Tried CREE LED lights

[apostolakisl]

I bought one of the Cree LED LR6 lights and here is my one week of using it opinion.

 

I picked up the Cree LR 6 Warm white (2700k) for $85 on ebay with shipping.

 

Installing was easy. I unscrewed the regular bulb, pulled down the decorative ring which had the edison socket attached. The edison socket pops off the decorative housing. The cree light has a grounding wire which I attached to a random screw in the light housing and then screwed the base into the socket. From there it slid up into the can and a quarter turn locked it in place nicely.

 

Turned it on and got excellent light color. It is nearly identical to the incandescent bulbs I still have in adjacent fixtures. It claims to equal 65 watt incandescent but sure looked brighter than the 65 watt bulbs next to it. It turned on instnatly with power.

 

Then I tried dimming. Here it came up short. As the light dims the color stays the same. I like how incandescents get warmer as the dim so I didn't like this. It also dims less than incandescents so it stayed quite a bit brighter as you dropped the power as compared to the regular bulb. It also will not dim past what seemed to the naked eye to be about a 50% reduction. At that point it shut off. This was roughly at the 20% mark on my insteon switch.

 

It states 12 watt consumption and I don't have equpuipment to test that. They claim 50k hour life. Give me a ring in 20 years and I'll let you know if it lasted that long. It definitely runs cool. After an hour of being on, the lamp and its housing were just barely warm to the touch.

 

In short, it is the first led light I have seen with what I would call true incandescent color. It has instant on at full brightness and is plenty bright. It comes up short in the dimming department as it doesn't dim very much and stays too white as it dims. It is a bit pricey at $85 but still has a good roi. Compared to a cfl it is a bit harder to install but should last way longer. My experience with cfl's is that they never last anywhere close to the 10k hours claimed. There is also no mercury to worry about.

 

I will probably buy more of these and use them in places I typically don't dim the lights and in places where the lights are hard to get at.

[tahoe]

we install these in kitchens in california to comply wit title 24 code. Cree is the premier led manufacturer. I look for cree internals on other led products.

[brklaas1]

Try the CR6. They have fantastic dimming compared to the LR6. I have several on the same circuit for testing. They dim down to about 4% on a standard Insteon dimmer. They do stay white as they dim though. Some like it, some do not.

[evilpete]

I find if you put on incandescent bulb in the circuit LED bulbs dim more linearly

[evilpete]

yes, I am

[apostolakisl]

yes, I am

 

This affect would be dimmer dependent. Some dimmers do not function properly unless they have a minimum load and low wattage LED's aren't up to that minimum.

[evilpete]

I have 37 watts ( 14w * 2 + 9w ) of LED lighting + 15 watts of incandescent controlled by a SwitchLinc 2476D.

 

When I run only LEDs ( 37w ) dimming is not linear ( that is 80% of the dimming happens in the last 20% )

 

when I run a 24watts ( 9w LED plus + 15 watts of incandescent ) the dimming is even ( linear )

 

I do not think lack of wattage is a problem.

 

btw: bulbs I used are : LEDwholesalers Dimmable PAR38 14 Watt LED Spot Light and a Led Liquidators 9 Watt Cree PAR20

[apostolakisl]

I have 37 watts ( 14w * 2 + 9w ) of LED lighting + 15 watts of incandescent controlled by a SwitchLinc 2476D.

 

When I run only LEDs ( 37w ) dimming is not linear ( that is 80% of the dimming happens in the last 20% )

 

when I run a 24watts ( 9w LED plus + 15 watts of incandescent ) the dimming is even ( linear )

 

I do not think lack of wattage is a problem.

 

btw: bulbs I used are : LEDwholesalers Dimmable PAR38 14 Watt LED Spot Light and a Led Liquidators 9 Watt Cree PAR20

 

It is still dimmer dependent. If not wattage, then it is some other aspects like power factor that is messing with your dimmer. The bulb is obviously capable of dimming smoothly, the incandescent is not affecting the LED, the incandescent is affecting the dimmer.

[Brian H]

One thing that many users miss with LED Bulbs.

Inrush and Repetitive Peak Current when using dimmers.

Like the CREE LR6 line says count each one as a 75 watt load when adding up the wattage on a dimmer.

http://www.cree.com/~/media/Files/Cree/ ... milies.pdf

 

Most other reputable LED bulb manufacturers will give you this data if you look hard enough. Sometimes only in the specifications sheet and not on the package.

[Scott MS]

I'm a huge fan of the Cree CR6 that you can get at Home Depot. I have installed 93 of these in my house and I'm 100% LED. I did a lot of research on bulbs and found the CR6 to be the best. I also have the Cree LE6 eyeballs, which are nice too.

 

And, all work great with my Insteon dual-band dimmers.

[Scottmichaelj]

I have to agree with the Cree CR6 which are the Home Depot EcoSmart. I swapped out all my recessed can lights my new home builder put in (with CFLs!) to these LEDs. I love the color and dimmable levels.

