try and I would appreciate any and all ongoing guidance. There are so many things unique to styles/models.

The CR6 line from CREE (and what I read claims to be a privately labeled identical line at Home Depot, EcoSmart) have a number of different models. I am perhaps lacking in the basics as to whether I want a "down light", etc... and whether I can have a recessed style bulb and trim... all I know is I have standard (screw in style, NOT GU24) 6" canned housing in 2 by 2 tiles.... and 7 pages of bulb models organized by brand that are compatible with my Lutron Toggler dimmer.

This is for an 8" ceiling and housings are about 6 ft apart. Assuming 3000K is what I "like" which specific EcoSmart and CR6 line models would be likely matches? Also, with Costco's fantastic return privilege I would not be opposed to at least trying the Feits... which specific Feit models would best suit my 6" twist can housing with the 3000K and potentially CRI of 80 or higher that 42itus recommended for color rendition.

From what I'm told, the surface of these bulbs may look odd when I look up from below... especially so close in an 8 ft ceiling. So, a recessed type of bulb in trim similar to the picture below could be right for me the standard 6" canned housings are compatible and if they don't create problems with light dispersion. Would the pictured style be compatible and appropriate given my standard housing, ceiling height, and spacing?

I am grateful for the guidance already provided and I hope you guys will help me get to a specific bulb now that I know the 3000K and have an idea I'm between EcoSmart, Cree CR6, and Feit. Thank you in advance!

BTW, I tried to PM 42itus but the GUU PM tool says that 42itus does not receive PMs... if 42itus doesn't mind being in touch, please e-mail me at plettner at fuse dot not.