Reviewed: The George Posted on 20 Jul 00:00
We sent one of our popular Bright Goods LED filament light bulb, The George, a maxi globe, off to electronics enthusiast, Sami Mughal, for review and below is what he thought of our lamp!
Sami Mughal is an electronics engineer by day, working on various aspects of design. At night, he dons his blogger cape and works on providing news, reviews and all kinds of tidbits for OxGadgets.com, which covers everything from technology and gadgets to life style and fitness. You can follow his on Twitter as @smacula or check out the blog on Facebook or on Twitter @OxGadgets.
Bright Goods - the LED lamps to brighten up your home
While we probably just ignore the fact, but the last two decades have redefined how we light up our homes. The world was lit up by filament based lamps, that would be somewhere between 15W to a 100W, and you could easily tell how bright something was based on the pure power of the lamp you bought. By our standards today, that sounds a bit scary, especially since even photographers don't use such high wattage lamps. However, the basic filament lamp runs on a very simple principle. A high current is passed through it, and as a result, it glows purely on the basis of how hot it is. Different materials and gases combined with different filaments gave us different colours, and thus the lighting industry was formed.
Then came the energy saver lamp. They looked a bit different, took a while to gain brightness and did not work with our dimmers. However, they saved energy. They would only take something between 6W to 15W, and still give us the light we wanted. Various laws and initiatives to save the environment saw many households and commercial users shift to those. As time has gone on, they have become better looking, give you even better performance in terms of light and life, and even let you dim them.
However, the latest shift towards all things vintage has made us highly nostalgic about those lamps of old. Their hot fuzzy light had a particular warmth that gave us sharp shadows and deep evenings. It just worked, even if it is all about the fact that we grew up with them. This is where Bright Goods comes in. Not only are they offering you LED lamps that look and feel absolutely vintage, as if by magic, they have packed in the energy saver bit too.
The George LED Filament Maxi Globe, B22 Very Warm (2.2K)
In fact, it gives you all the features you want from an energy saver lamp:
- Low energy (our test sample only consumed 6W)
- Looks and feels vintage as the lamps of old , with a clearly visible filament, both off and on
- Dimmable
- Comes in various colour temperatures
- Most importantly, there is no big white 'box' under the lamp which contains the electronics. All this has been neatly packed away, and there is nothing to give away the fact that this is not just an ordinary old filament lamp
Since we were very impressed by what it said on paper, we asked them to send us a sample. It as going to sit above our dining table, which let me tell you, is a high priority spot.
As expected, Bright Goods offer a huge range of different designs. We went with the George, which offers a beautiful lattice/criss-cross LED pattern, which is evident from the picture above.
It offers the following specifications:
- BULB TYPE: Maxi Globe Lattice LED Filament
- WATTAGE: 6W
- BASE/CAP: Edison Screw E27 and Bayonet B22
- SIZE: (G125) Ø 125mm x175mm
- GLASS: Clear by default, available in Sepia Tint if requested
- LUMENS: 600
- DIMMABLE: Yes
- WHITE TEMP:
- Warm: 2,700K CRI: 80
- V. Warm: 2,200K CRI: 90
It arrived well packed, and it looked the part. Mind you, since these are designed for commercial applications, it is a bit bigger than your usual lamp, though as it is both functional and a bit of decoration, I did not mind. Since they come in standard fittings, there is no real installation involved apart from taking your old lamp out and your new lamp in.
As the lamp turns on, you can see the criss-cross lattice of the LEDs lighting up, just like an old fashioned filament lamp. In fact, to quote kids these days, the light, the colour and the looks are all 'on point'. There is absolutely no delay in achieving maximum brightness, and the turn on time is absolutely instant.
Camera issues aside, as is obvious, the lamp looks and feels the part (apart from not getting hot like a regular lamp), and definitely has the 'looks' one wants. In fact, the only problem you may have is the fact that you may want to keep looking at it, and that is definitely not good for your eyes. Being a show piece also means that you don't really need to worry about a lamp shade. They look good on their own.
Personally I am very happy with this lamp there, and I hope it stays there. Energy Saver and LED based lamps tend to last a very long time, and while I have no lifetime data on this, I wouldn't be surprised if this lasts a long time. However, all Bright Goods products are sold with a 2 year guarantee against failure.
The Bright Goods series have been so popular based on their good looks and usability that they are being used all over restaurants and shops in the UK. In fact, an easy place to spot them is your local Nandos!
Price wise, they are a bit more expensive, but you're not just buying a lamp, you're buying a show piece as well. For example, The George, which is what we tried, costs £23.95 from them.
More information on Bright Goods products, their whole range, as well as a portfolio which shows off their usage, and of course the ability to buy them is all available on their website.
More on The George can be found on this page.
Thank you to Sami of Ox Gadgets for the lovely write up on George. To keep up-to-date with technology and lifestyle, take a look at his blog here.