The question is not just whether the LED flickers, but also, if it does flicker, how much does it flicker?
It has become a habit to check with our mobile phones whether the selected LED lamp flickers or not. As if we only expected perfection from the LED. It’s better to know that traditional bulbs flicker too, as do halogens.
Why doesn’t this bother anyone? – or did it bother us, but we didn’t have a choice back then. Those who still choose this don’t care about the issue at all.
We will skip the introduction of compact fluorescent lamps.
From left to right in the picture above, we can see the following E14 base light sources:
- 6 Watt SMD LED opal candle
- 4 Watt COG LED candle
- 6 Watt SMD LED opal candle
- 40 Watt traditional incandescent candle
- 28 Watt halogen incandescent candle
- 2 Watt COG LED candle
Let’s go backwards and see the ugliest flickering LED, a 2 Watt COG LED filament candle
The 28 Watt halogen bulb also flickers, as it operates on alternating current.
Because of this, the 40 Watt traditional bulb also flickers at 50Hz.
The cheaper electronics LED lamp also flickers, hopefully not more than a traditional bulb.
With quality electronics, the LED lamp does not flicker, as this 4 Watt COG LED does not.
This 6 Watt SMD LED also does not flicker.
The purpose of this post is not to introduce specific brands and types but to illustrate that it is wrong to assume that if an LED flickers, it is bad, and if it does not, it is good. Of course, it is advisable to strive to use only non-flickering types, but…
For more than 100 years, our traditional bulbs have been flickering – they still flicker now, and no one said we should sit by candlelight because it does not flicker. Many people still use traditional bulbs that flicker, and no one cares. The line should perhaps not be drawn between flickering and non-flickering LEDs, but between LEDs that flicker more than traditional bulbs and those that flicker as much or less than traditional bulbs, because it would be strange to accept the flicker of traditional bulbs and expect perfection from LEDs.
The problem is that the vast majority of manufacturers do not provide any information about flickering, or they simply label it as “not flicker” or “not flickering,” even if it does, and the buyer has no way to compare how much it flickers if it does. Moreover, the two 6 Watt LEDs above are the same product with the same part number, manufactured by the brand owner in two different series, one slightly flickering and one not flickering at all.
Some say to take photos, while others say to buy only global brands.
In reality, our wallet, the place of use, the purpose, and the sensitivity of our eyes decide what we buy.
Although it would be better to find reliable information, even if the seller is interested and wants to know what they are selling, it is impossible to check everything by shipment, although the manufacturer knows exactly what they are making but does not disclose it.