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Old 17-06-2010, 08:33   #1
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Best Cabin Lights ?

Right now I have a ton of incandescant cabin lights that all take Festoon bulbs. They give off a lot of heat which tells me they are wasting a lot of juice. I also see the draw on the amp meter.

I want to replace these dome style lights with something better. I have not been impressed with the LED cabin lights I have seen thus far. Sure they draw a lot less power but the light quality has been terrible. Cold and largely inadequate.

I also have two track style lights above the galley that have a series of festoons in them. Im thinking those will get replaced with flouresants but I am looking for a warm bright light for the other dome style cabin lights.

I am planning to put in some courtesy lighting for night passages as well.

Reccomendations?
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Old 17-06-2010, 08:38   #2
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We replaced our overhead lights with Alpenglow Lights several years ago and have been very happy with the results. See Alpenglow Lights

FWIW...
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Old 17-06-2010, 09:14   #3
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I've got leds from several manufactures. The ones from "Sailors Solution", the Sensebulb is by far the best. Red/white and dimmable..LED lighting, soundproof, Sailor's Solutions Inc.... Caution: DO NOT EVEN THINK OF LOOKING DIRECTLY AT THE LED WHEN IT'S ON..
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Old 17-06-2010, 09:19   #4
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I use the Sailor's Solutions red/white dimmable, dual white domes, and G4 for reading lamps and am very happy with the light and the durability. I prefer the soft white.
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Old 17-06-2010, 19:24   #5
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Another vote for Sailor's Solutions. We put six in our saloon. Brighter and more even light than the ten watt halogen G4's they replaced with less than 0.2amps per light. Color of warm white is almost identical to halogen.
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Old 17-06-2010, 20:57   #6
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I got mine here.

Besthongkong - Eastern LED Source Shop: Loose LED, High Power LED, Car Auto LED, LED Light Bulbs, LED Strips, LED Flashlight, LED Module

Strips of the warm white tucket up behind the trim - cheap as chips and are actually 'warm'

Unlike the exterior Hella's I bought which were hyper-expensive and about the same warmth as a striplight
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Old 18-06-2010, 06:53   #7
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Plus one for Alepenglow. We really like our and recieve complements both on how they look and the warm light they give off.
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Old 18-06-2010, 08:27   #8
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Dr LED makes a nice festoon bulb.
Dr. LED 2nm Visibility 39mm to 44mm Festoon Base After-Market LED Replacement Bulbs for Navigation Lights.
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Old 18-06-2010, 08:32   #9
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another vote for SENSI BULB! they are expensive for a reason... there the best
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Old 18-06-2010, 09:00   #10
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Im thinking I might try the Sensebulb but will they work with a Festoon socket? Was sort of hard to tell from the Sailor solutions site. I have also heard many praises for the Alpenglow lights from other sources as well. I may end up going that route as I am not crazy about the existing dome light fixtures, only issue is the both versions (7watt and 9watt) are significantly larger than the exiting domes I have now and may not work in all applications. Thanks to all this has been a lot of help.
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Old 18-06-2010, 09:11   #11
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Quote:
Originally Posted by rtbates View Post
I've got leds from several manufactures. The ones from "Sailors Solution", the Sensebulb is by far the best. Red/white and dimmable..LED lighting, soundproof, Sailor's Solutions Inc.... Caution: DO NOT EVEN THINK OF LOOKING DIRECTLY AT THE LED WHEN IT'S ON..
Appreciate knowing why not. Could you be confusing light emitting diodes with a laser beam?

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Old 18-06-2010, 12:51   #12
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Swagman,
They're bright, but not enough to hurt your eyes.
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Old 19-06-2010, 04:28   #13
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Another vote for Sailor Solutions/Sensibulb which is SCAD which are now sold by Defender and currently on sale - Sensibulb. I just updated all my dome lights.

Practical Sailor gave SCAD the best vote for LED. The color temperature is a nice warm glow like the incandescent.
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Old 19-06-2010, 04:47   #14
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Quote:
Originally Posted by S/V New Sensation View Post
Plus one for Alepenglow. We really like our and recieve complements both on how they look and the warm light they give off.
Another vote here for Alpenglow, we really like ours.

Also, Practical Sailor reviewed Galley Lights this past month (May) and they were rated "Best Choice".
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Old 13-08-2010, 14:21   #15
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So I took your advice and started replacing the dome style cabin lights with Alpenglows. Holy cow what a difference. The lighting is so much brigher than what I had and at a fraction of the amp draw. Very nice warm light too. I also have replaced all the bayonette style bulbs in the reading lights with sensibulbs. By far the best LED conversion I have ever seen. A ton of light and its a warm white/yellow not a cold blue/white.

Thanks everyone!

Now I have bought a coulple of the highly touted Caframo cabin fans from Defender. Hope to install this weekend.
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