First of all, who’s in the ring?

In the good fight against old technology, the battle of 600W Metal Halide versus 300W LED Floodlight has been raging. A 300W LED floodlight is one of the fastest selling items in the commercial LED Lighting market. It is comprised of LED chips (the Mesmerize 300W Atlas Floodlight is powered by Samsung LED Chips); a Driver or motherboard to run the electrical components; and housing to keep it all together and running at optimum temperatures. 

People talk about lighting in Watts / Wattage as a reference to how much power the components draw when operating. Something important to note, is that Wattage does not equal brightness. Light output is measured in Lumens, and a product’s efficiency can be determined by looking at how many lumens are produced from the electricity consumed.

All lights come in different shapes and sizes. The 300W LED and 600W Metal Halide we are talking about in this instance are Floodlights. They can be used indoors or outdoors; most often in security, warehousing, sports field, or street lighting applications. 

This article will explain how we tell the difference between two different types of lights, and why one of these lights is the clear winner in the ring.

 

Out with the old:

Older generations of lights have long been used at maximum wattage because non-LED’s are not as efficient at turning electricity into light. In fact, incandescent lights only emit light as a side effect from the heat that they produce when drawing power. LEDs convert almost all the power they draw into lumens; and the better quality the LED chip, the more lumens are produced from each Watt consumed.

For example, the Samsung LED chips in the Mesmerize 300W Atlas LED Floodlight produce 30000LM lumens. While this may not beat the starting lumen output of a 600W Metal Halide at first, the Metal Halide loses this light output very quickly (thanks to Light Depreciation – but that’s a topic of another day). 

While important at the get-go for any light replacement today, it’s also important to note that this means LED’s will always be improving because technology will change over time to enhance this quality, allowing for even MORE Lumens per Watt to be generated; whereas the older style of lighting will not likely improve as technology moves forward.

Let’s have a look at other qualities we use to determine who wins and who loses in the game of lighting.

Quality of Light

Quality of light is  particularly important because of the huge difference between the CRI, or Colour Rendering Index  as well as the colour temperatures available in LEDs.  CRI is important because lighting can change the way our eyes perceive objects within a specified area. The higher the CRI the larger the area (in square metres) is lit up.  Metal Halide lights typically have a CRI of 60Ra which is acceptable, while sustained, but often drops to below 50 (CRI<50) after extensive use. The Mesmerize 300W Atlas boasts an impressive RA>80 which means the colour quality is way above average.

Quality of light output is not only measured in CRI. Colour Temperature (measured in Kelvin) refers to how warm or cool the colour of the light output is. The best way to understand colour temperature is to consider that all LED chips are actually blue – and they are then coated in special paint of varied shades of yellow to achieve a ‘warmer’ (more yellow) or ‘cooler’ (less yellow) hues. The versatility that this affords the LED is unmatched by any other type of lighting as you can now tailor the light to the requirement. For example a brighter/crisper light is better suited to commercial or industrial settings than a warmer/softer light, which is more commonly used in residential or hotel environments.

Longevity:

Lifetime is another factor to consider, and this time, the measurement is in Hours. The general consensus is that Metal Halide lamps have an average lifespan of 6000 – 15 000 hours. From the moment they are switched on, the light output and quality will quickly decrease. In comparison, the Mesmerize 300W Atlas has been awarded a lifespan of 25 000 hours and carries a warranty of 2 years (a separate article will discuss how to extend this lifespan).

Power-Saving:

In addition to hours of use, one needs to look at power consumption. Eskom charges businesses R1.21 per kWh (Kilowatt per Hour). Having a single 600W Metal Halide in a warehouse will logically cost several thousands of Rands more than running a 300W LED will. Of course, most commercial and industrial applications will require much more than a single light to work with – so this bill really adds up! So, lifespan and frequent replacements put together with electricity-consumption savings make the additional cost of the LED version much easier to consider.

300W is the new 400W

So why the Mesmerize 300W Atlas LED and not a 400W LED, as has been the traditional replacement?  As the technology improves, so does the light output measurement of Lumens per Watt. A brighter and better light from a lower Wattage can be achieved in the future. However, maintaining optimum brightness needs to be balanced with ensuring the longest possible lifespan. At this point in the technology, a 400W LED while brighter than a 300W, the likelihood of overheating is increased by increasing the amount of power being drawn into the LED chips.  One could of course improve the housing and cooling mechanisms on the product to ensure this is not an issue, but the price of Aluminium at the moment is too high for this to be an option in this price range.

By this logic, companies could save even more on electricity and go with a 200W. However,  if we consider the height at which these floodlights are typically installed,  a 200W would not be sufficient to reach the ground with enough light to replace a 600W Metal Halide. 

Final Thoughts

Given the vast improvements in technology it is no wonder that the market moves faster than the best MMA fighter in the ring. Luckily the team at Mesmerize Lighting is focused on ensuring that all products are AHEAD of the punch and not following it!

Efficiency, Versatility, and Reliability are the key factors against which all lighting replacements should be measured, when considering your lighting fighting options, as a new round in the market begins…