Review, GreenCreative LED 4" Downlight, Product 40834

This is a new LED 4" Downlight imagined and sold by GreenCreative, as UPC 28672 40834. their Product: 40834/ Model: 10SMDL4GDIM/930.

10 watts, 625 lumens, 3000°K

It is a prominent addition in my Pinterest collection of LED lights that advance my vision of our Residential LED Lighting future. I act responsibly toward followers of my Pinterest collection and LED lighting vision, in offering this product and concepts review.

Begin with discussion of concepts, and start in that, with Brightness Numbers .

The package graphic almost-correctly indicates similarity to a 50 watt incandescent BR20 flood, perhaps this current offering at amazon  .

An E26 bulb which might be housed in a can is rated 500 lumens, and is 20% less bright (by the lumens ratio, 500/625 = *0.8). If this bulb is set deep within the can and under an obscuring lens, it will deliver even less than the well-revealed LED with its broad 110° beam angle .

Here is naive advice from Green Creative , that gives further understatement of the task illumination achieved with this light. The comparisons are with point-source bare bulbs.

• To replace a 100-watt incandescent bulb, look for a bulb that gives you about 1600 lumens. If you want something dimmer, go for less lumens; if you prefer brighter light, look for more lumens.
• Replace a 75W bulb with an LED bulb that gives you about 1100 lumens
• Replace a 60W bulb with an LED bulb that gives you about 800 lumens
• Replace a 40W bulb with an LED bulb that gives you about 450 lumens

The table implies that a useless 50 watt bulb corresponds to a 625 lumens LED downlight. In fact, a 625 lumens LED downlight corresponds to a 140 watt point source light bulb.

I offer Brightness Numbers to allow comparison of LED downlights with point-source incandescents. Directional 3000°K light of 450 lumens gives a good match in task illumination, to the well-understood 100-watt good old light bulb some won't surrender. I assign that task illumination a Brightness Number, B4, based on side-by-side comparison with human vision, my own.

Here is one of my several demonstrations of luminaire match at B4, as sensed by my eyes and by sensors of a commonplace Canon Digital Rebel, a good DSLR camera. The available 450 lumens LED standard is a now-antique Lighting Science 4" Glimpse LED downlight  .

Energy Conservation How To: Beyond 4" Glimpse

Apr 12, 2014

I'm looking for a 450 lumens dot, better than 4" Glimpse . A 450 lumens directional down light gives illumination below equivalent to a 100 watt point-source light bulb. I assign this illumination a Brightness Number B4, and ...

The GreenCreative Product 40834 light is too bright to be the replacement of 4" Glimpse lights. It has Brightness Number, 4*625/450 =  B5.6. If you are replacing a dangerous, hot 100-watt bulb at last dead, this light will give about 40% better light. That is a lot. Perhaps in your closet, hallway, or over your shower, you will be displeased enough to also install a dimmer. In many hallways, you will be grateful to have more brightness than that of a 100 watt bulb.




Unpackage a GreenCreative LED 4" Downlight, Product 40834.

I want to put the luminaire on my test stand, mounted to a junction box. Employ a quick-connector male end from my loose-parts inventory.

The flush side of a three-pointed bracket will be set against the ceiling of course, for junction-box mounting. This is the reverse of orientation in all installation drawings.

Box labeling includes the word CLICK. Here a  luminaire is Clicked to the bracket as it would be assembled for can light mounting. The deep side of the click slot is set upward.

Mount the GreenCreative downlight at Stage Left in my test stand. The bracket and quick connect do quite a bit to occupy and obstruct a junction box.

At Stage Right, mount a Nicor DLS4 3000°K LED downlight, my light most similar to the GreenCreative 40834.

At Stage Right on my test stand I employ two RACO 175 junction boxes. That fully visible here is at the same elevation as a junction box at Stage Left. Fit the upper Stage Right junction box with a porcelain lampholder for test of various light bulbs vs. GreenCreative 40834 at Stage Left.

At full power, illumination of Nicor DLS4 and GreenCreative 40834 is identical. The DLS4 is 671 lumens. The GreenCreative 40834 might be more than 625 lumens. The color temperature of 3000°K is a remarkably good match.

