Cree LED Spotlights
Cree LED Spotlights
Find out more about Cree LED spotlights - replace inefficient halogen bulbs
lighting | shopping | energy efficiencyIn our article
LED Spotlights we introduced the advantages and disadvantages of LED spotlights compared with
halogen bulbs. The main advantages of LED spotlights are that they use as little as 1/50th of the power of halogen bulbs, and they last for years rather than months. The disadvantage is that the light they produce is not as
warm as that from halogens, they are quite poor at providing general room lighting, and they cannot be used with
dimmable light switches.
Megaman spotlights provide equivalent light to halogens, but they use 7-11 Watts of power - compared to 1-1.5 for standard
LED spotlights. In this article we will look at a compromise alternative: a 3W powered LED spotlights from
Cree.
Cree LED Spotlights
Cree Inc is a leading semiconductor manufacturer which specialises in solid state (
LED technology) lighting amongst other things. Rather than making spotlights with 20 to 80 small LEDs, their
MR16 (12VDC) and
GU10 (230VAC) spotlights are made up of three
1W powered super LEDs.

MR16 3x1W |

GU10 3x1W |
While the light given out by these Cree spotlights is still a lot
whiter /
cooler than that of halogens, it is not as blue as many cheaper LED spotlights, and it has a much
wider beam (matching more closely that of halogens) and is therefore much more suitable for general whole room lighting. A 3x1W Cree spotlight in low voltage or mains voltage configuration is equivalent to a
35W halogen bulb, so these can be used as direct replacements for halogens in all applications.
The average life time of a
Cree spotlight is from 30,000 to 50,000 hours - i.e. up to
6 years of continuous use.
Cree spotlight bulbs are also available in 1x5W (i.e one 5W LED bulb), 1x10W, and 7x1W (i.e. seven 1W LED bulbs) configurations offering
LED spotlights suitable for all applications.
Cool White and
Warm White versions are available, but note that even the
warm white is very white when compared to the almost yellow light of a halogen bulb.
Buy Cree LED Spotlight Bulbs
Cree spotlights are not cheap and they are not always easy to find in the UK. Therefore, the starting point for your search should be
eBay. Click here to search all listings for
Cree MR16 (12V), or look below for a list of the latest
Cree GU10 (mains voltage) listings.
Article Last Modified: 14:33, 29th Jul 2008Comment on this Article
If you have any comments on this article, please email them to
neil@reuk.co.uk.
Recommended Related Articles
People who read this article also enjoyed the following articles:
LED SpotlightsFind out about Energy Efficient LED spotlights
Article Last Modified: 14:31, 29th Jul 2008lightingReview of Megaman Energy Saving LightbulbsFind out more about the Megaman range of CFL energy saving lightbulbs
Article Last Modified: 10:53, 5th Sep 2008lighting | energy efficiency | carbon | shoppingOwl Wireless Electricity MonitorFind out more about the Owl wireless electricity monitor (formerly know as Electrisave)
Article Last Modified: 13:46, 13th Feb 2010shopping | carbon | electronicsDIY Solar Panel KitsMake your own solar panels from as little as US$2.95 per Watt.
Article Last Modified: 14:51, 16th Jul 2007solar | generalSolar iPod ChargerFind out how to make a solar powered charger for your iPod
Article Last Modified: 11:00, 20th Jul 2007solar | generalUnder 1000GBP Biodiesel Processor EquipmentFind a supplier of a <£1,000 Biodiesel Processor in the UK
Article Last Modified: 16:23, 6th Apr 2010biomass | transportPharox 240V LED LightbulbsNew 240V LED lightbulbs which can be used in place of standard incandescents
Article Last Modified: 09:41, 4th Jan 2010lighting | newsWireless Electricity MonitorsUp to date details of the wireless electricity monitors for sale in the UK
Article Last Modified: 13:51, 19th Mar 2010shopping | energy efficiency | carbonSolar Shed Lighting Circuit TestingAnalysis of a typical solar shed LED lighting circuit
Article Last Modified: 11:56, 31st Mar 2007lighting | solar | education | electric circuitInterconnecting Batteries for Battery BankFind out how best to connect batteries together into a battery bank
Article Last Modified: 13:53, 23rd Feb 2007storage