TORCHSTAR 6-Pack MR16 LED Bulb Dimmable, Aluminum, 12V, UL Listed, 3000K | GU5.3 Bi-Pin Base, 7W 50W Equivalent, Warm White, Recessed Track Lighting Spot Lights, 490LM Low Voltage LED Bulb

With a modern city loft, I have a lot of these fixtures. In years past I've tried various LED models and always gone back to the halogens. This year I purchased batches of a half dozen models here on Amazon, both less and more expensive, tried them all. Within days I tossed out the others and purchased several more boxes of these. The almost 500 lumen brightness beats the halogens they replaced, both brighter and a better beam shape. The color is just a shade whiter than most halogens, probably because they're 3000K versus 2800K, and the color rendering index (CRI) appears dramatically superior to the other models. It's not GE Reveal blue, it's still a warm white, just not orange-yellow. All other models I tried either buzzed or flickered or both. These are dead quiet, suitable for high humidity such as in bathroom ceilings, and dimmable to go well with smart home switches. Heavy solid construction, cool thanks to excellent heat dissipation, mounts easily in fixtures. You won't find better MR16 GU5.3 for several times the price.

These LED's replaced 6 outdoor halogens (garage lights and front entry) that would burn out often and generate a lot of heat (probably why they'd burn out here in AZ). These are an exact replacement for the MR16 socket and they throw a much whiter, brighter light without the heat generated. I also like the fact that they are dimmable, many LED's are not. If you're using halogens with this MR16 GU5.3 base (which despite its long name is very common), definitely consider getting these to help reduce your energy costs and the maintenance of replacing bulbs. These should last many years.

Given the range of LED GU5.3 LEDs available from Amazon, I was surprised to find that so few were advertised as dimmable. And "dimmable" was the key factor in my decision to purchased 18 Torchstar LED lights to replace halogens scatted through my home. One hour after installation, generally good (good enough) but not great, as they are not "as dimmable" as the halogens they replaced. That in and of itself is not a really big deal given the placements in my home. However, if you are expecting the same level of dimming control with these Torchstar LEDS that you experienced with halogens you are likely to be disappointed. Also one of the 18 lights was defective; I have to contact the Torchstar and Amazon for a refund or replacement.

Works great, does not flicker with my leviton electronic dimmers. Previous LED bulbs I had flickered at low dim setting and also was never completely "off". These work and look exactly like 50w halogens except now I have energy savings, with brighter and wide angle dispersion of light.

So I've spent good money on the expensive LEDs and they UNDOUBTEDLY do better in terms of the purity of the light they put off. Not that just anyone walking through would notice the difference if you mix them together, but as soon as you point it out to people they see it. Now that being said, all that good money i have spent on the expensive ones to get that nice warm white 5000 K light, they fail at an incredible rate depending on your fixture (I have three different MR16 fixtures in my business and they seem to fail more in some than others). Best I figure, all of these LEDs come from neighboring cheap factories and so the more better doesn't in this case mean better made in terms of longevity. Either way I will say for the price these bulbs cut the mustard. Over 8 months into the first batch and not one failure. Again the difference in purity of light is a bummer, but not one I can't ultimately live with. So if you are shopping around for LEDs, just know in my experience, more money doesnt always mean you are better off. I'd take *mildly* crappier lighting over bulbs that are $14 per bulb and go out in less than 12 months

The bulbs are great so far. Perfect fit in the fixture. The color is a good match for traditional soft white (yellowish). The bulbs are dimmable, and have a decent range of brightness, not as good as a traditional bulb, but they do dim unlike other LEDs that claim to be dimmable but do not dim. The only item to be aware of is the lights are bright, as are most LEDs. These will outshine traditional bulbs. For us, this is what we wanted and we rotated some of the halogens to make certain parts of the room brighter and other parts less bright. Good luck with your bulb research. We like these so far.

Good

Were fine for about 7 years but now they flicker all the time. These dimmable bulbs are on a light strip that I'm guessing only gets used around 100 hours a year because they only light up our hearth when decorated during Christmas. Since they are LED, I expected a longer lifespan. I'm trying a different brand when replacing these bulbs.

Brighter than the 7.5 W units they replaced, but seem to be better for our dimmable system.