E27 (ES) LED Filament Golf Bulb 4W 470lm - Warm White 2700K

A golf ball bulb is the small round lamp, wider than a candle and shorter than a standard GLS, that suits fittings where a full-size bulb would look heavy. This one carries an E27 screw cap, the larger of the two screw fittings and often written ES, and the pack gives the glass a 45mm diameter. Four straight LED filaments run the height of the clear envelope and draw 4W between them, putting out 470 lumens at 2,700K. The pack rates that as the equal of a 40W conventional bulb.

Clear glass puts the filaments on show, so this is a bulb worth choosing where it will be seen: open pendant shades, a cluster of bare drops over a kitchen island, a fabric half-shade on a bedside lamp, or an E27 chandelier arm. The 280 degree beam angle spreads light almost all the way round the glass rather than throwing it forward, which is what a room needs from general lighting rather than from a spotlight over a worktop. At 2,700K the tone is the warm yellow-white people associate with old incandescent lamps.

This lamp is not dimmable, so put it on a plain switch: on a dimmer circuit an LED filament can flicker, buzz or fail early. The pack states a 10 year life, or 10,000 hours, and more than 8,000 on and off switching cycles, which suits a hall or landing light that gets flicked constantly. Its energy rating is E and it runs on 220-240V mains. You receive one bulb per unit and the minimum order is five, sold in multiples of five. We also list the same 4W 470lm filament golf with a B15 (SBC) cap, and a 7W E27 GLS filament in the same warm white 2,700K.

How do I know if my lamp takes an E27 cap?

Look at the old bulb. E27 has a screw thread about 27mm across, so it twists in rather than pushing and turning like a bayonet cap. If the old one had two pins on the side, it is a bayonet fitting and this bulb will not fit.

Can I use it on a dimmer switch?

No. This bulb is not dimmable, so it needs a plain on and off switch. Wired to a dimmer it may flicker, hum or stop working long before the rated life.

How bright is 470 lumens in a real room?

It is a modest, comfortable output rather than a main flood of light. The pack puts it on a par with a 40W conventional bulb, which works well in a bedside lamp, a wall light or a multi-arm fitting where several bulbs add up.

What does 2,700K look like next to other bulbs?

It is a warm yellow-white, the tone most people remember from old filament lamps. Cooler 4000K and 6500K bulbs read much whiter and bluer, so mixing them in one room or one fitting looks uneven.

Will the golf shape fit inside a small shade?

The pack gives the glass a 45mm diameter, so it clears small clip shades and narrow half-shades that a full-size GLS bulb would press against or push out of shape.

How many do I have to buy?

Each unit is one bulb, and the minimum order is five units, sold in multiples of five. That makes it straightforward to relamp a five-arm fitting or keep spares to hand.