B22 (BC) LED GLS Bulb 13.8W 1521lm Non-Dimmable - Daylight 6500K

This is a full size GLS bulb with a B22 bayonet cap, the push and twist fitting most older British pendants and lamp holders use. It draws 13.8W and gives 1,521lm, which the pack rates as a match for a 100W conventional bulb, making it one of the brighter general purpose LED lamps you can fit. The light is 6,500K daylight, a crisp white rather than the yellow of an old filament lamp, and the opal body diffuses the LEDs inside into an even glow instead of bright points.

Daylight at 6,500K is the coolest white commonly sold, and it suits rooms where you want to see detail: a garage, a workshop, a utility room, a home office, or a kitchen where you are chopping and reading labels. Hobby and craft users choose it because colours read closer to true under it, helped by the colour rendering index of more than 80 printed on the pack. In a bedroom or a sitting room most people prefer a warmer 2,700K or 3,000K lamp, so treat this as a working light. At 1,521lm it will carry a small room from a single fitting.

The specification lists this lamp as non dimmable, so wire it to a plain on/off switch; on a dimmer an LED like this can flicker, buzz or fail early. The pack prints a 10 year life based on 10,000 hours and more than 10,000 switching cycles, so frequent flicking on a landing or a hallway is not a problem. It runs on 220 to 240V mains, is rated IP20 for dry indoor positions, and the energy label for this lamp shows class E. Each listing unit is one boxed bulb, and our minimum order is 5, sold in multiples of 5. It sits within our wider range of LED bulbs in GLS, candle and golf shapes with B15, B22 and E27 caps.

Will this fit my existing bayonet lamp holder?

It has a B22 cap, the standard British bayonet with two pins that you push in and twist a quarter turn. Check the old bulb: if it pushes and twists rather than screwing, this is the right cap.

How bright is 1,521 lumens in practice?

The pack rates it as the equivalent of a 100W conventional bulb, so it is brighter than the 806lm and 470lm lamps most people fit. One in a central pendant will comfortably light a small to medium room.

Can I put it on a dimmer switch?

No. The specification lists it as non dimmable, so it needs a plain on/off switch. On a dimming circuit an LED of this type can flicker, hum or shorten its life considerably.

What does 6,500K daylight light actually look like?

It is a cool, crisp white with a slightly blue cast, close to overcast daylight. It reads as bright and businesslike, which is why it suits work areas rather than rooms you relax in.

Will it sit inside a normal shade?

GLS is the classic pear outline of a traditional household bulb, so it suits pendants, table lamps and shades made for one. Where a fitting is very shallow, measure before ordering.

How many bulbs do I get?

Each unit of this listing is one boxed bulb. Our minimum order on this line is 5, sold in multiples of 5, so the smallest purchase is five single bulbs.