Spoke with op......Working with Twin 2835.

We use frosted cointakers on Williams and clear double LED on Sterns. Frosted in backbox and use a 5000K florescent bulb in stern backboxes.
Always turn out looking good and have never had issues with them dimming over time that I'm aware of.
my .02

Thank you, We Truly hate if anyone has any issues whatsoever with LEDs...Mine or anyone elses.
Many things can happen...from production, to the litany of 50 years of games.

We are here to help, and as always, especially those that are more aware of my
personal situation, greatly appreciate a positive communication experience to address any issues with anything.

In this case, Im grateful the Op was available to be of help and service to.

To others, so we dont end up with a mile long thread of competition...Yes, CT, Nifty, PBB, and others all carry Surface Mounted Diode Bulbs....(SMD) in a variety, that is best for GI, and Inserts with both brightness and performance. Often Manufactured with high quality, from most factories.

Single LEDs, still being a favorite, because of cost, are now improved, but still, a pennies game of mass production, and much like an inexpensive drill from Harbor freight, will work, but may not be up to performance for lots of needs. In this case, a Single LED was the GI choice, and failed to meet the correct performance.

Problem solved with newer, brighter bulbs.

Thanks, John.

Art

Question to Art,

Thanks for all your help to this great hobby. So, if you are looking for LED's for G. I. on B/W mid-90's pins and want the original incandescent look, but a little bit brighter and for general home use, what should I buy for my 4 machines?

The standard school of thought, as all vendors carry this is a 1 SMD 5050 in Frosted.

However, on average, this is 1.75x as bright, and pretty far from an incandescent look.
A 2 LED in clear, is about 50% brighter and a very sweet choice, the same in frosted is
about 25% brighter than an incandescent. So 3 choices for brightness...25%, 50%, 75% brighter.

For color, Warm white is also available from all vendors at 3000K-4000K.
A good choice with a yellowish cast, if this is your taste.
It is the answer for most, because the other choice in the market is Natural or Cool, which is 5000K to 6000K (sometimes blueish to 6500K). This choice gives a cold, hospital or office like overhead lighting, as its all white.

In both these choices, we have added Sunlight, which is between the 2, at 4000K to 5000K.
For me, other than TZ, Drac, or TAF...real dark games, its the only color I use, and now our best seller.
Its just the right touch of yellow to be pleasant to every game.

Whats important to share, is no matter what LED choice or Vendor you might choice, IMO, no bulb will look like an incandescent, or the burning of a filament. Its a different choice, and I find the biggest issue is it takes a few weeks for someone to get use to the change in appearance. For some, its only Incandescent...No LEDs...and thats a look to be respected too. Some do only LEDs in Inserts, as they like the GI Glow of Incandescent.

If your unsure, grab a small test of 1 SMD frosted Warm, 2 LED Clear and Frosted in Warm and Sunlight,
and you can see whats best for you. Small shipping, but better to be exact, as your regular order would likely ship free.

I use Cointaker frosted cool white in my early Williams solid state games and have had them to shows where they have been on for 24+ hours at a time with no dimming. I Haven't swapped all my DMDs over to them yet but it is in the plans to do so. The frosteds give good light without blinding the player.

Phoebe

I like Comet's 2 smd frosted bulbs in gi amd 1 smd in inserts. It costs a little bit to do a whole pin (100-150) but totally worth it.

I believe all the new Stern machines use 2 SMD CW clear in both the GI and inserts. I personally like the 2 SMD frosted in either CW for more blues and your darker color plastics and WW in more the reds, orange, yellow color plastics. I have also used the Sunlight for all my GI in Spiderman and it looks awesome. Cointaker and Comet, can't go wrong with either.

I like the Comet warm white frosted for GI. Slightly brighter than incandescent and so far zero problems.

This assumes you're trying to keep close to original appearance.....

So are you saying you'd recommend Cool white in darker games?

Just looking for some direction for my TAF. Previous owner converted to LEDs and I kind of hate it. The mansion inserts are blinding and there isn't enough GI in the game to keep track of the ball with all those bright inserts flashing. In this case I think frosted bulbs in inserts would have been the way to go, and perhaps a little more oomph in certain areas with the GI. Would be interested in hearing your opinion however.

Most people prefer Cool White in TAF. A good idea might be to look at some pics or vids, to see if this your taste. Personally, I would not expect to see that many TAF in Warm.
In Twin 2835, The same as in all new Sterns, the game will have a nice even brightness when frosted.

Depending on your eyes, and your game room lighting, you may be able to play in the dark with just this,
Or you might grab say 6 Op-Max to try in dark areas, or slings, for even brighter results.

Another Option are LED strips. They can be added to the Apron, out hole, or back of game.
We have these available with a brightness control, so you can tweak to just the right brightness.

Lots of options from Post lights, to creating scoop lights and additional lighting in our Matrix product section.

This area will be getting many new products currently in testing.

For other choices, and other vendors, PBB offers Strips and Spots, and CT has some too,

Nothing wrong with tinkering.....the key is your joy in creating your look.

Start with thinking about the room lighting and the eyes of those who are playing.

A great way to have flexibility is a dimmer setting on home lighting, so all brightness levels can be enjoyed.

Take a peek at our brightness chart...the scroll bar will help, and see where the current bulbs you have exist.

http://www.cometpinball.com/Brightness-Chart-s/1825.htm

Then you can go match, or go brighter in GI, or if needed, lower the brightness on the inserts.
(I have had many games with no lens 5050 in the inserts, and for me...just too bright....others are fine with them)

Thanks for the reply @oldpinguy looks like I'll be playing around with samples in the near future.

The best led for general illumination, hands down, is an incandescent bulb.