Incandescent VS LEDs - What are you using ?

[Strangeways]

We have noticed a dramatic drop in orders for Globes at RTBB. Almost all restorations are LED based. Only EM owners seem to request Globes. Some EM owners have moved away completely.

It is harder to source globes, and the only way they can be purchased from suppliers are in bulk orders. But are pinheads still using them ?

[Mr Pinbologist]

ALL of my games in my personal collection still have standard incandescent globes; #47s mostly, the collection consists of early SS games and one EM atm. I'm a bit hesitant to use LEDs in them but if i did i'd go for warm white ones. I absolutely HATE them on EMs.. well the ones i've seen looked way too bright and gawdy and the flicker drove me mad when trying to play them!!


I'm starting to use a few LEDs on a few customer games if requested. When i did F14 a year ago i used warm white LEDs for all of the GI (under the plastics in the hard to get at areas especially). Fish Tales got a some in it too, and they looked pretty sweet i thought on those two games 


I did a Wms Nags for a customer about five months ago, he'd had it imported from the states and someone had fitted LEDs to pretty much the whole game. They flickered and ghosted like a bastard!! i ended up removing a lot of them and used standard globes for that reason but left a few in place.. especially for the bumpers as i thought they looked better under the bumper caps and brightened them up nicely!

[oldskool1969]

Quality of LED's these days is phenomenal so I tend to use them a lot.  The choice is amazing.
I choose Pinball centre NO-FLIX as they are very close to warm frosted, which I use for all GI purposes white and they have very little or no ghosting.
In saying this I do use incandescent on the GI in EM machines as I like the look,  but inserts I use LED.

Pretty much ALL manufacturers are fitting LED's as standard now.

[pinnies4me]

I haven't really gone to the dark side yet, and still prefer the look of the old incandescent. I did try them a while back, but was not convinced. I have a few games that I received with LEDs fitted (MM, Elvis, MB and SM) and they look OK on SM, MB & Elvis, but no so on MM to me. As I have a lot of Capcom games and they don't like LEDs, those haven't been tried.

All that said, I suspect the quality has improved a lot and I might have a fool around wit them again one day.

[Crashramp]

Generally depends on the era for me but it’s not a hard and fast rule. I prefer my one EM and multiple Early SS Bally’s with the warmth of the incandescent’s throughout but I quite like LED’s under the the inserts on Gottlieb Sytem 1 games.
DMD games I like the LED’s but not behind the backglass.

[Retropin]

Ive still got about 50 boxes of #47's. All my games are incandescent and my 1937 Stoner has the original bulbs in it.. all of which work.
Ive got no reason to fix something that isn't broke and when I see games on Ebay that list LED as a selling point it always looks like someone puked a rainbow into the machine.
LED's behind the BG look f**king shocking.. no diffused light at all...pin points of light.
Havent used them yet but no doubt ill be forced to at some point due to the supply of #47's disappearing when they stop manufacture due to market demand.
Will be a dark day in my book..

[pinnies4me]

Will be a dark day in my book..

 

[Pop Bumper Pete]

I dont mind that people use LEDs
it is the need to use colored LEDS throughout the GI circuit

the GI is meant to illuminate the playfield, making it easier to see
colored LEDs make it harder

[Retropin]

See how much better this machine looks with LED?

https://www.ebay.com.au/itm/Bride-Of-Pinbot-Pinball/292408243153?hash=item4414e3b3d1:g:A3cAAOSwmNxaW0kJ

How about this awesome Firepower?

https://www.ebay.com.au/itm/Pinball-Machine-Firepower-Williams-Arcade-game/162860241112?hash=item25eb3a10d8:g:CzIAAOSwgsxaVOc9

Are they playing pinball or celebrating sexual freedom in an 80's gay disco?

Ok... back to normality..

https://www.ebay.com.au/itm/World-Cup-Pinball-Machine/132471213016?hash=item1ed7e64bd8:g:f6YAAOSwlAZaXCV3

Phew! Thank god that calmed down..

[Bayview]

I'm an EM guy, so I just use Globes.
I prefer to keep the originality going. I just don't like the way too bright colours with LED's.
Plus I have hundreds of #47's still, so no need to buy any for a while.

[onetaste]

Ive still got about 50 boxes of #47's. All my games are incandescent and my 1937 Stoner has the original bulbs in it.. all of which work.
Ive got no reason to fix something that isn't broke and when I see games on Ebay that list LED as a selling point it always looks like someone puked a rainbow into the machine.
LED's behind the BG look f**king shocking.. no diffused light at all...pin points of light.
Havent used them yet but no doubt ill be forced to at some point due to the supply of #47's disappearing when they stop manufacture due to market demand.
Will be a dark day in my book..

I agree 100pc. If a machine has been LED’d i return it to incandescent. Brighter does not mean better. Clean the bulb holders and fix up the power supply and incandescents are bright enough and look way better than LED.

I haven’t ordered incandescents in a few years because for home use they do not blow. I replace about 1 a year in my collection of 22 machines.

[Strangeways]

See how much better this machine looks with LED?

https://www.ebay.com.au/itm/Bride-Of-Pinbot-Pinball/292408243153?hash=item4414e3b3d1:g:A3cAAOSwmNxaW0kJ

How about this awesome Firepower?

https://www.ebay.com.au/itm/Pinball-Machine-Firepower-Williams-Arcade-game/162860241112?hash=item25eb3a10d8:g:CzIAAOSwgsxaVOc9

Are they playing pinball or celebrating sexual freedom in an 80's gay disco?

Ok... back to normality..

https://www.ebay.com.au/itm/World-Cup-Pinball-Machine/132471213016?hash=item1ed7e64bd8:g:f6YAAOSwlAZaXCV3

Phew! Thank god that calmed down..

Problem with the ledded games in those pictures = they are done incorrectly. Don't know if it is the camera, but they look wrong !

[Toads]

I haven't really gone to the dark side yet, and still prefer the look of the old incandescent. I did try them a while back, but was not convinced. I have a few games that I received with LEDs fitted (MM, Elvis, MB and SM) and they look OK on SM, MB & Elvis, but no so on MM to me. As I have a lot of Capcom games and they don't like LEDs, those haven't been tried.

All that said, I suspect the quality has improved a lot and I might have a fool around wit them again one day.

MM looks good with led in the  inserts and incandescent GI.

[pinnies4me]

I haven't really gone to the dark side yet, and still prefer the look of the old incandescent. I did try them a while back, but was not convinced. I have a few games that I received with LEDs fitted (MM, Elvis, MB and SM) and they look OK on SM, MB & Elvis, but no so on MM to me. As I have a lot of Capcom games and they don't like LEDs, those haven't been tried.

All that said, I suspect the quality has improved a lot and I might have a fool around wit them again one day.

MM looks good with led in the  inserts and incandescent GI.

Yes, that might improve it...Maybe one day when I need to do a deep clean, I'll swap them out.

[Strangeways]

I still use 906 globes for backglass flashers. I can't stand LED flashers in the backbox.