The Money Mustache Community
Learning, Sharing, and Teaching => Do it Yourself Discussion! => Topic started by: kamas on April 30, 2016, 02:48:42 PM
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Does anyone have recommendations for LED bulbs? Im looking for regular bulbs, sometimes called A19 bulbs.
I know phillips is supposed to be good. I have an OSRAM bulb, and its 800 lumens, stays on almost 24 hours, been on since September 2014 and still going strong.
If you look at amazon for example, you find lots of bulbs from well known brands, as well as some brands I never heard of before. Some of those lesser known brands are super cheap price compared to OSRAM or Phillips.
Will the cheaper LED bulbs burn out quickly?
Any recommendations for good quality A19 led bulbs?
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The Sweet Home likes the Walmart ones:
http://thesweethome.com/reviews/best-led-lightbulb/ (http://thesweethome.com/reviews/best-led-lightbulb/)
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I took the plunge about six months ago bought ~12 Phillips A19 bulbs in soft white. Some of which are on 24/7 and haven't had any fail or flicker yet (can't say the same for all of the ~5 year old CFL's they are replacing).
They look like incandescent bulbs and put out nice warm light.
Here they are on Amazon: http://amzn.to/1O684pH (http://amzn.to/1O684pH)
They also carry them at Home Depot.
Generally speaking I would say yes the cheaper bulbs burn out quicker. While I haven't bought household cheap LED's I have bought large quantities of automotive cheap LED's (interior reading lights in a bus ) and they failed and/or started flickering quickly (like within 6 months).
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We started replacing all our bulbs (as needed) with LEDs about a year ago, as we were doing bathroom remodelling and changing out fixtures anyway. I bought a package of regular shaped bulbs and a package of the cheap ones that are cylindrical.
They've all been fine. I can't tell any difference. None of them have burned out.
In the interest of full disclosure, I am not a person who hated CFLs, so maybe I'm not too picky about lights.
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I've started on the LED bandwagon as well, seeing as how you can get them for <$2 apiece nowadays.
I'm also an electrical engineer, and I love to take things apart :). I've disassembled probably 6 or 7 different brands of LED bulbs, looking at the quality of the electronics and the materials. I was very impressed with the dimmable CREE branded bulbs, which I picked up for $2 ea at Home Depot a few weeks ago, but those tend to be more expensive. The diffuser is also glass, while all the others are plastic. Of all the others....well, there's not a whole lot of difference between the regular, non-dimmable ones from Sylvania, Vizta, Westinghouse, or other cheap brands. Some are technically 'better' in terms of having more steady (less flicker) light, based on the electronics inside, but I couldn't tell the difference in real testing.
The cheaper bulbs also tend to be rated for "only" 10,000 hours, while the more expensive ones are rated at 20,000 or more. It's not worth the extra expense IMO. Most LED bulbs I've seen also cannot be used in entirely-enclosed fixtures, so watch out for that.
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There were promo's here so i started purchasing the philips LED bulbs. I got the daylight ones, such better color!!!
They're bright, and all seem to be working well. I grabbed a bunch more on the next sale and have them in all my major areas of my house now. So much brighter than it used to be. I got the 60w equivalents
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The Sweet Home likes the Walmart ones:
http://thesweethome.com/reviews/best-led-lightbulb/ (http://thesweethome.com/reviews/best-led-lightbulb/)
I have to say: I like them too. They were the first that really seemed to break the price barrier for me. They are rated at about half the lifetime of some of the other brands, but I just have no concept of how well the predicted lab lifetime will work out in a real home environment.
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I've started on the LED bandwagon as well, seeing as how you can get them for <$2 apiece nowadays.
I'm also an electrical engineer, and I love to take things apart :). I've disassembled probably 6 or 7 different brands of LED bulbs, looking at the quality of the electronics and the materials. I was very impressed with the dimmable CREE branded bulbs, which I picked up for $2 ea at Home Depot a few weeks ago, but those tend to be more expensive. The diffuser is also glass, while all the others are plastic. Of all the others....well, there's not a whole lot of difference between the regular, non-dimmable ones from Sylvania, Vizta, Westinghouse, or other cheap brands. Some are technically 'better' in terms of having more steady (less flicker) light, based on the electronics inside, but I couldn't tell the difference in real testing.
The cheaper bulbs also tend to be rated for "only" 10,000 hours, while the more expensive ones are rated at 20,000 or more. It's not worth the extra expense IMO. Most LED bulbs I've seen also cannot be used in entirely-enclosed fixtures, so watch out for that.
