5W MR16 LED globe

A replacement LED globe on a two-pin low-voltage base, running on 12V. MR16 is a LOW VOLTAGE base and does not run on mains. It needs a transformer or driver behind it, and it is the base most often confused with the mains twist-lock type because the fittings look alike from below. If your fitting has a transformer or driver, it is MR16; if the cable goes straight to mains, it is not.

Globes are the one part of a light fitting that is genuinely consumable, and the reason to buy a good one is that a fitting outlives many of them. Getting the base right is the whole job – everything else is a preference.

Light output

It draws 5W and is rated at 50lm. The beam is 60. Colour rendering is >80.

This is a COLOURED globe, not a white one. Its output figure looks low next to a white globe of the same wattage and that is normal – a coloured LED emits in a narrow band, so most of what a white globe spreads across the spectrum simply is not there. Judge it against other coloured globes, never against white.

Dimming

Havit does not list this globe as dimmable, so it should not be put on a dimmed circuit. On a lamped fitting the dimming behaviour follows the globe rather than the fitting, so a non-dimmable globe on a dimmer typically buzzes or flickers rather than dimming cleanly.

Getting a long life out of it

An LED globe rarely fails the way a halogen did. What kills it early is heat: the electronics sit in the base, and in a sealed or insulated fitting that heat has nowhere to go. A globe that dies within months in one fitting and lasts for years in another is almost always telling you about the fitting, not the globe.

If a fitting is fully enclosed, check it is rated for that before assuming the globe is at fault. The same applies to insulation packed against a downlight in a ceiling – it traps heat around the very part that is least tolerant of it.

Before you order

This is a LOW VOLTAGE globe. It cannot be connected to mains and needs the transformer or driver that is already behind the fitting. If you are unsure which you have, check whether the existing globe has pins that push in (low voltage) or a base that twists or screws (usually mains), and confirm the voltage marked on the old globe.

Take the old globe with you or photograph its markings. Our team at Lights For You can identify a base from a clear photograph, which is faster than measuring pin spacing.

Frequently asked questions

What base is it?

MR16 – a two-pin low-voltage base.

Does it need a transformer or driver?

Yes. It is a low-voltage globe and needs the transformer or driver behind the fitting.

Can it be dimmed?

No. Havit does not list this globe as dimmable.

Why is the output so low?

It is a coloured globe. A coloured LED emits in a narrow band, so its lumen figure is always well below a white globe of the same wattage. Compare it with other coloured globes.

How do I check I am ordering the right one?

Photograph the markings on the old globe and send them to us – the base is the part that must match exactly.