Makes for a great aquarium light, January 28, 2010

I wanted LED replacements for the Malibu 20W Cast Metal Flood lights (8301-9604-01) in my back yard. I was a little worried because these flood lights actually have bi-pin halogen bulbs which nobody seems to have in LED form. Turns out, after some research, that the bi-pin halogen bulbs in this model of flood light are actually the same pin width and electrical compatibility as the MR11 style bulbs, just a different shape. Some Malibu lights use true MR11 bulbs where these used these bi-pin ones - I guess just to make things confusing. Anyway, I had some old MR11 bulbs and sure enough they actually fit these flood light units anyway so I ordered these as replacement bulbs- a bit of a gamble.I'm happy to say that the gamble paid off: these MR11 bulbs fit in this model flood light even though the bulbs aren't the same shape and they work great!In fact, they're brighter and don't put off any heat. I've replaced 4 of my 20W with these and now I'm saving just...

I've tried a number of MR11 and MR16 LED lights, and this was definitely the best of the MR11s that I've tried, and probably better than most if not all of the MR16s that I've tried. The light really is "warm white": it doesn't look out of place along side a halogen bulb. It also manages to be both very bright and wide-angle. Most of the LED MR11s and MR16s that I've tried in the past either had a very narrow beam (even when they claimed to be flood lights, not spot lights) or were very dim. This light is really bright, and the width of the beam is comparable to a halogen MR11 flood.The only possible downside to this light I can think of is that it uses an array of LEDs, and if placed very close to a surface (eg: if it's mounted on a wall, the wall right next to it) you may be able to see individual points of light on the surface, which sort of destroys the illusion that you're dealing with a single "bulb". Well, another downside is that I doubt that it is dimmable the way...

I'm very pleased with this bulb in a nano aquarium setup. It's got plenty of output and the dispersion characteristics are awesome. The bulb isn't waterproof so I sprayed it with an automotive clear coat. Problem solved. The price and Amazon shipping just sweetens the pot on this bulb.