Great info, thanks for sharing.
Can you recommend bulbs that are fine for enclosed fixtures? I have a few glass ceiling light fixtures that I'm looking to place 40w equivalent LED bulbs in pairs.
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Following to find a new brand. I've sworn off the Cree brand. The dimming is pretty decent with the Cree and I've had good luck with the 60W equivalents. HOWEVER, I've had 100% failure rate with the 100W equiv and about 50% failure rate with the 75W equiv. Got tired of taking them back to Home Depot.
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I'm really enjoying my CREE TW 60w equivalents. I've tried a few different bulbs from Costco, Ikea, and so forth. Many are perfectly fine for outdoor use, but CREE have by far had the best color rendering and, more importantly, no hum. I am sensitive and can hear the (slightly) cheaper bulbs humming as I read in bed. It's not like I have that many bulbs in my home, so paying a few extra bucks per bulb is well worth it IMO. But I also got them last year, and the field is always changing so... I agree with checking out the sweethome recommendations.
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I'm really enjoying my CREE TW 60w equivalents. I've tried a few different bulbs from Costco, Ikea, and so forth. Many are perfectly fine for outdoor use, but CREE have by far had the best color rendering and, more importantly, no hum. I am sensitive and can hear the (slightly) cheaper bulbs humming as I read in bed. It's not like I have that many bulbs in my home, so paying a few extra bucks per bulb is well worth it IMO. But I also got them last year, and the field is always changing so... I agree with checking out the sweethome recommendations.
FWIW: My Crees buzz like a swarm of bees. Maybe it varies with time/location of manufacture. I only have about 4 or 5 Crees, but ... they're pretty awful from a buzzing standpoint.
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I tend to get whatever is cheapest. I got a batch of Walmart bulbs, some Cree, some Phillips, and some GE. The light from all of them is about the same, but the Walmart bulbs that I have occasionally flicker, and some of them have failed. I'm willing to accept it's just bad luck. The Cree bulbs are the lightest, and I think they're the only ones rated for use in enclosed fixtures.
Personally, I find "daylight" (6000K) to be too blue, but would prefer something a little cooler than "warm white" 2700k. It's a shame the adjustable color bulbs are so expensive, and there's nothing commonly for sale in the middle. 3000k-3500k would probably be perfect for me.
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All my Cree bulbs have failed. Got some at Ikea, so far they are still going.
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Great info, thanks for sharing.
Can you recommend bulbs that are fine for enclosed fixtures? I have a few glass ceiling light fixtures that I'm looking to place 40w equivalent LED bulbs in pairs.
Unfortunately, not at this point--and we have a lot of enclosed, flush-mounted fixtures in our home! At first thought, you'll want to make sure you get the type with an external heatsink--those fancy-looking ribs or fins around the outside. One of the reasons I've been disassembling bulbs is to (try to) figure out which ones can be more easily modified to reduce their intensity and power consumption, which would reduce the heat produced and lengthen the bulb life.
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Great info, thanks for sharing.
Can you recommend bulbs that are fine for enclosed fixtures? I have a few glass ceiling light fixtures that I'm looking to place 40w equivalent LED bulbs in pairs.
Unfortunately, not at this point--and we have a lot of enclosed, flush-mounted fixtures in our home! At first thought, you'll want to make sure you get the type with an external heatsink--those fancy-looking ribs or fins around the outside. One of the reasons I've been disassembling bulbs is to (try to) figure out which ones can be more easily modified to reduce their intensity and power consumption, which would reduce the heat produced and lengthen the bulb life.
I had this problem too at first. turns out enclosed means those water tight sealed ones (like outside units weatherproofed). a flush mount was actually okay!
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I'm really enjoying my CREE TW 60w equivalents. I've tried a few different bulbs from Costco, Ikea, and so forth. Many are perfectly fine for outdoor use, but CREE have by far had the best color rendering and, more importantly, no hum. I am sensitive and can hear the (slightly) cheaper bulbs humming as I read in bed. It's not like I have that many bulbs in my home, so paying a few extra bucks per bulb is well worth it IMO. But I also got them last year, and the field is always changing so... I agree with checking out the sweethome recommendations.
FWIW: My Crees buzz like a swarm of bees. Maybe it varies with time/location of manufacture. I only have about 4 or 5 Crees, but ... they're pretty awful from a buzzing standpoint.
