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Which dimmer switch for LED bulbs?

Good day, all
I’ve got matching MK switches and sockets virtually all round the house now. Just decorated the kids’ bedrooms and hit a slight snag. I’ve replaced the old 60w tungsten bulbs with new 100w equivalent LED lights

We have dimmer switches fitted according to Dimming all kinds of LEDs Tutorial (include video), however they aren’t working properly. I suspect because the dimmer switches are old ones rated for old loads.

I’ve tried a newer V-Pro dimmer which sort of works, however there are 2 issues – 1) it doesn’t really dim much & 2) the bulb doesn’t appear to get to full brightness, so not ideal.

Can anyone recommend a decent dimmer switch for 15w LED bulbs? My preference would be MK but they don’t appear to do one in the normal MK range.
 
Any ideas? Thanks in advance!


scarlettlin
jbs
92 posts
 
Dimming LEDs is tricky. I recall the resistance is quite a bit different from incandescent bulbs so you need quality LEDs lights that are setup to be dimmable. Many that say they are dimmable end up being more binary in brightness or worse create a hum when not fully on. Then you also need a modern dimmer switch that is spec'd for LEDs. Lutron makes good dimmer switches. My best advice to ask your electrician what works well together.   
erik_squires
16,056 posts
 
Make sure you are using dimmable LEDs. Use the same make/model of light in a circuit.

Most common makers like Leviton make dimmers for them, in addition to now having some nice wifi enabled devices like TP-Link’s Kasa line.

Dimmer switches have different power ratings for LED vs. incandescent bulbs, make sure to examine those carefully before purchasing.

scarlettlin OP
2 posts
 
Thank you for helping...
They are programmable, may be I need some more V-Pro dimmers.
panzrwagn's avatar
panzrwagn
519 posts
 
  1. First, dimmable LEDs don't dim as far down as incandescents.  In some cases you may have to stick with incandescents to get the degree of dimming you want.
  2. Some dimmers (Leviton, are you listening?) interact with microwave ovens and will oscillate the light level when in use. TP-Link Kasa do not.
  3. Sticking with one brand of Smart Switch & Dimmer is a Really Good Idea. Managing multiple apps when doing voice control integration is not fun.
I ended up with TP-Link simply because the others shot their foot off at various points in the test. And because TP-Link is a router company that happens to make smart switches and dimmers. Leviton is a light electrical who is now trying to make complex digital networking components. 

Easy decision.
scarlettlin OP
2 posts
 
while I need to read the instructions and set up the dimmer.
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