Lumiram PAR30 Lamps

PAR 30 Lamp Comparisons

When it comes to recessed lighting in the home or workshop, 5" fixtures using R30/PAR30 reflector lamps are a popular choice. I've got an abundance of these in my home and garage and have been patiently waiting for a quality, domestically sourced, LED lamp that will perform as well as my halogens. I just received the new Lumiram 40w LED lamps in both 4500k & 6000k, both with 30 degree beam angles (15 & 60 degree are also available). I'm not one who's easily impressed but the light output from these lamps is incredible! They easily outperform my halogen PAR30's and MR16's. The manufacturer claims.....

"The Chromalux® PAR30 40W LED is the strongest LED on the market at the current time. It is a suitable lighting option for museums, hotels, retail shops, architectural items, and residences. This lamp is great if you are trying to cut down on energy costs but are not willing to compromise on light quality."

PAR 30 LED Lamp - rated at 40w and 3000 lumens.

The Lumiram PAR30 LED lamps use 16x3w Osram LED's that have been adjusted to 2.5w for longer life (16x2.5w = 40w). These lamps also feature "active cooling" with internal fans to move air across the chips for stable performance. The slight noise from the fans may be distracting in an ultra quiet setting but are not a problem in a commercial/retail environment or in my home workshop. The only other negatives to these lamps are price ($65.00ea) and the fact that they are non-dimmable.

A mix of Lumiram LED (4500k, 3000 lumens, 40w) and halogen (4200k, 1050 lumens, 75w) lamps....approx half the power consumption with almost 3x the light output. Good color rendition (92cri).

The yellow tinge on the white tiles is the reflection off the press.

PAR30 downlighting - 40w LED (left) vs 75w Halogen (right)

This garage has a mix of PAR30, MR16 and T5's.

Although rated at 40w, actual power consumption was 38w on the lamp I tested.

Applications for this Lamp (PAR 30, 40w) - this is a great choice for commercial or retail applications (especially high ceiling recessed and track installations) requiring strong illumination with good color rendition. These are also great in the garage/workshop for task lighting and for vehicle display in a showroom environment. I would not use these in the home..... there's just too much light and the lamps are NOT dimmable. The slight noise from the cooling fan in the lamp might be a problem for some people. Lumiram's dimmable 14w PAR 30 (900 lumens) or something from Cree, Philips, Sylvania or Feit would be a better LED choice for your recessed fixtures in the house.

Pricing - I am currently selling the Lumiram 30 degree beam spread lamps in both 4500k and 6000k for $65.00ea or $250.00 for a box of 4. These are also available in a Spot (15 degree) and Flood (60 degree) but must be purchased in the 4-packs.

This pricing may seem expensive compared to other PAR and Reflector bulbs and I suspect the costs will drop as technology improves and the market floods with more competition. 2 years ago, a flashlight producing 2000+ lumens sold for $400. This lamp produces 3000 lumens and sells for $65.

Similar lamps (with Osram chips) are available on Ebay as direct imports from China and Hong Kong but the specs are variable and questionable. I've got a good history with Lumiram and its comforting to know they are local (25 miles from me) should I have any problems with any of their products.

Lamp Comparisons

1. Lumiram 40w (4500k, 30°) LED lamp - I had to switch to the KLUX scale on this one since the high output caused an OL (overload) reading on the meter. The orange trim on the lightmeter appears yellow in the photos but orange in person...presumably a "white balance" issue with the camera due to the excessive illumination. I tested one of the 6000k lamps which yielded a reading of 12,300 lux.

2. Lumiram 75w Halogen lamp - the manufacturer claims 1050 lumen output from this lamp or approx 1/3rd of the rating of the their 40w LED. My measurements (Footcandles and Lux) indicated 7x more output from the LED lamp. The lightmeter was placed 39" (1m) from the lamp. Both lamps (#1 & #2) have a Narrow Flood beam spread.

3. Lumiram 75w Full Spectrum R30 lamp (non-halogen) - rated at 440 lumens with a frosted lense. Significantly lower light output compared to their 75w halogen. There is a strong reddish tinge from this lamp. I don't know what the color temp or CRI is on this one. This is my least favorite of the ones tested.

4. BlueMax 16w Full Spectrum R30 fluorescent lamp - good color rendition and very energy efficient but will not give the kind of "punch" needed in a retail or workshop environment or in high ceiling installations. The performance is not consistent with this lamp. It took a full 2 minutes to come up to the 224 lux shown and dropped to 150 lux after 10 minutes.