GU10 bulbs: the push-and-twist base

A GU10 bulb has two pins that push into the socket and twist to lock, with no screw thread. It runs on household 120 volts with no transformer, mostly in recessed, track and accent spotlights.

What it looks like

Look for two short pins on the end of the bulb instead of a screw base. The bulb goes in pins first, then turns to lock in place.

GU10 is the base, not the shape of the glass. Feit’s GU10 bulbs come as MR16, PAR16 and MR11 reflectors, and GE’s as PAR16. A bulb’s specs name the base, as GE’s do with “2-Pin Turn-and-Lock (GU10)”.

Where it’s used

GU10 bulbs are used almost only in spotlights: recessed spots, track lights and accent lights. Feit lists the GU10 LEDs below for recessed or track lighting, and its 35 watt halogen GU10 for under-cabinet lights and desk lamps as well.

The bulbs it comes in

Read the enclosed rating on the box of the one you choose: Feit’s MR16GU10500/10KLED/6 isn’t rated for enclosed fixtures. Feit’s four GU10 LEDs here are damp rated, which Feit describes on the BPMR16GU10500930CA/3 as indoor or covered outdoor use.

A dimmable GU10 LED works with a dimmer switch made for LEDs, Feit says of its own. See LEDs on dimmers if the light flickers or buzzes.

What it’s confused with

• MR16 on a GU5.3 base. Same small reflector shape, but two thin straight pins and 12 volts through a transformer, so it doesn’t swap with a GU10.
• GU24. Its pins also push in and twist, but it comes on ordinary bulb shapes, such as an A19, rather than spotlights.

If the base doesn’t match the socket, the bulb won’t work, so compare the old bulb’s pins or the code printed on it.

Turn the power off and let the old bulb cool before you twist it out, to avoid a shock or a burn.