best LED color temperature for sewing?
 

Hi,
I'm searching forums for experience in led sewing lamps since I will be updating mine.

I have a classic B15D (bayonet) socket (the original), on my old singer 201k.

Led lamps comes in a variety of color temperatures and what I have read is that some thinks sewing with led really is good.
But nowhere is a post on which color temperature to choose.

What is your opinion?
Also if you have a specific lamp to recommend I'm all ears.

:)

I prefer a "white" or "warm" LED in my Singer201K. I don't care for a "cool" bulb that seems more like florescent lighting and looks kind of blue to my eyes.

I like the cool because I think it's more true to color. So there you have 2 opposing opinions, each valid.

First of all welcome to the QB from SE Michigan. I am so glad you jumped right in and joined us. There is a wealth of information to be shared here and I am hopeful you will be part of this community. As far as LED goes I prefer the cool because I too think I get a much more accurate coloring when stitching. I also find it easier on my eyes. So much of this is personal choice or what is available for your machine. Again welcome to the QB.

I bought a LED bulb for my old Singer, it didn't matter then what type of light as it was the only bulb made for it then. Whatever I have it's wonderful.

Not sure on availability for that base but I would recommend something in the 3500k range. 3000 range is too warm for my liking and 4000 range way too cool. Ultimately it is personal preference but I can tell you my lighting design clients will specify 3500k 95% of the time.

It's not a simple question of color temperature. You also want a high CRI (color rendering index). This will be stated on the package if it's a decent one (90+ CRI). If the package doesn't state it, you can assume it's close to 80 which will cause colors to be "off".

I say what ever works best for you is what is the best! I really find lighting such a personal choice, for my living areas I prefer a warmer light as it feels cozy and warm. For my sewing studio I have daylight as bright as I can get it lighting so I don’t become as fatigued and it reduces the cast of shadows when I’m cutting. The first thing everyone says about my studio is Wow, it’s bright down here!😎

I agree with tallchick; I prefer soft, warm (incandescent-like) for my living and dining spaces, and bright daylight for my sewing area. I like to work with light that shows the true color of the fabrics I'm working with.

Just a few more cents worth. Remember the mini light booths in box stores for picking paint chips? They would usually have three different colour temps (in those days fluorescent). The idea being to put your paint samples under the light that would be in use in the room the paint was destined for so that you could see what it would look like in that light.

I would think most (Not all) quilts are going in bedrooms and living rooms and family rooms. If you prefer warmer temperatures in those rooms you might want to do the same in your sewing room. Or pick a happy medium. Or pick up a product in the line of what Tartan described and have as much flexibility as possible.

I have 4 LED daylight 60W bulbs in a ceiling fan light. I don't use the fan. I have a 5 light pole lamp with the same bulbs in them. I want it nice and bright. I have a 60W LED bulb over kitchen sink. I have 3 100W LED daylight bulbs in a utility room. Everywhere else I have 60W soft white LED bulbs.

I have to buy the daylight bulbs at Home Depot as our Walmart only has soft white.

Welcome to this board. I hope you stay on here.

I'll put my vote in for daylight. Before I had my cataract surgeries, I would pick out a top to wear thinking it was one color, found out differently when got it upstairs ninto the daylight. Same thing happened with thread color. I found web page that, while it sells LED light, tells about the different LED lights. https://sewbrighter.com.au/led-sewin...ine-lights-101

Janey - Neat people never make the exciting discoveries I do.
Not affiliated with off-site link(s)

I totally agree about needing daylight to determine the true colors. I made some log cabin blocks using jelly roll strips I thought were a black print. When I viewed the blocks in the daylight, some of the strips were actually navy. Same thing with thread. Now I check colors first in daylight.

I have two of these lights, both won as door prizes at two different quilt shows LOL They are difficult for me to keep the light where I want it. They work okay for a book light.

I like the bright white LED's...I bought a "daylight" lamp for my embroidery machine, and found that it changed the colors..I could choose a matching thread color much more easily with the bright white LED's.

I mostly have "daylight" bulbs in my sewing room but there are a couple of warm bulbs mixed in just because I have never changed them (lol). I have not yet invested in a led replacement for my sewing machine because I have spotlights on track lighting that light my machine.

Thank you all for all input.
It is truly great to get so much response and feedback.
And thank you all for the greetings it truly makes me feel welcome. :)

Since the post I have googled some about daylight led:s temperature and it seems that the question does not end there.
Daylight color is actually a range of colors (you can see the colors when the water separates the colors of daylight and produce a rainbow). The colors of the fabric you see is actually the light from the bulb that gets reflected. So if you do not have a light with e.g. a lot of the blue range of colors you will have a hard time seeing differences in the blue fabric you are using.
So to see colors well I think it would be good to have a natural light led with good range of colors.
http://www.orealighting.com/uploads/...hoto-Index.jpg

Now I just have to find a producer that makes a daylight bulb with b15d connection.

:)

Jingle, can you recommend a brand of light bulbs? I have an awful time with fluorescent light and trying to get LED lighting is proving to be (literally) nauseating.
Any advice would be appreciated.
Kirsten