 

I have to admit the off to lowest dim level took some getting used to. We have blue/grey interior paint and love the 5000k color temp vs incandescence bulbs. It also makes our kitchen counters look good since they are bright white. I used to really like the Phillips Reveal bulbs but with this paint makes it a strange pinkish wall color.

 

The only issue for me now is finding 60w 5000k bulbs for my lamps. The HD EcoSmarts flicker in my lamps. Also the EcoSmart 75w's make a humming sound dimmed, but I dont hear anything with the 60w.

 

Would love to hear what everyone uses for lamps. I also need recommendations for candelabra bulbs too for my chandeliers.

[apostolakisl]

I have tons of the CR6 bulbs, but I have never seen them sold at any color temp except for 2700K. Where are you finding 5000K?

 

I recently bought quite a few of the Cree A19 bulbs at HD. I am very happy with them. They come in 2700 and 5000K.

 

To my opinion, there just ins't a candelabra bulb to replace incandescent. If someone finds one that looks good, doesn't cost a fortune, and actually produces pleasing light, please let me know.

[arw01]

Looking for those too. I will take a look at the ones I got for a bedroom light. The kid took out all of them except one because they were BRIGHT.

 

Bought a new light fixture with candelabra bases and found at Lowes a CFL that was dimmable for about $9.00 each, outrageous, but work.

[Scottmichaelj]

Here are the EcoSmart 6" recessed can replacements in 5000k that are using Cree inside

 

http://m.homedepot.com/p/EcoSmart-6-in- ... 203423169/

 

Here are the A19s but again the 75w hums when dimmed and right now the 60w seem to flicker while dimming

 

http://m.homedepot.com/p/EcoSmart-A19-1 ... 203605756/

 

I may go pick up the new 2013 Philips Led that they made changes to and see how they perform as they are also 5000k and dimmable. Supposedly they are in stock at my local HD. Ill let you know how they go.

 

http://mobile.philly.com/blogs/?wss=/ph ... =122179694

[apostolakisl]

The 5000k ecosmart must be a CR6, but Cree doesn't have it on their own website. And HD sure makes it tough to find, I had to do a very specific search for it. They don't have the 5000K version on the store shelf either. I have all 2700K CR6's and am quite pleased with them. I'm not a fan of daylight balanced bulbs, but each to his own.

 

I also put all Cree ceiling troffers in my office. They are quite nice. Use about 50% of the electricity, never need relamping (at least not in my lifetime), earned me a bunch of utility credits, flip on faster than fluorescent, don't make a sound at all, produce half the heat, and generally look good. They do cost about 50% more than florescent, but with the energy credits, no need to relamp every few years, and lower heat production, I don't doubt it was a good move.

 

You need to look at the Cree branded A19's at HD. They are only $13/ea and are very close to flawless. The only shortcoming is that they don't dim all the way to zero. I guess they could be cheaper too, but $13 is very doable. They come in 40w, 60w, 2700k, and 5000k.

 

http://www.homedepot.com/p/Cree-9-Watt- ... Y_rpKKsh8E

[gatchel]

I had tried s few of the Cree A19's and one out of three was a noticably different color temperature than the other two. Not 5000K but slightly higher than the 2700K. I returned them and decided to stick with Philips for now. I mentioned it to Cree customer service and they didn't really seem to care telling me to just return them. Welcome to the new Cree, I guess. My LR's and CR's are still flawless and awesome.

[Brian H]

I bought a six pack of the A19, 2700K, 60 watt version.

One of the six has a manufacturing problem. The E26 socket on the bottom was not staked to the plastic housing and the only thing holding it on is the two wires soldered to it.

[Scottmichaelj]

You need to look at the Cree branded A19's at HD. They are only $13/ea and are very close to flawless. The only shortcoming is that they don't dim all the way to zero. I guess they could be cheaper too, but $13 is very doable. They come in 40w, 60w, 2700k, and 5000k.

 

http://www.homedepot.com/p/Cree-9-Watt- ... Y_rpKKsh8E

 

Ill take your word for it and order some from the website. For some strange reason all the HD stores around me have the warm white 2700k of those in stock but not the daylight of 5000k. When I get them and test them Ill post back.

 

I did purchase the Philips newer version (all white on top) today. The price of $25 vs the cheaper Cree would be substantial savings though.

 

First impressions of the Philips are they are nice. Dims to 5% and the lamps that flickered before seem to have stopped. Have to wait until tonight though when everything is on and going to see if they act up and get (or produce) any interference. My wife wants to put them in our master vanity lights to test, which the lights aim/shine down towards the counters to see how they perform. She thinks the top (bulb) is sexier than a normal bulb. One thing you cant see in the picture of them is that the top is frosted. See the picture. It is taken with the light dimmed so you can see what I am trying to explain. So while downward light looks filtered a bit by the top being frosted I wouldnt say its a huge issue either preventing downlight at 100% on.

 

 

[Brian H]

Over in the Fixed Lighting section of the Candlepower Forums. It has been reported that only the 2700K bulbs are being carried in the stores and 5000Ks are sold on line. They may not be popular enough to take up shelf space.

