Perfect lightbulb?

[someguy]

Here are my criteria for the perfect lightbulb:

1) color/quality/brightness of light, dimmable

2) screws into current fixtures

3) energy efficiency

4) reasonable price

5) not an environmental hazard

 

I can also wish for world peace, but that ain't going to happen.

 

Cfl bulbs either don't dim, have color problems or have serious problems with dimming.

 

CCFLs are pretty darn good but they don't make ones (that I can find) that are much brighter than a 40 watt bulb.

 

LEDs are too expensive.

 

Anybody have experiences to add?

 

Someguy

[Brian H]

Yes the brightest CCFL that I have seen is about 75 watts equivalent.

 

I have seen information that Light Bulb manufacturers are working on a efficient bulb that acts like an incandescent.

 

http://www.1000bulbs.com/Dimmable-Cold- ... lbs/39457/

[someguy]

I hadn't seen that particular bulb. Seems much brighter than the 8W litetronics CCFLs that I have, but I've had early failures with this 8W bulb.

 

I should have put reliability as one of my top criteria as well.

 

Have you used this bulb that you linked to at 1000bulbs?

[Brian H]

OH I thought I was the only one with early Microbrite 8 watt failures.

Mine where strange. Where fine when cold. As they warmed up they flickered or went off for awhile and then came back on if the power was still being applied. Six out of the first eight installed have done this. One completely died in one month.

 

I also found in my X10 testing with a JV Engineering XTBM that the bulbs radiated [not power line RF garbage] at around the X10 and Insteon frequencies. Enough noise to get into the meters electronics and show false signal problems.

 

I have one of the USHIO bulbs but have not done extensive tests with it as it is larger than many of the CCFLs and didn't have the 'A' shell glass bulb for a lamp shade.

[someguy]

OH I thought I was the only one with early Microbrite 8 watt failures.

Mine where strange. Where fine when cold. As they warmed up they flickered or went off for awhile and then came back on if the power was still being applied. Six out of the first eight installed have done this. One completely died in one month.

 

I also found in my X10 testing with a JV Engineering XTBM that the bulbs radiated [not power line RF garbage] at around the X10 and Insteon frequencies. Enough noise to get into the meters electronics and show false signal problems.

 

I have one of the USHIO bulbs but have not done extensive tests with it as it is larger than many of the CCFLs and didn't have the 'A' shell glass bulb for a lamp shade.

 

I have the same exact problem with my microbrites. 4 of 9 that I bought have this problem.

[tahoe]

price has to be calculated over the life of the bulb. LED is the winner hands down even if you only use half the life advertised. Buy from a reputable source that offers at least a three year warranty.

[Brian H]

I have read some good reviews of some LED bulbs.

Many using them in overhead cans like them.

 

I agree you have to be carefully. I bought an EarthLED EvoLux bulb and was not 100% happy with it. Sold as comparable [not bright as] a 100 watt bulb.

Well like many it has a limited beam width. So it maybe close to 100 watts if in an overhead fixture shining down, but in a table lamp the ceiling gets all the light.

Also had a small fan in it to keep it cool. Most may not hear it but if it touched the fixtures fame you may hear it.

[someguy]

I have read some good reviews of some LED bulbs.

Many using them in overhead cans like them.

 

I agree you have to be carefully. I bought an EarthLED EvoLux bulb and was not 100% happy with it. Sold as comparable [not bright as] a 100 watt bulb.

Well like many it has a limited beam width. So it maybe close to 100 watts if in an overhead fixture shining down, but in a table lamp the ceiling gets all the light.

Also had a small fan in it to keep it cool. Most may not hear it but if it touched the fixtures fame you may hear it.

 

I've read that LED bulbs can be sold with numbers (lumens, etc) that seem really great, but you get a bulb that has a limited beam and doesn't accomplish what the numbers would suggest.

 

Does anyone have any specific bulb that they recommend for a lamp?

 

How about a specific bulb that they recommend for an in-ceiling can light?

 

thanks,

 

someguy

[sfhutchi]

price has to be calculated over the life of the bulb. LED is the winner hands down even if you only use half the life advertised. Buy from a reputable source that offers at least a three year warranty.

