We light our kitchen using six fluorescent fittings surface-mounted on the ceiling. They use T5 tubes, Sylvania FHE 21W/T5/840 ( https://www.sylvania-lighting.com/product/en-gb/products/0002680/ ) and the fittings are designed for installation under cupboards, but serve us well. We normally use just five fittings, leaving one turned off. I just replaced a tube, the last in a batch of spares I had, and thought perhaps it might be time to consider replacing the fittings with 'better' LED ones.

But I haven't yet found a suitable candidate and would appreciate any other thoughts. I've looked at a few LED battens and LED panels. The main obstacle seems to be efficiency; the fluorescent tubes consume 21 W and produce 1900 lumens and I haven't found anything comparable in LED fittings. Also the CRI is 85 whilst LED products seem to be quoted as 80+; I don't know whether that makes much difference.

Posted By: djhBut I haven't yet found a suitable candidate and would appreciate any other thoughts. I've looked at a few LED battens and LED panels. The main obstacle seems to be efficiency; the fluorescent tubes consume 21 W and produce 1900 lumens

Why change them? OK look around to see if the market place has improved - but it looks like it hasn't, You are getting 90lm/W which is up there at the top of the available lights and the tubes are still available so if you are happy with them IMO it's not worth changing, just get new tubes when needed.

Posted By: CWattersHow big is your kitchen?

4 m x 3.5 m

Posted By: Peter_in_HungaryWhy change them?

Indeed, that's the conclusion I'm being drawn to. I'm just surprised that things haven't really moved on in five years.

The TLC panels have a three year warranty, and I guess you have to replace the entire panel every time so I'm not convinced they would be economically or ecologically advantageous, although using less mercury for sure.

The Ansell fittings offer five years but I can't seem to see a price?

Posted By: owlmanHad you thought of making up your own using LED tape together with a sutable aluminium carrier, either 12 or 24V. If you need it for ambience lighting you could also look at plaster carriers with concealed strip. and then have some form of task specific lighting in selected areas.

All sounds like a lot of work I just want to replace the existing tubes with something similar. The existing lights are placed to illuminate the worktops.

Yes, the 'LED tubes' all seem to imitate T8 fluorescents and most of them have worse lm/W and CRI than HE T5 fluorescents. That's why I've broadened the possibilities to include LED battens and panels. But I've no experience with LEDs apart from GU10s, which at least are relaceable bulbs, and even there I was glad I bought a wide variety to test first because the variation in colour patterns was a lot more than I expected. Hence my search to pick other brains!

The T5 lamps I chose still seem to have fairly wide availability. I standardised on those in our kitchen and utility, and on some longer tubes in IP65 battens for the garage etc.

Posted By: djh4 m x 3.5 m

Mine is around 4 * 4 and we manage well with half the lumens you currently have. Think we have 12 * 400 Lumen GU10 LED downlights = 4800 Lumen.

Should be plenty of panels around that are in the ballpark.

Posted By: Simon StillWhy change?

That's pretty much the conclusion I'm coming to. Most places won't deliver them, so it means a trip to collect them. Disposal means a trip to the dump every now and then, so not really a problem for us personally. So as long as 'taking them to the dump' is equivalent to 'they get recycled effectively' I think it's probably the best option.

Posted By: bhommelssince the technology for effective replacement is available

This thread is all about trying to find an effective replacement. Can you point one out? A specific product, that is, not a general technology in principle.

Thanks Robin. They look like a direct replacement, but they're not as efficient as a fluorescent (both longer and not as bright per watt) and they require the whole unit to be replaced when they fail rather than just the lamp. And only a one-year guarantee :( So I don't feel they're quite a slam dunk yet.

The existing ones are 849 mm; 1900-2100 lm; 21 W; 24000 hours. Sylvania FHE 21W/T5/840

But I have some flexibility if I find a better option.

Thanks, Owlman, those are about the closest I've seen. I like Crompton (all my GU10s are theirs), and they're a direct plug-in replacement. I also like the 5 year warranty. I don't like the price or the low output, though the efficiency is reasonable, but I might buy an odd one as a trial.

BTW, do you or anybody else know of a guide to GU10 types, such as the different types listed at https://www.cromptonlamps.com/catalogue/department.aspx?node_id=03b32549-0ef8-4887-ac7b-a7fb00e3d036&pagesize=48 ?

That looks promising, thanks Paul. Search, search ... Seems that TCP is a known brand here but for 'bulbs' rather than 'tubes' and rather more CFL and specialist incandescent than LED (though there are some LED).

If only they made European T5 sizes of those Canadian T8 tubes

Posted By: Paul in MontrealLooks like they do T5 to me - are are the Euro T5's different to the NA ones?

Yes, they're (bizarre) metric lengths and I'm interested in the 849 mm length rather than the 4' length TCP make. We also have HE and HO tubes rather than different ballasts, though that may amount to the same thing - I've no idea.

But as I say, those products don't seem to be available here in any case.

Posted By: Ed DaviesIs 849 863 excluding the pins?

No, the pins are 5 mm at each end. I can't make sense of the dimensions.