The GreenCreative 40834 dims smoothly, to a lesser light level (better) than Nicor DLS4. Both luminaires buzz as energized through a very-good Cooper DAL06P dimmer. 

The buzzing of the GreenCreative 40834 is about twice as loud, but might not offend you.

Here are photos of the lights on the test stand, upper at full power, and lower with full dimming.




















Review now, one more labeling of the package front, the claim Estimated Energy Cost: $1.20 per year. This is 3 hr/day*365 days/yr*10/1000 kilowatts*$0.11 per KWH. The number does not inspire. Better, calculate the money this light will save you over its lifespan of at least 40,000 hours. Consider replacement of 100 wall bulbs on a dangerous porcelain fixture, and replacement of incandescent of fluorescent BR20 flood bulbs in a 4" can light. I have offered unique math for this, until now treating the cost of electricity as fixed forever at current 11 cents/kwh.

Philips 455444 65 Watt Equivalent SlimStyle BR30 LED Soft White Light Bulb, Dimmable, High CRI, $15.86 and free shipping.
http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00MZX4WRC/ref=abs_brd_tag_dp?smid=ATVPDKIKX0DER 

GreenCreative BR30 7.5W Cloud,avalable somewhere as Soft White 3000°K.

https://youtu.be/jCNaFxCEQ6g

A BR30 "65-watts equivalent," 650 lumens, $15, 25,000 hours life is included in the savings table below. One of these will be the least-cost conversion from an incandescent or CFL bulb in a 4" can light. The lighted surface is probably adjustable to the face of the can and ceiling plane.

The above YouTube video states that a GE Reveal BR30 is best. I don't accept that. Perhaps it is only a little less likely to be ruined in a drop-to-be-expected. Poorer efficacy, lumens per watt, makes this less desirable.

GE Lighting 83574 LED 12-watt 650-Lumen BR30 Spotlight Bulb with Medium Base

BR30? A19? Expect up to 14 watts in your purchase, less-pretty 2850°K, and unsure survival of a drop.

Add one more choice in a savings-comparison table, Lithonia LED Versilite :

If you would retain a 4" can for your light, an inexpensive LED bulb achieves the savings, with least effort and installed cost.

If you start with a safe but jam-packed ceiling junction box, and can't replace that box, choose a Lithonia LED Versilite or GreenCreative 40834 dependent on your style preference. Many people will prefer the GreenCreative 40834 for appearance.

There are many adequate choices. Just be sure to stay with LED and someday OLED, from now on.  There was no joy in the jungle of incandescent, halogen and fluorescent bulbs now past. 


A menagerie of twelve light bulbs at the higher position Stage Right on my test stand, is compared with GreenCreative 40834. Note the ordering as for the cluster of four bulbs below. Two similar 65 watt incandescent spots at left give less-pretty light perhaps a bit brighter than GreenCreative 40834, but in unintelligent cones, concentrated with 60° beam angle. Light for general illumination, not upon some object, serves best with maximum beam angle.  At lower right see awful illumination from a "65 watt" CFL spot. At upper right, see that GreenCreative 40834 is much brighter than a 100 watt incandescent bulb. All comparisons are in a dimmer circuit at full power.

Of twelve lights in these photos, only the Cree 60-watt LED bulb, lower-right below, is dimmable. A 300 watt incandescent bulb, upper right below, is brighter than GreenCreative 40834, fragile and very hot.

Good riddance to all of these bulbs. Good riddance too, to the awful fruit of the L-Prize, among LEDs tricked to act as point-source and very poor in directional application.

GreenCreative LED 4" Downlight, Product 40834, at stage left again, is very superior to an 800-lumens Utilitech response to Philips L-Prize bulb , dead end beaming as it would, placed overhead to light a room. An LED bulb, tricked to act as a point source is uncompetitive for efficiency in practical illumination. We shall wish that the US Department of Energy would do something useful in the advancement of residential LED lighting.

Review DH Gate 9 Watt Round Dimmable LED Downlight

I act responsibly toward some LED lights advocated to the public in a Pinterest collection:
Residential LED Lighting .