 

Having my incandescents on dimmers shows them lasting for 3+ years versus my limited use of CFLs lasting 1-2 years in areas that I use standard switches (garage, closets, pantry). Having my incandescents automated I really struggle to believe that I could save significantly by spending a small fortune in LEDs. I also can not accept the trade-off in flexibility with the dimming capabilities, lighting inconsistency, etc. I need true dimming capability from 0 to 100%. It just seems that the technology is not there yet. Since the vast majority of my electrical usage is in my air conditioning / heating and my water heater, I will accept the incandescent inefficiencies until the technology has caught up.

 

As an interesting side note, have you noticed how must homes do not have a single dimmer (or maybe one). Gives home lighting a more industrial feel, but it is what they are used to. This then simply sets the priority for the manufacturers to work on the 'color' of the light and dimming becomes a much lower priority.

[apostolakisl]

I have read some good reviews of some LED bulbs.

Many using them in overhead cans like them.

Does anyone have any specific bulb that they recommend for a lamp?

 

How about a specific bulb that they recommend for an in-ceiling can light?

 

thanks,

 

someguy

 

I wrote a review on a Cree LR6 I bought a few months ago and posted it in here. In summary, it is a perfect incandescnet replacement for an in-ceiling can if you don't need dimming. The light, in my opinion, is perfect at full brightness, it was easy to install, and looks good off too. It is "dimmable" but that feature pretty much stinks. At least dimming it doesn't dammage the bulb or make it flicker.

 

As far as regular style bulbs, I have never seen an led that is even close to being acceptable.

[someguy]

I have read some good reviews of some LED bulbs.

Many using them in overhead cans like them.

Does anyone have any specific bulb that they recommend for a lamp?

 

How about a specific bulb that they recommend for an in-ceiling can light?

 

thanks,

 

someguy

 

I wrote a review on a Cree LR6 I bought a few months ago and posted it in here. In summary, it is a perfect incandescnet replacement for an in-ceiling can if you don't need dimming. The light, in my opinion, is perfect at full brightness, it was easy to install, and looks good off too. It is "dimmable" but that feature pretty much stinks. At least dimming it doesn't dammage the bulb or make it flicker.

 

As far as regular style bulbs, I have never seen an led that is even close to being acceptable.

 

for $80 per bulb, it should make me dinner, too.

 

Using this tool:

 

http://www.1000bulbs.com/images/advanced%20calc.html

 

I calculate the payback to be at about 10 years. I think that is way too expensive, especially if it doesn't dim properly or well. I'd also be skeptical about potential reliability problems after my problems with the microbrites.

[rgs455returns]

I agree with many of you. The CFL do not seem to have a full spectrum of light. Our light brown walls are green with a CFL at night.

 

As it relates to the LEDs I wonder how long they really last. Have you notice the traffic lights that us LEDs. It was surprising to see some of individual LEDs burned out! I know the LEDs will last a long time.

 

 

I have noticed light bulbs do last larger with the dimmer. I have been warming the filament with a slower start. In our garage we have one 300 watt and a 200 watt bulb that would burn out two or three times a year. The winters were really hard on those bulbs. When you would turn them on in the winter you could hear the filament make a sound as the power came on. Switching them to a dimmer, I have not replaced them in two years. The ISY is turning them off after a period of time. The ISY is briefly dimming the bulb for 2 seconds one minute before they are switched off. A warning if you are in the garage working on project that is about to fade to black!(':shock:')

 

The final note about light blubs. I like to appearance of the clear bulb in our front porch light fixtures. I found the 130 volt bulbs work real nice. They use less power and they last a long time!

 

Cheers!

[Brian H]

I found a link to a site that disassembled one of the Home Depot $20 EcoSmart LED Bulbs. If anyone is interested.

http://www.edn.com/blog/PowerSource/395 ... nside_.php

[Mark Sanctuary]

disassembled

 

More like smashed! To get inside.

 

ha ha

[jtara92101]

LEDs are getting there. They're there now for applications that need directed light. A way to go for diffuse applications.

