LED Bow Light...

[l008com]

Almost exactly 7 years ago, I decided to dump my old incandescent lights and get nice LED navigation lights. They worked great and looked great. And the bow light only used 1 watt, as opposed to like... probably 20 watts or so for the original incandescent. The old light would get hot to the touch, this LED light would be on for hours and still be cold to the touch. And the vividness of the colors was also great. Usually over the years, the red and green both fade into an orangey sort of color. LED's never fade because they are only emitting one specific wavelength of light.

This is the one I got: http://www.iboats.com/dm/view_id.341228

Now how they advertise "50,000 hours of service life".
So I did a little math and on the high side, I put 100-200 hours on this light since 2010. So what a bummer it is for me that it just died. It was only $36, so it's not like it's going to break the bank. But it's still such a bummer when LED makers of all kinds advertise these crazy lifespans, when in reality LED based lights don't last any longer than on-LED. 50,000 hours my ass. Still, I'll be replacing it with another LED light. Can beat the power draw and bright sharpness of the light I'm hoping Innovative Lighting will warranty it since it has so few hours on it.

 

[fhhuber]

Well... LEDs have an estimated 50,000 hr "MTBF" (Mean time between failures)

That means some might last less than 10 minutes (a few lasting just long enough to blink) and others might last > 200,000 hours.

Incandescent lights also have an expected hours lifespan... early ones it was around 100 hours, but there was one of those early bulbs that was still in use, 8 to 12 hr a day for 50 years. (and was still working the last I heard) and I've had modern bulbs last under 15 minutes.

 

[l008com]

These particular lights have 6 individual LEDs, 3 red and 3 green. All of them went out together. So it's likely an electronics failure, not a failure of the individual diode component. But the "50,000 life span" that all LED products claim, never says "only applies to the LED, our boards will fail long before 50,000 hours.

Its just like the whole HDD/SSD things in computers. People buy SSDs thinking they'll last forever. Their performance is great, but their lifespan is no better than an HDD. They just fail in different ways.

 

[l008com]

So I guess I can't complain. They are sending me a replacement, basically no questions asked. Not even charging me shipping or anything. It's just a bummer that my old one failed when it did. But if I get another 7 years out of the replacement, I guess I did pretty good for $33.

 

[Crown895]

Just save up $4.21 every year for the next 7 years, and you are good to go! Lol. No I completely understand where you are coming from. I love the way they market those things. The "they last forever" lie, and the 250% mark up over standard bulbs that will probably last longer. Mine is a 2008 with incandescent lights, and I have never had to replace one. I'm sure the smaller power draw on your electrical system is very beneficial though.

 

[ondarvr]

I just replace the stock incandescent bulbs with LED, it's just a couple bucks each on eBay, and that's with free shipping. So far none have failed, but neither did the stock bulbs, I just did it for battery life.

 

[l008com]

I've had very bad luck with eBay LEDs. And you'll get much brighter and vivid results with a true colored LED light like the one I got, vs a white LED bulb behind a bi-colored lens. Plus I only paid $36 for my LED light.

Side story, I was going to buy a $15 cheapie bow light so I could go out on the boat today, and then sell it on craigslist when the new LED one arrived. But the local small shop was closed so I had to go to west marine. For the EXACT same light that is sold for $16 many other places, I paid a total of $38 at west marine. So rather than sell it, I'm just going to take it off, clean it and return it. Given how much they overcharged me, I don't even feel bad about this. AND, as if that's not enough, the light was BROKEN when I got it. After taking it apart, one of the copper contacts for the light bulb has fallen out of the socket, so I had to reinstall it to get the light to work. So I'll actually be returning it in BETTER condition than when I bought it.

 

[artfull dodger]

LED's are nice, but I do not care for the look of that bow light. I like the older style with the proper Fresnel lenses. I have a Perko reproduction of a Chris Craft bow light with intergral flag holder. I am converting it to an LED bulb as the old belt driven generator isnt working on our old late 1960's Johnson. With only the bow and stern light needing battery power, LED's will remove any issues with night running. The engine has magneto ignition, so only need the battery to start and for the lights. A float charger at home keeps the battery up at all times. LED's are the way to go. My wife wants to put rope lighting around the inside of the boat to make getting in and out easier in the dark as well. Cheers Mike and Michele T