The light is the smallest in this DH Gate offering, ordered at intermediate color temperature "nature white." I expected this would be 3000°K.

$94.60 for ten lights. I find this was an unacceptable risk.

I ordered the ten lights 8/14/2015, coming from China via Hong Kong, carrier DHL. They arrived Oregon, USA, on 9/8/2015.


Here place one at Stage Left in my test stand, to evaluate it by comparison of delivered illumination.

I will have more to say about the dangling converter block hard-wired in close proximity to the luminaire but too large to stuff into any USA lighting junction box.

At Stage Right, the most similar light I have, a Nicor DLS4 , 3000°K, 671 lumens, 100° beam angle.

Here is my delivered-illumination comparison, at full power. The DH Gate light is at least 600 lumens. It is very blue, estimated 4000°K.

Fully dimmed with Cooper DAL 06P dimmer, the Nicor DLS4 achieves lower power.

The converter block seems to have only 8 watts rating. It is huge vs. a RACO 175 junction box.

This is the only DH Gate package labeling.

Since this is a surface-mount light, try it on an ordinary lighting junction box 1 1/2" deep.

The converter block is too tall/ thick, to reside between the luminaire and the box mounting bracket. On short block tethers, this light has no usefulness in USA homes. To use these lights, I must cut off the block, and wire-nut it to extension wires at the junction box. Find then another place, as on an attic wall, to anchor the block. Electricians won't like this.

Think now to disassemble the DH Gate light for study, removing three little screws.

Loose pieces evolve, the aluminum lid, and two paper disks.

Power goes to the periphery of the aluminum housing, not to a disk circuit board. This is edge illumination of the acrylic lens disk.

See the diode array about the lens.

Note poor strain relief where leads are most at-risk.

Back together, and now I am wary of the poor strain relief.

I'm looking for a compact two-pin connector. This is nicely secure, but not compact. This connector is useless where long bell wire leads must remotely place the converter block or some other general DC source.

A second DH Gate light beams up from my test stand, where I prepare to look for backside light leakage.

Take the opportunity to compare color and appearance with Nicor DLS4, 671 lumens, 3000°K. The blue light is directed at the ceiling. More-yellow light is aimed at my test screen. Both beam about 45° away from the camera.

Leakage is very large. Bugs would die here, but they could not crawl in to dirty the lens. The backside leakage corresponds to power inefficiency with edge lighting. Must nearly half of generated light always leak to the backside? If light is directed here, it does not go out the front.








I have printed this report, except additions now, as PDF in English and in Traditional Chinese, where DH Gate invites feedback prior to release of my payment to the seller. I ask to ship all back to the seller, with full refund of my $94.60. I expect the DHL shipping fee will be substantial, and will report it here. I trust the seller will benefit from the feedback I offer.

I engage in this direct commerce with Chinese manufacturers with interest and with reluctance. In effect as a potential buyer for resale, I join others around the world in becoming a LED lighting manufacturer. This is absurd. It will not persist, as the world falls into chaos , driven by the insane "investors" of Wall Street, who in fact live everywhere . The crimes of greed leading to tragedy include trading in derivatives and direct theft through high-speed trading on illegal knowledge. Profiting from arbitrage in wage disparity , that should be illegal anywhere, is the crime I toy with here. Shame on me. I have been a rube here, and must get out of the game.

I wonder how offshore "LED lighting manufacturers" get what they want. One thing they might control through specification is a consistent scale of lighting color temperature .




I have thought there is a three-color scale, 2700°K Warm White, 3000°K Bright White and 4000°K Day Light, Names vary, and I avoid them. I have become rigid, advocating and buying only 3000°K LEDs.











Now with this purchase, I learn that some Chinese manufacturers have another set of scales:
Warm white: 3000-3500°K
Pure white: 4000-4500°K
Cool white: 5000-5700°K

These are in an offering from Spark , Shenzen, China. They may be the same as used by the unknown manufacturers of my DH Gate purchase. Perhaps USA-allowed 2700°K is thought ugly and is not allowed. I reject these ranges, with so many lights that are very blue, perhaps with no applied phosphor or coloring lens.