 

I'm using some GE MR 16's in track fixtures - in framing projectors and spots. For whatever reason, the spots are dimmable, the floods are not. You can get away with dimming the floods if you are careful how you start them - they won't start at a low level, but you can dim them down. It helps if you don't ramp them and just let them pop on.

 

These work out really great for framing projectors! These 3W LEDs are actually brighter than a 50W halogen in this application. Caveat is you need to use a spot and light a small picture. I believe it's because they have a much sharper cutoff pattern so the light is more focused.

 

MR16's are going to be a problem for a quite a while, I think. Though LEDs produce way less heat than halogens, they are also much less tolerant of heat. Many of the MR16's "cheat" on the form factor, and are "fat". It's going to be hard to get a flood that will equal the brightness of a 50W into an MR16 without having the LEDs destroy themselves.

 

Because of this, the lighting industry is coming out with LED-specific fixtures with proprietary "modules". All those MR16 cans everybody put in to be "modern" will either have to be replaced with (really, really) expensive new cans, or wait for the technology to catch-up.

 

I wouldn't use them for general lighting yet or for any kind of display lighting other than spots. My local Ralph's grocery store installed LEDs in their freezer section. Pretty cool, if you go in the store late at night, they sense when you walk by, and the cases light-up and shut off as you walk down the aisle. (They're smart enough to know which way you are walking and the path lights up ahead of you.) But they hurt my eyes!

 

There's a Sylvania screw-base 60-W equivalent coming to Home Depot in November that looks promising. (I think 6 or 8W) Fully dimmable, warm white, and they claim much better diffusion. I'm going to try them in my kitchen center fixture. The 8 MR16's around the perimeter (ugh, 400W at full bright) will have to wait another couple of years I think.

[apostolakisl]

I just bought one of home depots 40 watt eq leds eco smart bulbs. It was about $20. My overall assessment. . . ehhh, it's ok. I won't be buying any more but I'll use this one.

 

Here is the bad. It isn't that bad, though.

 

1) Light color is a bit too cool.

2) Light distribution is focused away from the base of the bulb too much. In other words, nearly 100% of the light shoots out of the top hemisphere of the bulb. This makes it not work well in a table lamp. In a ceiling fixture pointing down it would be fine.

3) Dimming is poor. It won't dim all the way and it stays too cool as it dims (light color doesn't really change at all with dimming)

 

The Good,

1) Reasonable price

2) Brightness to the naked eye is appropriate for a 40 watt eq.

3) Fits pretty much anywhere a standard incandescent would fit.

4) Runs cool to touch

5) Doesn't seem to mess with Insteon

6) Efficient

7) Light is diffuse (not harsh and contrasty as I have seen in other leds)

 

I think LED is getting very close, but just isn't there yet.

[Z3phyr]

Press release below - will be interesting to see how these operate vs CFLs and LEDs...

 

02/24/2011 Vu1 Corporation. Introduces Next Generation Electron Stimulated Luminescence R30 Light Bulb

 

Vu1 Corporation. announced that it has completed electronics miniaturization in the second generation of its Electron Stimulated Luminescence (ESL) R30 light bulb and will begin shipping the new bulbs to all customers with outstanding orders from March 23, 2011. The bulb, which is based on Vu1's unique ESL lighting technology platform, uses accelerated electrons to stimulate phosphor and create light, making the surface of the bulb glow and providing natural light quality for up to 10,000 hours. The new bulb will measure 5.37" in length, compared to the initial 5.75" of the first generation bulb, and will fit in all US recessed can lighting fixtures. The bulbs are fully dimmable, energy-efficient, non-toxic and provide a light quality virtually indistinguishable from traditional incandescent light bulbs. The company's next generation R30 light bulb will sell at the MSRP of $19.95 (excluding tax, shipping and handling), approximately half the price of LEDs at the lowest end of the LED pricing range, and the site will accept a minimum order quantity of eight bulbs.

[wwat]

Philips have put out a whole range of LED's through Home Depot at very reasonable prices, I calculated a 3 year payback at $0.19 /kwh. I've replaced almost all of my inside bulbs and the results are fantastic, the soft whites are almost the same as the incandescent. Before deciding on the Philips I tested a whole range of bullbs. All the others I tested suffered from one problem or another, they made a noise or the light was too white/blue or they were 50% more expensive.