Wow, are they the TW type? I know Cree has been coming out with a lot of cheaper/crappier bulbs recently, and even changed the phosphor formulation on the TWs
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I've been using the IKEA LED bulbs for a few years now. I find they cast a nice, soft light and have been performing great otherwise.
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I'm really enjoying my CREE TW 60w equivalents. I've tried a few different bulbs from Costco, Ikea, and so forth. Many are perfectly fine for outdoor use, but CREE have by far had the best color rendering and, more importantly, no hum. I am sensitive and can hear the (slightly) cheaper bulbs humming as I read in bed. It's not like I have that many bulbs in my home, so paying a few extra bucks per bulb is well worth it IMO. But I also got them last year, and the field is always changing so... I agree with checking out the sweethome recommendations.
FWIW: My Crees buzz like a swarm of bees. Maybe it varies with time/location of manufacture. I only have about 4 or 5 Crees, but ... they're pretty awful from a buzzing standpoint.
Wow, are they the TW type? I know Cree has been coming out with a lot of cheaper/crappier bulbs recently, and even changed the phosphor formulation on the TWs
My honest answer is "I don't know." I pulled one out and tried to read the writing on it. It's white lettering on a white background. I can make out "Cree" and "2700k"... but not much else. If I google "Cree tw", it looks similar. I can't say for sure it's the same bulb. Bought either at Lowes or Depot.
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Great info, thanks for sharing.
Can you recommend bulbs that are fine for enclosed fixtures? I have a few glass ceiling light fixtures that I'm looking to place 40w equivalent LED bulbs in pairs.
Unfortunately, not at this point--and we have a lot of enclosed, flush-mounted fixtures in our home! At first thought, you'll want to make sure you get the type with an external heatsink--those fancy-looking ribs or fins around the outside. One of the reasons I've been disassembling bulbs is to (try to) figure out which ones can be more easily modified to reduce their intensity and power consumption, which would reduce the heat produced and lengthen the bulb life.
I had this problem too at first. turns out enclosed means those water tight sealed ones (like outside units weatherproofed). a flush mount was actually okay!
Really? That's awesome! Thanks for sharing that.
Now I have to convince my SO. Where did you read about this?
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We tried a bunch because apparently I'm picky about color and the IKEA ones were the most similar in color to our old bulbs and were a great deal.
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Great info, thanks for sharing.
Can you recommend bulbs that are fine for enclosed fixtures? I have a few glass ceiling light fixtures that I'm looking to place 40w equivalent LED bulbs in pairs.
Unfortunately, not at this point--and we have a lot of enclosed, flush-mounted fixtures in our home! At first thought, you'll want to make sure you get the type with an external heatsink--those fancy-looking ribs or fins around the outside. One of the reasons I've been disassembling bulbs is to (try to) figure out which ones can be more easily modified to reduce their intensity and power consumption, which would reduce the heat produced and lengthen the bulb life.
I had this problem too at first. turns out enclosed means those water tight sealed ones (like outside units weatherproofed). a flush mount was actually okay!
Really? That's awesome! Thanks for sharing that.
Now I have to convince my SO. Where did you read about this?
From one of the people at home depot. It was a common question, and apparently the manufacturer cleared up the misunderstanding. Makes sense when you think about it. Old incandescent bulbs still got hot, but we don't burn our houses down by using flush mounts. the biggest problem about sealed units is heat, and LED bulbs can still get hot. When you read the packages of the phillips ones i got, it mentions not to put in to water proof sealed units, and it used this wording on the back of the package
"not suitable for totally enclosed fixtures or insulated air tight (ICAT) recessed downlights" and
"not intended for use with emergency exit fixtures or emergency lights" because those can often be water tight sealed units depending on where they are
I've had mine in flush mount fixtures now for several months and not a failure yet
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I like the Feit bulbs at Costco. The return policy is awesome, they provide a lot of light with a good CRI, and they dim really well.
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I like the Feit bulbs at Costco. The return policy is awesome, they provide a lot of light with a good CRI, and they dim really well.
I've had two feit bulbs (out of perhaps 20) go bad over the last couple years, but the manufacturer has replaced both easily. I'm a bit worried they will start hassling me if/when the rest start to go. They just ask for the product code and send me a new one
I'm happy with the color, but like the cree better.
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Great info, thanks for sharing.