I have thought it silly that lights are made with matched diodes and coating, of one color temperature. I think this evolves from early adoption of battery-powered LED strips in under-cabinet lighting. Consumers demanded single-color consistency. In my Google + Community, vision of LED Starry Skies , broad-spectrum lights more-naturally illuminate wall colors. Each luminaire has a spectrum of diodes color, or separate stars have variable color, as do stars in our skies. Ideal lighting is from very many small  stars.

How else must an "LED lighting manufacturer" control what he gets? Choices are infinite and are made with chaos. He may ask only for "light bulbs." Dumb. He must do the detailed design for luminaire mounting. He specifies wiring methods that defy consumer choice. Wishes at my Google + Community are:
We progressively surrender most of our point-source bulbs. Those that remain are for decor, not for illumination. Big LED plate lights occupy recessed-light locations. In time lights get smaller, distributed and remote-controlled with DC wiring. Light elements are with standard-everywhere low-voltage connectors like audio jacks. New luminaires are forward-compatible with OLED elements. And - - seeing that PV arrays fail to serve in a disaster if grid-tied, let most lighting and crucial electronics be off-grid. Silly us, to want to generate income with a PV array, in the grid. In this, lights wired as low-voltage DC, auto and marine as the active example, will prevail over now-competitive chip-on-board AC LEDs. Why might we need AC LEDs? Strip boards down to only diodes and wires: that's what lasts forever. All fragile electronics clustered, serviceable, elsewhere.

I think the chances of achieving my vision are better if lights for my market, USA, are made in USA.

At 9/22/2015, I describe the fraudulent offer I might return my lights to DHGate. Sure. Ship them back within seven days. I have learned that the only workable return is by air, and this is least expensive with US Postal Service. The box is 7.5"x10"x14" and weighs 8.4 pounds. 6 to 10 day priority shipment would cost $76.15. 3 to 5 day express costs $102.30. There might be other costs to ensure delivery. NEX , an agent for DHL, has one air shipping option, costing $95. A return is silly, with no net vs. my $94 purchase cost that I now release to the seller. I have nothing to gain by a return, and only might hurt the seller. Silly seller, and every person thinking to take a chance with DHGate or alibaba: Let's stop fooling ourselves about personal e-commerce from China to USA. I hereafter mark all email from DHGate or alibaba, as Spam.

Serious At Fun ( A Wedding)

An excellent photographer asked each person's advice for the couple.

Here was mine:

Pull each other always up, never down.

And with this, I change the name of my Label. Did I ever care to be funny?

Being serious again, please know this is Timberline Lodge, on Oregon's Mount Hood. An oval snow patch above-center-left obscured by the near Douglas Fir, is a 10% remnant of Palmer Glacier . Begun this year, we will never again have all-Summer skiing on Mt. Hood. Are you doing your part to take this seriously?

More, On Brightness

This post will address luminaire placement density with good LED downlights, inspired by marketing decisions at Nicor Lighting. Nicor has replaced about-800 lumens, 120° beam angle DLS10 lights, with lights that at 3000°K are 671 lumens (DLS4), or 1022 lumens (DLS56). Builders and consumers need better understanding of the density of placement of such lights. I believe less brightness and less spacing between lights, is good design.

Here is one reference in this:

http://www.nzlightingltd.co.nz/Lighting+Advice/Brightness.html  

Brightness

Elecrical Work Homeowners can Carry Out | Choosing a Bulb | All LED lIghts Are Not Equal | Brightness | Positioning of Lights | External Lights IP Rating | Effect of Ripple on LED Lights

The range of human vision.

Some examples of typical horizontal light levels are as follows:

• Cloudless summers day with full sun - as high as 200,000 lux.
• Clear moonlight night - 2 lux.
• Typical clerical office -  500 lux.
• Underground car park - 20 to 50 lux.
• Floodlit sports stadium (rugby) - 1500 lux.

This resource says:

Positioning of Lights

Where to position the lights in a new home or renovation is often a worry as once the wiring is in pace it is expensive to make changes.

The following guidelines are based on practical rules of thumb and may be helpful in planning how to place your lights.

