$1 cheapie LEDs bought in 2012 still holding up

I have lost a few in three years. Either they start flickering or some of the leds die.

If you dont like the color, there are more options today; just replace them again.

While not in my RV, under cabinet lights for my kitchen I built using Philips LEDs back in 2006 have been on 24/7 ... parts, including stylish polished aluminum reflectors cost about $15 per unit. Not cheap, but a lot less expensive than what quality under cabinet LEDs cost back then.

I've bought cheapy leds for the rv, thrown them away and built or bought expensive quality replacements. With an operational lifespan of 7-10 years, what's the point on cheaping out, at least in my opinion. That's not to say some of the product on Amazon or Camping World is good just because it's expensive. I really try to avoid anything labled Cree ... Cree makes a great product, but they're also a very popular counterfeit target.

I have over 50 puck lights... 32 in the ceiling which drew 32 amps before I replaced six years ago with cheap China ones which only draw 4 amps. Of the 50 I've only replaced 2 and we are half timers. I like the 5050 SDM in warm white the best because they run cooler than any other size chip. I put four 48 led panels in one of my ceiling lights when the ballast stopped working three years ago and it gets a lot of use.

I have not had good luck with the led strip lights as in too few hours many of the chips stop working or dim. I use a 3' strip under the bath room cabinets as a night light and I'm on the third strip in four years. I also bought an expensive 120V led rope light for over my homes kitchen cabinets and it lasted less than a year.

I bought several of these $4.99 boards from EBAY CHINA to replace the 921 bulbs in my ceiling lights and they all still working. I do have one board that has a three LED group that is out. I bought four or five spares thinking they would not last very long being so cheap. Haven't used one yet haha... This was back in 2010 I think it was...




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I originally purchased several of those more expensive boards that had built-in regulator chips and they all caused RFI interference to my Ham radio and HDTV equipment...

Lesson learned here was just buy one and try it out before dumping $150 dollars into it...

Roy Ken

I bought 20 Soft white 42SMD replacements for 921 push bulbs. They cost $20 shipped free from China. I bought them in 2013, I had replaced one about 2 years ago, it started flickering a little and bothered me. Otherwise no other failures.

All the bulbs in my camper are still factory original after almost 4 years, except for one bulb. I've replaced it 4 times. It's the outside scare light on the street side (drivers side) (back side of the camper. It an 1156 bulb. However, the last one I put in late last Summer seems to be holding up this time! Sometimes they make-em good, and sometimes they make-um bad.

Campfire Time wrote:
you'd have to help me understand how expensive ones mean "good light"..

ctilsie242 wrote:
The light is a bit colder than I like,

The OP implied that the LEDs he bought for cheap had no color choice.

2oldman wrote:
No, and I'd never sacrifice good light for a few bucks.

You'd have to help me understand how expensive ones mean "good light". We have cheap ones in our trailer and they are just fine. I've seen the expensive ones and the quality of light isn't any better.

No, and I'd never sacrifice good light for a few bucks.