How to choose an LED bulb

Characteristics of LED lamps

Light flow

The brightness of an LED lamp is characterized by the luminous flux, which is measured in lumens (lm, lm). How brightly you want to light up an office or a room is up to you. But try to adhere to the recommendations of SNiP:

Room type	Illumination rate (lm / sq. M)
Bedroom, kitchen	150
Children's room	200
Bathroom, toilet	50
General office	300
Drawing office	500

To determine the power of the lamps and their number, use the table. It also reflects the correspondence of the usual incandescent bulbs to the LED ones that replaced them.

Luminous flux (lm)	LED lamp (W)	Incandescent lamp (W)
250	3	25
400	5	40
650	8	60
1 300	14	100
2 100	22	150

The table shows how much less energy LED lamps consume. This is one of the main reasons for their popularity.

Color spectrum

An equally important role in choosing a lamp is played by the color of the emitted flux. Responsible for it is the color temperature, which is measured in degrees Kelvin (K). The lower this parameter, the warmer the light will be.

Color temperature (K)	Shade of light
2 700–2 800	warm yellow
3 000	warm white
4 000	neutral white
6 000	cold white

Yellow shades are considered the most comfortable for the home: they help to relax and unwind. Warm white light is recommended for office environments. It is believed to enhance performance. And lamps with cold white light are intended only for non-residential utility rooms.

Voltage range and color rendering index

If ordinary incandescent lamps without loss of brightness worked at a voltage of 220 V, then for most LED lamps for stable radiation, even lower values are sufficient. That is, the owners of such lamps will not even notice the voltage drops in the mains.

When buying, try to choose the voltage range with the greatest variation in values.

The color rendering index determines how naturally the colors of objects will be transmitted in the light of a particular lamp. It is indicated by the CRI (color rendering index) or Ra parameter. The higher the CRI, the more natural the illuminated objects will look.

In residential premises, it is recommended to use lamps with an index of at least 80 CRI or Ra.

Scattering angle

LEDs are designed in such a way that they are able to shine only in front of themselves: a very small part of the light is deflected to the side. Therefore, pay attention not only to their number, but also to how they are located. The scattering angle will directly depend on this. For different lamp models, it can be from 30 to 360 degrees.

Ripple of light

Low-quality light bulbs often pulsate. It is invisible to the human eye, but it can have a negative effect on the nervous system and lead to visual impairment.

Purchase lamps with a ripple range of no more than 5-15%.

Service life and manufacturer

LED bulbs have an average lifespan of 10,000 to 50,000 hours. The actual one is very difficult to establish, because technologies are improving day by day, the service life is calculated only in theory.

The warranty for such lamps is given from 1 to 5 years and depends on the manufacturer. It is the responsibility of the store to replace the lamp if it fails during the warranty period.

There are a great many manufacturers of LED technology today. Moreover, not all of them indicate reliable information about the lamp on the packaging. You can find out about the actually measured values of a particular lamp using the lamptest.ru testing service.

It contains many reviews, articles and independent tests of LED products. Here you can not only find out everything about the model you are interested in, but also choose a specific lamp for your needs: to do this, specify the necessary parameters and click the "Show" button.

How to choose the right LED bulb

To choose a lamp that will create comfortable lighting, will last a long time, will not harm your health and will significantly save energy, use the following tips.

The color spectrum of a lamp for an apartment should not exceed 3000 K. If you need a lamp for an office, choose a temperature of 4000 K. Lamps of 6000 K and above should be used only in utility rooms.
Choose lamps with a voltage range of 110-230 V.
Color rendering index must be at least 80 CRI.
The lamp ripple should not exceed 15%. You can easily check it in the store: screw the light bulb into the base and bring the smartphone camera to it. If the ripple is high, the screen will flicker.
Be sure to check if the lamp is working properly. Almost all electrical stores have this option.