For general lighting in the home downlights with the equivalent of a 100 Watt incandescent are a good choice.

Delete the rest of this copy from the web, as it displays incorrectly. The links above work, and are useful.

Much more is needed in this post, wanting a rule book on spacing between LED luminaires dependent on brightness and ceiling height.

If you have lots of can lights at spacing good for 100 watt point-source bulbs, a very common need, Nicor now offers no solution.

DLS4 may be bright enough, but is not compatible, I would happily take out the can lights, swapping in 4" junction boxes for the then-modern DLS4 installation. You would be very happy with results. I can do such patch-outs affordably in  a half hour. Does anyone else do this?

DLS56 will be too bright at 100-watt bulb pitch on eight-foot ceilings. DLS10 did the job well, clipping in more-easily in most situations. We still need DLS10, 

Review, Nicor DLS4 Surface Mount LED Downlight

A 6/2/2016, on hold with Nicor, add this: Do not buy this light. I have returned my unused inventory of sixteen to Thomson Electric, as any seller would allow. I wish to return others rejected by customers, as defective. Lights are extremely glaring, with the foolishly tight array of diodes burning through the lens. This is reported in two prior posts:

Too-Bright Lights 

Luminaire Luminance Definitions 

I am selling my remaining nine DLS10 today. Now, what will I do? Can I expect corrective innovation from Nicor? Perhaps these questions will be answered, as I just asked.



A two-product family replaces Nicor's beautiful DLS10 LED downlight . I hope demand will allow continued sale of a poduct like 750 lumens 3000°K DLS10. For now, I must get used to the new offerings. I have started out with purchase of one each at best price, from Thomson Electric.

Nicor DLS4 
4” LED SURFACE MOUNT DOWNLIGHT

Nicor DLS56 
5”- 6” LED SURFACE MOUNT DOWNLIGHT

My study of these lights is captured in a Picasa Web Album , then a resource for blog posts. The DLS56, 1022 lumens at 15 watts, will be reviewed separately. First warm up to the new DLS4, 671 lumens at 10 watts. This is only slightly less bright than about-750 lumens Nicor DLS10, and might be used wherever a DLS10 has been used.


Observe the 3000°K DLS4 on my comparison test stand left side. I wire in a porcelain fixture to avoid cutting off the A19 plug.

This serves a notion that luminaires should be push-pluck, serviceable without tools. Spring engagement with the bracket is firm and intuitive. Simply wedge from ceiling, to detach.

Compare first with a 100 watt incandescent bulb at stand right side. Also in view are some Sylvania luminaires that are comparable to DLS56.

DLS4 at left and 100-watt light bulb, at full brightness in a Cooper DAL06P dimmer circuit. Where a 100 watt light bulb gives task illumination equal to a 450 lumens 120° beam angle downlight, Brightness Number B4, the 671 lumens DLS4, 100° beam angle, is about B6, 50% brighter.

The light bulb, at right, is not dimmable. The DLS4 dims well and almost silently, without change of color.

Now swap in a 65 watt incandescent downlight, about 650 lumens.

DLS4 3000°K at left, 65 watt incandescent downlight at right. Brightness is a good match by my sight judgement and by discrimination of my Canon Digital Rebel. The 65 watt bulb gives ugly rendering of wall color corresponding to about 2700°K LED color.

The incandescent bulb again is not dimmable.

At about half-bright with Cooper DAL06P dimmer, the incandescent color is becoming ugly orange.

The box back side includes data of test lumens, and luminous intensity , lumens per square foot (footcandles).  We don't yet have luminous intensity numbers for competing luminaires. Where I say the DLS4 is Brightness B6, that is yet more-useful than a particular footcandles measurement. 








Comparative brightness is what really matters, and that will be little dependent upon distance projected or being a bit off-center. I think my setup off-center fairly takes away advantage of a highly-focused luminaire. I won't care much whether beam angle is 120°, or 100°.