[apostolakisl]

I bought a six pack of the A19, 2700K, 60 watt version.

One of the six has a manufacturing problem. The E26 socket on the bottom was not staked to the plastic housing and the only thing holding it on is the two wires soldered to it.

 

I got 10 of them. All are perfect. I guess we will see whose experience is more typical as time goes on. And I am sure as they make them for longer they will work out some of the early production bugs. Of course HD is easy to return to and Cree supposedly has very good warranty support.

[Scott MS]

I went with 93 Cree CR6 lights for the recessed can lights (I tried a bunch and these are, hands down, the best).

 

For regular A19, the Cree's are too yellow and I really like the new Philips A19 bulbs for color temp and light spread. I have about 30 of these in the remainder of the home.

 

[Scottmichaelj]

I went with 93 Cree CR6 lights for the recessed can lights (I tried a bunch and these are, hands down, the best).

 

For regular A19, the Cree's are too yellow and I really like the new Philips A19 bulbs for color temp and light spread. I have about 30 of these in the remainder of the home.

 

 

 

So to be clear your referring to the Home Depot Cree 5k bulbs on the above link? I was going to try them but now hesitant based on your reply.

 

I am having good luck with the Philips and do indeed like the output color. However next to the Ecosmart the Ecosmart looks more blue now side by side.

 

Here is a photo of the Philips in a downlight off and another on for reference. They are a nice clean white and didnt notice how much bluer the Ecosmart was until put side by side with the Philips.

 

I still will use the Ecosmart/Cree CR6 for floods and the Philips for lamps since as long as they are further apart you cant tell the bluish difference.

 

 

 

 

[apostolakisl]

2700K is the color of a standard incandescent tungsten filament bulb. I put the Cree 2700 A19 bulb in a 2 bulb fixture with a regular incandescent bulb and through the lamp shade you couldn't tell which was which.

 

3000K is pretty common also in LED. No doubt it is bluer, but still clearly warm. More like xenon.

 

5000K is very cold light. They are quite similar to daylight balanced fluorescent. Also a camera flash will typically be in this range. It is pretty much the color of light outside on a cloudy day. Most people find this light to be too cold and clinical looking for a home, but each to his own.

 

But color temp is only half (or less) of the story.

 

There is also the CRI. The color rendering index describes how well the bulb shows the true colors of objects it shines on. If I were thinking of purchasing 2 different bulbs, and one had a crummy CRI and the other a good CRI, I would put a lot more importance on the CRI than color temp (within reason). The higher the index, the better. A high index bulb has a more balanced output of light whereas a low index light will have "holes" in the color output. Two lights might look like the same color when you look directly at the light, but the objects they shine on may look very different. A bulb can look like 2700K because it outputs a few spikes of color that blend to 2700K, or it can look like 2700K because it outputs all the colors and blends to 2700K. You want the latter. A low CRI bulb shining on something that is in the range of a color that it is missing will look very dark. The light tends to be eerie, contrasty, unflattering, and sometimes difficult to work under depending on the colors of the objects you are working on.

[MWareman]

Yeah, it was funny. When Smarthome first put out their Insteon LED bulb, there was no CRI listed on the product page. I had a back and forth with them via email while I tried to find out what the CRI of the bulb was (at first, they seemed to have no idea what I was asking for). After a couple of weeks, I noticed the product page got updated to include it.

 

It's the single stat that seems to separate an OK and a Great bulb, and always adds to the cost. I won't buy a low CRI bulb.

[HaroldRobinett]

2700K is the color of a standard incandescent tungsten filament bulb. I put the Cree 2700 A19 bulb in a 2 bulb fixture with a regular incandescent bulb and through the lamp shade you couldn't tell which was which.

 

3000K is pretty common also in LED. No doubt it is bluer, but still clearly warm. More like xenon.

 

5000K is very cold led light. They are quite similar to daylight balanced fluorescent. Also a camera flash will typically be in this range. It is pretty much the color of light outside on a cloudy day. Most people find this light to be too cold and clinical looking for a home, but each to his own.

 

But color temp is only half (or less) of the story.

 

There is also the CRI. The color rendering index describes how well the bulb shows the true colors of objects it shines on. If I were thinking of purchasing 2 different bulbs, and one had a crummy CRI and the other a good CRI, I would put a lot more importance on the CRI than color temp (within reason). The higher the index, the better. A high index bulb has a more balanced output of light whereas a low index light will have "holes" in the color output. Two lights might look like the same color when you look directly at the light, but the objects they shine on may look very different. A bulb can look like 2700K because it outputs a few spikes of color that blend to 2700K, or it can look like 2700K because it outputs all the colors and blends to 2700K. You want the latter. A low CRI bulb shining on something that is in the range of a color that it is missing will look very dark. The light tends to be eerie, contrasty, unflattering, and sometimes difficult to work under depending on the colors of the objects you are working on.

LOL

When Smarthome first put out their Insteon LED light, there was no CRI detailed on the item web page.