Fluorescent GU10's?

Does anyone know where in Canada they can be purchased?

*edit* Never mind. Found them at Rona's, though they are open ended so they don't really focus like the other one's do. 11w = 50w output according to the box.

Yep, only flourescent GU10's are the ones rona carries (at least, that I'm aware of and have heard of) made by/for Catalina. They aren't focused like halogens, but then again, they arent halogens. Kind of a "have your cake and eat it too" situation.

They also only fit in some fixtures (should fit in most potlights, but they wont do well on tracklights...) but the feedback I've gotten is that they're well worth it and very nice. I worked in lighting and had lots of people put them in basements and the like with good results. The energy savings are also great, for every 5 potlights you put in you're using the energy of about one regular halogen potlight.

Originally Posted by corrupt123

Yep, only flourescent GU10's are the ones rona carries (at least, that I'm aware of and have heard of) made by/for Catalina. They aren't focused like halogens, but then again, they arent halogens. Kind of a "have your cake and eat it too" situation.

They also only fit in some fixtures (should fit in most potlights, but they wont do well on tracklights...) but the feedback I've gotten is that they're well worth it and very nice. I worked in lighting and had lots of people put them in basements and the like with good results. The energy savings are also great, for every 5 potlights you put in you're using the energy of about one regular halogen potlight.

They do work but now the small lampshade-like covers cant' stay on so it looks kinda funky.

Of course, with my bad luck that i've been having, I end up with a dead fluorescent right out of the box so back they go. I might end up going with a dimmer instead as the fluorescents on full are just way too bright for my liking and they can't be dimmed.

Just a side note about CFL's not fitting some light fixtures: those PAR38 CFL light bulbs(flood---outside lights) will not fit the Heath-Zenith(also Noma) motion-security light. The ones that come with a bulb shell cover(like the pic). So I had to go back to the standard type( I'm using 50W ones however).

goofball, I too tried the CFL GU10's and found the same thing. When we installed our potlights we also installed a dimmer. Needless to say, the CFL's immediately went back for a couple of reasons. The pots in question are in my kitchen just in front of the bulkhead of the cabinets. They wash the front of the cabinets with light and shine directly on my granite countertop. The CFL's were definitely no where near focused and didn't light the countertop. Like you I also found them glaring bright, but not good light to work under and very shadow'y. Personally, I much prefer the halogens on a dimmer. When I need them on full they are and I can dim them right down to nightlight status.

Originally Posted by CSK'sMom

goofball, I too tried the CFL GU10's and found the same thing. When we installed our potlights we also installed a dimmer. Needless to say, the CFL's immediately went back for a couple of reasons. The pots in question are in my kitchen just in front of the bulkhead of the cabinets. They wash the front of the cabinets with light and shine directly on my granite countertop. The CFL's were definitely no where near focused and didn't light the countertop. Like you I also found them glaring bright, but not good light to work under and very shadow'y. Personally, I much prefer the halogens on a dimmer. When I need them on full they are and I can dim them right down to nightlight status.

That is pretty much exactly what I found as well. The light just isn't what I was hoping for. I could handle a nice even light but they just don't seem as "bright" and the light falloff seems to be more noticeable, just not what I was expecting. They will be going back for sure.

As for the dimmer, I hear that there are certain ones I should be looking for? Do you know if there are certain ones that are better for halogen's than other's?

Originally Posted by goofball

That is pretty much exactly what I found as well. The light just isn't what I was hoping for. I could handle a nice even light but they just don't seem as "bright" and the light falloff seems to be more noticeable, just not what I was expecting. They will be going back for sure.

As for the dimmer, I hear that there are certain ones I should be looking for? Do you know if there are certain ones that are better for halogen's than other's?

Not really. Halogens use regular electricity just like incandescent lights, so any dimmer will work. If you've got low voltage hologens, you'll need a low voltage dimmer, but I doubt thats the case. Just make sure the dimmer can handle the wattage you're applying it to. (most are rated at around 500 watts, so thats ten 50w potlights)

There are halogen dimmers, but based on my own reasoning and what several electricians and others in the business have all told me, a regular incandescent dimmers work just fine.

We put in a regular dimmer in the Decora style and it's great. No problems. You may be confusing the fact that CFL's need a special dimmer switch and need to be specifically need to be labelled as dimmable, halogens don't need anything special.

Thanks for all the info. I was pretty sure that they didn't need a special dimmer but it's always good to get some verification.

Wal-Mart carries these as well. $9.99 each. They don't have the Energy Star logo, so no additional OPA discount, but still a good deal when considering power saved. I use them in the basement mixed with regular halogens - the combination of the cooler CFL flood light and the focused halogens light is really nice.

Did a google on GU10 + CFL's.. found this site, dimmable too

http://www.ebulbshop.com/acatalog/GU10.html

Originally Posted by Eldorado

Did a google on GU10 + CFL's.. found this site, dimmable too

http://www.ebulbshop.com/acatalog/GU10.html

Interesting, too bad they are in the UK.

Originally Posted by goofball

Interesting, too bad they are in the UK.

Ack.. didn't check location

Could really use these too..

So far Rona is the only place selling CFL GU10's? You would think all sizes of CFL's would be pushed hard everywhere!

Originally Posted by Eldorado

Ack.. didn't check location

Could really use these too..

So far Rona is the only place selling CFL GU10's? You would think all sizes of CFL's would be pushed hard everywhere!

It's the only place I can find locally. We don't have a large selection of places to try to get them from (Home Depot, Rona, CT), maybe Lowes would have some when they finish the one in East Gwillimsbury/Newmarket?