At 3/20, 2016, express some negative views of Nicor DLS4, where it is rejected as eye-jarring on an 8' hallway ceiling. Too much light is delivered through its small lens, with density 50% larger than that of Nicor DLS10 and Nicor DLS56. The DLS4 will give pleasant light if dimmed 30% or more. This represents Nicor DLS4 design error. A music room is illuminated far better with Utilitech 0752125, than with Nicor DLS4. Appreciate the added brightness, 900 lumens vs 671 lumens, at each light, and lights become easier to look at. A 4" light should not have been offered at more than 500 lumens. I have come back to find unhappiness the Nicor DLS4 is not simply an improvement of 4" Glimpse lights, 450 lumens. I will use up an inventory of Nicor DLS4, perhaps dimmed, as closet lighting not seen.

The following photos are from post Trial Placement of LED Disk Downlighting . In the lower photo, with DLS4, observe a still-wet patch of the needed ceiling cut. The now-invisible patch is with flexible grout ; use no tape.

Volunteer-Reporting The Evolution Of LED Downlighting Luminaires

I believe in and support sales of, LED lighting that is most efficient, beaming down at us, downlights, not point-source bulbs. A downlight uses energy about twice as efficiently as a point-source bulb. A downlight should not be recessed, and it should have widest beam angle. A downlight must no longer be related to a dumb can. No more can lights! Don't promote then LED downlights that are bulb-socketed, demanding a light can or a holder of any kind.

Lights that meet these requirements are collected at my Pinterest page Residential LED Downlighting . In volunteer service to a wished public following I have fired up my LED lighting test lab to check out a new light I found yesterday at a Lowe's store. I was looking for my usual Sylvania 70732 purchase. I expected to find that I identify as Sylvania 70732 Mod 3, and did so. Beside those was a new stack, a packaging that will be called Sylvania 75094. Here is the new offering at lowes.com. Lowe's calls it Model #: 75094. Model #: 70732 is discontinued.

A  brief photo report of this latest Lowe's evolution is at my Picasa Web Albums:
A New Sylvania Ultra LED Recessed &Surface Mount Kit, Sylvania 75094 
Sadly, I have found an important manufacturing error, new in this third and very substantial attempt at product improvement. The error prevents tight mounting against a ceiling where installed on a junction box. I will continue to buy these lights, and will very easily nip the lug with side cutters for all installations on a junction box. Most users will be unaware of the problem and will just be unhappy with the gapped installation. The manufacturer must change the heat sink molds.

Please see more detail of the 75094 manufacturing error, added to my post reviewing Model 70732, and now Model 75094, here:
http://energyconservationhowto.blogspot.com/2013/05/review-sylvania-led-disk-light.html 



I have more to report. 

Glimpse lights, never improved, are now directly sold by Lighting Science, at very good pricing. Their 4" Glimpse at 450 lumens, 9.5 watts ,  is still the best direct equivalent in task illumination, to a 100-watt point-source bulb. Buy this even though it is prone to collect bugs , and like 6" Glimpse, starts with a delay.

The Lighting Science price for the 4" Glimpse is $24. I will buy a needed dozen, reluctantly. I want these improved.

The beautiful Nicor DLS-10 , the improvement upon 6" Glimpse lights, is discontinued! Upset, I have bought only one each, of "replacement" DLS4 and DLS56 lights, for study. My observations are in a Picasa Web Album :

DLS4 is a cute little light, but at 600 lumens is too bright, inferior to 4" Glimpse in small closets and hallways, where 450 lumens is ideal. Perhaps DLS4 is a winner for main-area lighting, with reduced spacing between lights and easier-to find symmetry. More lights of lower intensity, give better illumination. I like the simple packaging. The Nicor DLS56 is evidently made in the same factory as Sylvania 75094.

The DLS56 will be an important competitor to the Sylvania 75094 lights now in Lowe's stores. One DLS56 virtue is absence of backside lugs that interfere with mounting on a junction box. Prefer the Nicor DLS56 too, for better dimming range. The Nicor DLS56 retains all of the better virtues of Sylvania 70732 mod 3. The DLS56 and 75094 have identical cost, so let DLS56 take sales away from Lowe's/ Sylvania until 75094 heat sink molds are fixed, probably through the remainder of 2015. I wonder whether the 75094 dimming range can be restored to that of 70732 mod 3.