Modern LED lamps

The idea of ​​switching to LED (in common parlance - "ice", the abbreviation of the LED, Light Emitting Diode) lights for home use is slowly conquering the minds of consumers. The process, it should be noted, comes with a decent speed - the era of brutal price is over, the price gap LED- and energy-saving lamps today reduced to an acceptable level. Maybe it's time?

About the advantages of such lamps are written quite a lot on 3DNews we at one time had dismantled all the basic technical aspects of these complex electronic devices. Why not just write LED-lamps in the pros: almost eternal work (50 000 hours), and environmental and energy tends to zero ... not only coffee brewed.
The most interesting thing about all of this is indeed true, but - with some reservations and the points. However, when listing the pros made carefully hash cons, which, unfortunately, there is even such super significant lamps.
Minuses

For example, the service life. 50,000 hours - this is the ideal which is unreachable right now, at least, because no one can prove practically whether the lamp a specific brand and series producer today will burn continuously for almost six years without a shutdown.
Next - the color spectrum glow. Unfortunately, not all manufacturers can really give an honest "warm" light with a temperature of about 2700-3000K. As a result, you can buy as a 6000-kelvinovyh unearthly monsters with dazzling white light with the departure into the blue, and the lamps, giving a dull yellow light. Not warm, namely bright yellow. This sin today, many Chinese manufacturers, but before that we have today, we reach.
As for the form factors and the overall appearance of the LED-lamps are available for all the most common cartridges: E27, E14, GU10, and MR16. Moreover, there are options and the scattering light bulb, and just a "bare" LEDs on the top, and even unusual sight "lamp maize." It is a matter of taste and application: if the lamp is hidden decorative lampshades or just lining, suitable even simpler version of open LEDs. For the selection of chandeliers decent looks with flasks and reflectors.
Fewer lamps with a flat surface - not a wide angle scattered light, basically no more than 120 degrees. They are usually designed for spotlighting (eg in the bathroom) for the replacement of traditional halogen lamps. Lamps with bulb this drawback, mainly devoid of, and this is realized even manufacturers simply "SV Todi Dok" which give new current views of conventional incandescent bulbs. That way, we can not say about the energy-saving lamps - they are compact fluorescent lamps (CFLs), which still look like the ugly spiral.
Pros

Pros LED-lamps are numerous, significant and obvious. Firstly, low electricity consumption average power LED lamp - from 1 to 7 watts. Secondly, even light output and full power from the first moment (no need to wait a few minutes until the lamp has warmed up, unlike many CFLs). Third, but not least, unlike CFLs, LED-lamp is much more eco-friendly: if you drop and break a lamp, worry about the toxic fumes of hazardous chemicals, as in the case of the old lamp, is not necessary.
When choosing LED-lamps also need to pay attention to the light-gathering power, expressed in lumens. Most lamps produce an average of no more than 250-400 lumens, enough except when illuminated a small room with no complaints on the quality of lighting every corner, for example, desktop lights or toilet (though in the latter case, net self-lovers in the cozy office) . In the old Russian cuisine is also still possible to see the lights for one antediluvian horn Down with them! If the chandelier in 3-6 horns, this issue can be safely ignored.
In terms of reliability, alas, it is much the same situation as with energy-saving lamps: in the tens of thousands of hours of theory, but in practice everything depends on Kr Ivor Kost build on the quality of the original components and the sum of the products of good faith. In other words, will have to check in practice.
Do not be surprised if some light will live a long time, and the other from the same party fails after a few weeks. Therefore, it is in the forefront with such lamps and is notorious guarantee: when buying a watch to ensure that the guarantee of free replacement of the failed bulb was at least a year. Better yet - three or more, but this is for serious brands like OSRAM and Philips.
Brands and "China"

At the beginning of the popularity of LED-lamps (a dawn it was just a couple of years ago) cheap bulb in Chinese Internet stores like Bang good or DX.com great demand as in conventional "brick and mortar" stores, they cost 2 -4 times more expensive, and it is at a minimum.
As for the brand, again, in terms of reliability so far, too little time has passed since the mass and reduce the cost of operating such lamps, practical information accumulated too little. Here, apparently, will also have to check all the experience. For example, my experience is that wonderful CFL bulbs (though slow starter), working up to seven years (in fact: tested on itself) sold IKEA, and, quite possibly, LED Swedish concern orders not worse. And, of course, the aforementioned OSRAM and Philips.
But you can do anonymous Chinese for 90-150 rubles in shops or Russian brand "Cosmos" for the same price. These CFL lamps quality and reliability are not different, but cheap. Chinese lamp bought in Russia, rather the same bought in DX.com: at least because for warranty service do not have to wait for the sea weather for a month or more.
Do not neglect the Russian manufacturers: recently some companies provide high stability of its products and thus show a significant interest in the growth of consumer confidence. Over time, we will definitely return to this subject in more detail and try to explore the LED lights on the various domestic companies.
Summing up, it can be summarized as follows. Of course, even now switching to LED bulbs already cost effective (unlike last year), the cost is more or less acceptable, and the balance of the "price / quality", as usual, everyone decides for himself. However, the final, more or less reliable statistics on the reliability of LED lamps from different