Can you recommend bulbs that are fine for enclosed fixtures? I have a few glass ceiling light fixtures that I'm looking to place 40w equivalent LED bulbs in pairs.
Unfortunately, not at this point--and we have a lot of enclosed, flush-mounted fixtures in our home! At first thought, you'll want to make sure you get the type with an external heatsink--those fancy-looking ribs or fins around the outside. One of the reasons I've been disassembling bulbs is to (try to) figure out which ones can be more easily modified to reduce their intensity and power consumption, which would reduce the heat produced and lengthen the bulb life.
I had this problem too at first. turns out enclosed means those water tight sealed ones (like outside units weatherproofed). a flush mount was actually okay!
Really? That's awesome! Thanks for sharing that.
Now I have to convince my SO. Where did you read about this?
From one of the people at home depot. It was a common question, and apparently the manufacturer cleared up the misunderstanding. Makes sense when you think about it. Old incandescent bulbs still got hot, but we don't burn our houses down by using flush mounts. the biggest problem about sealed units is heat, and LED bulbs can still get hot. When you read the packages of the phillips ones i got, it mentions not to put in to water proof sealed units, and it used this wording on the back of the package
"not suitable for totally enclosed fixtures or insulated air tight (ICAT) recessed downlights" and
"not intended for use with emergency exit fixtures or emergency lights" because those can often be water tight sealed units depending on where they are
I've had mine in flush mount fixtures now for several months and not a failure yet
Makes perfect sense. Thank you!
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Been using the walmart ones in our potlights all round the house. Had a single one that was DOA (exchange no issues) but all have been working with zero issues for over 2yrs now.
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Go with the Phillips LEDs, Home Depot usually has them for ~$2.50/ea in 2 packs. Sometimes they are slightly cheaper, but we have ~30 of these and they're great.
Make sure that you get the Soft White color and not "Daylight" because that will be very white/harsh.
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After looking around a bit, Amazon has a pack of 6 3000K bulbs for $20. I have't seen them in-person, but 3000K would be greatly preferable to 2700K for me. I'm considering getting a pack to try.
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Are you looking to replicate incandescents or have a whiter light? I'd grab a 2 pack of the phillips from Home Depot for $5 and see how you like them first. If you don't, then return them.
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Are you looking to replicate incandescents or have a whiter light? I'd grab a 2 pack of the phillips from Home Depot for $5 and see how you like them first. If you don't, then return them.
Color temperature preference is a really interesting thing! I myself prefer very red - 2700k or even lower. They installed all these bright-white LED streetlamps around my house and I hate them -- too blinding. But I wonder if this is age related. Will babies born in 10 years prefer a nice 6500k daylight bulb, having never known the crappy mercury lamps and candle-light of old?
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Are you looking to replicate incandescents or have a whiter light? I'd grab a 2 pack of the phillips from Home Depot for $5 and see how you like them first. If you don't, then return them.
Color temperature preference is a really interesting thing! I myself prefer very red - 2700k or even lower. They installed all these bright-white LED streetlamps around my house and I hate them -- too blinding. But I wonder if this is age related. Will babies born in 10 years prefer a nice 6500k daylight bulb, having never known the crappy mercury lamps and candle-light of old?
Old fart here, too. I also like the 2700k range... But I'm working through lighting my shop and I've sort of found I like the bright-like-the-sun blueish hues that I abhor in the house.
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Our house is mostly Phillips, but different styles and shapes, we also have a few specialty "Edison-style" bulbs at the wife's insistence (still LED of course). They were acquired at different times from Home Depot; our state runs and incentive for LEDS where depending on the bulb and the day you walk in the store they can be under a dollar a bulb (limited selection and styles).
For bulbs that are not seen we use whatever shape is cheapest, for those that will be seen (and that we care about, so not the basement and attic) we waited for a better looking bulb to be included in the discount before we bought it.
As far as color goes we have "warm white" (~2700k) in the bedrooms and living rooms and daylight (~5000k) in the bathrooms, kitchen, and the workshop.
Aside from the reduced electric bill, what I love most about the LEDs is the ability to put a higher wattage-equivalent bulb in a fixture than the wattage rating on the fixture; there area few places in our house that were lacking in light when we moved in, but switching to brighter LEDs really addressed the issue.
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All my Cree bulbs have failed. Got some at Ikea, so far they are still going.
I had 1 Cree bulb fail on me, was easy to get Cree to mail me a replacement free.