Anyone who wants to buy high-quality LED bulbs, must know that these are not very cheap because of the complex manufacturing process. Nevertheless, LED bulbs are repeatedly sold in DIY stores or in discount stores at very low prices. Such low discount prices encourage people to purchase the products.
Unfortunately, these LED products are mostly of very unsatisfactory quality.
Such a LED light is cold and the light output is low. Therefore, the otherwise very energy-efficient, durable and versatile bulbs are often rejected as a consequence. There is a huge selection of LED bulbs available in the retail trade that can replace almost any luminaire. LED bulbs are available with almost every conventional lamp base.
Why are discount stores so cheap and the prices at specialised retailers so high?
It should be noted that not all LEDs are produced in the same way. Essentially, there are two different manufacturing methods for white LEDs.
In the cheaper production process, blue LEDs are covered with a photoluminescent coating. It is similar to the coating of fluorescent tubes. This coating of LEDs does not produce warm light, so the light always appears cold. Moreover, in this simple production method, there are no further components for enhancing illumination angle and light intensity. As a result, with simple LEDs, the light intensity is very low.
So why buy LED lamps from a specialised retailer?
LED bulbs at a specialised LED or electrical equipment retailer are more expensive, but they stem exclusively from a more complex production process. Light-emitting diodes of different colours are combined, resulting in white light with a pleasant hue. Specialized retailer also offers a selection of different light colours, such as white, warm white and other tone variants. Light intensity and beam angle are greatly improved. The LED light is then very similar to the light of conventional bulbs then. Luminous efficacy of a quality LED lamp is several hundred lumens, whereas luminous efficacy of a LED lamp from a discounter often does not exceed one hundred lumens.
