Dodgie, misleading or.....?

[weedpharma]

I purchased some 27W LED floodlights via ebay. I powered one from a power supply and found it only drew 1.25A. This is only about 15W. When I contacted the supplier, He checked his stock (after I taught him how to use the multimeter!) and he agreed that it was not 27W. He offered to give a refund but I suggested I would keep them for half price. He agreed and Paypal was credited immediately.

He contacted his his supplier and was told that the lamp had 9 x 3W so was a 27W lamp. The fact tha it could not be driven to that power was irrevalent!!

The seller has sold thousands and is continuing to sell them as 27W but has now put the current draw as 1.25A in the specifications.

So I ask if this is dodgie, misleading or.......?

Weedparma

 

[vwnotrunning]

They may be rated at a higher voltage and have the current limited to the 1.25 amps. Plus a 15 to 20% accuracy factor in the components.

 

[jinman]

To me, you should only concentrate on lumens of light. I've seen lots of fluorescent lights rated as what wattage of incandescent light they replace. Truly, watts is the power consumed. If they consumed 27 watts and were hot as firecrackers but the light didn't increase, would that make them better? I just think the watts are relative and not the kind of measure I need. If I go to the store and buy a 50 lb bag of feed for $15 dollars one week and the next that same bag is $10, I won't complain about it being $5 less. We all can understand that. Therefore, if I get the lumens of light I need for less watts, that's just change in my pocket as far as I'm concerned. That might not be the best analogy, but it's how I see it.

 

[dstig1]

It may be the same ones I got off ebay. They are bright as the sun. I guess given that simple fact, I was not real worried about the actual power they used, but I could see how it could be frustrating if someone was trying to compare among lights without an accurate rating. As noted above, light output is the key, not necessarily wattage. Unfortunately measuring lumens or foot-candles is not something most people can do, whereas an ammeter is pretty common. I checked them at the start myself so I could size the fuse correctly (and verify function prior to install). In the end, I was quite happy with the performance for the cost, and that is what really matters.

 

[LD1]

What is the voltage of the lights???? If you are getting 15w and 1.25 amp, that makes them like 12v. Are they for a tractor of car???

 

[KTurner]

Whoa, you've got quite the find there... 27watts output with only 15watts input. Free energy man!!
Not.

Seriously though.. if it is as bright as it claims to be, but uses half the power, be happy with it - you're saving electricity.
Keith

 

[weedpharma]

The lights are rated at 12/24 volts. The current drops as the voltage is raised. I am an electronics tech so watts means something to me.

I would also not be happy if I had determined that I needed a V8 for towing, bought a suitable car then found that 2 of the cylinders had been disabled. Yes, I had a V8 but it would never be able to give its full power.

Weedpharma

 

[LD1]

I guess I can see your gripe. But As others have said, if they are bright enough for you.....

I did a quick ebay search and it seems there is no shortage of options for 27w flood lights. But it is surprising that there is a wide range of current ratings. I saw them from 1.7A @ 12v up to 2.25A @ 12v. I guess it seems the chinese mfgs dont understand what a watt is. I also noticed that the output varied as well. From 1800 lumens up to 2200.

But I have to wonder, since most of them say 9 bulbs @ 3w each, and you know how people like to round numbers to make things look better, perhaps the LEDS were like 2.5W each or something??


Ans also, what was the "actual" voltage you were seeing when getting the 1.25A?? CAsue if the vehichle was running, you were most likely giving it 13-14v. I know that dont make the difference, just saying that it could be a number of factors all adding uo to give you the lower draw.

 

[rshrimp]

Surprise surprise! Buy cheap Chinese product on fleabay and find out it does not perform as advertised. WOW call the TV station!

Sorry in advance but I had to say it .... Actually, I have 8 of these lights on my boat for night fishing and they are pretty darn bright. I run them at 24v but you can run one off a standard 9 volt battery for a little while. They provide all the light I need and will run 8 hours along with my trolling motor on 2, grp24 blue top optima's.

I agree that specs should be met but ....... Lumen's: That's another seemingly very subjective advertising number. I know it's not but if you buy into the marketing it sure is.

 

[CobyRupert]

Measuring the light output are you? Good luck with that! Lighting is a funny thing. You can measuring the Lumens, Lux (Footcandles) or Candellas? You have to consider reflector distrubution patterns, perceived brightness (colour metric) (i.e. how the cones and rods in our eye react differently to the "color" (temperature) of the light. A "blue" light (say a white LED) versus a "yellow/red" light (incandencent bulb) will be perceived differently even if they output the same lumens.) Like sound, temperature (or politics), anytime human perception gets involved (it's too loud!, it's too cold! You Liberal!), throw the "measured" results out the window. Consider this: ever notice when you're outside at night you might be able to detect shapes and outlines for hundreds of yards, but if you turn on a light, it makes the surrounding area "darker". Security-wise, is it better to light up an area if you just makes darker shadows to hide in? Yep, lighting's a funny thing.