E27 LED retrofit lamp: choose waterproof or choose green?

[Caroline-Wilson]

I am going to buy some E27 LED retrofit lamp to replace old bulbs of my garden lamps.
Some brands I am thinking about: GOOD LIGHT, SLT-TECH, GE..

But their IP rated are different, over IP65 is my first choice in case the glass housing is broken the water comes in...

Then I read an artical is about silicon, advantage or disadvantage of silicon in power supplies and LED drivers..
It says silicon is not good for heat dissipation nor maintenance..
So what should i buy? seems IP66 is not a must for me after all..but in case??

[evilc66]

What that article is referring to is a potting compound. Potting compounds are used for many purposes like sealing against moisture and dust, shock prevention, and thermal conductivity. The potting compounds ability to do any of those things is dependent on what that material is made of.

 

Silicone is a very broad and overreaching term. There are so many different variations of "silicone" that can do everything and anything you want, provided that you want to pay for it There are also a number of other materials used for potting compounds.

 

As for maintenance, there is no potting compound that is good for maintenance, and most manufacturers of products don't really want you poking around inside anyway, so they don't care if everything is covered in potting compound.

 

The long and the short of it is, what you read was a puff piece written by a product manufacturer to make you think that what they do is better than anyone else, when in reality it means absolutely nothing. IP65 is the absolute minimum I would go with for items that will live outdoors (although, a lower rating doesn't mean it won't be ok, it's just my preference if I have the option). IP67 and better is really only needed if the products are going to be potentially submerged.