Here in Canada the Philips equivilent to an incandescent 60w is $29 the 50w is $19 on sale (normally $24).

 

From another Canadian company I purchased 15 accent lights designed for placement around the eves, these are 3w but they give off an amazing amount of light. These were entirely built in canada and were approx $55 each. With LED's is you get what you pay for, don't go for the cheapest.

If you replaced 4-5 bulbs each month it wont take long to get them all done. With energy prices as high as they are and they are going higher, the sooner you get them all replaced the more you will save.

 

This is the 12.5W bulb (60w incandescent equivalent)

http://www.lighting.philips.com/us_en/products/led/energystar.php?main=us_en_consumer_lighting&parent=7593748565&id=us_en_products&lang=en

 

Wayne

[memaddog]

Does anyone have any new recommendations? The wish list remains the same - 60w (or more) output equivalent, dimmable, no/low noise, not crazy expensive.

[gatchel]

I found a link to a site that disassembled one of the Home Depot $20 EcoSmart LED Bulbs. If anyone is interested.

http://www.edn.com/blog/PowerSource/395 ... nside_.php

 

 

If anyone is interested, I took apart a Cree LR6 a while ago:

 

 

I have used the Cree LR6, the LR6-DR1000, the Cree CR6, the LMR4 modules, and the Philips A19 bulbs and they all work great. They are worth the money as long as you aren't looking for them to drop dollar bills the instant you flip the switch.

 

I also just installed 2 of the Cree (EcoSmart) 4 inch retrofit modules. They are like the CR6 but smaller. They are quite impressive.

[Illusion]

I have been testing type A LED replacement bulbs.

 

And the winner, hands down is the EnduraLED by Philips. These are the ones with the yellow filters, but burn white.

 

All 60W equivalents at 12W each:

 

The Sylvania pushes most of its light along the path of the axis of the bulb, it hums when dimmed, and has a terrible dim profile. 2700K

 

The Utilitech (Lowes) has a great dim profile, the best of the group, but flickers slightly from 50% down to off. It is a bit blue (about 3100K) and pushes most of its light out along the axis of the bulb.

 

The Eco Smart (Home Depot) has a terrible dim profile, is a bit blue (about 3100K) but is the best of the failures at even light distribution, trying to mimic a classic type A 60W bulb

 

The Philips blows these away. The light output is the most even of the group, though still not as even as an incandescent. The dim profile on the way down is fantastic all the way down to about 10%. Very close to an incandescent in intensity at different dim levels. Dim profile on the way up is not so great though. The bulb kicks on at about 15%, so this can be a bit abrupt on slow fade up from off transitions. It is not too bad at the 2s dim rate. Still there, but not a bad sacrifice for 5 times the efficiency. Really nice 2700K consistent color.

 

Philips even has a 17W version that is the output of a 75W incandescent. It has tested out equally nice, though there are no current competitors with which to compare it

[Brian H]

Thank you for the extensive tests Illusion.

I have read good things about the Philips EnduraLED bulbs.

I have also noticed that some brands I have used are directional. Would be great in an overhead light shining down, but in a table lamp my ceiling gets all the illumination.

[apostolakisl]

I have tried about 6 different LED bulbs and agree that the phillips endura is the best one to date. Behind a lamp shade you can not tell the difference between it and an incandescent aside from a slightly different dimming profile.

[Brian H]

If any one is interested. Here is a break down of the Philips EnduraLED bulb.

I find the Blue LEDs exciting the Yellow sides to glow white interesting.

http://www.edn.com/blog/PowerSource/405 ... terns_.php

http://www.edn.com/blog/PowerSource/405 ... art_II.php

[apostolakisl]

If any one is interested. Here is a break down of the Philips EnduraLED bulb.

I find the Blue LEDs exciting the Yellow sides to glow white interesting.

http://www.edn.com/blog/PowerSource/405 ... terns_.php

http://www.edn.com/blog/PowerSource/405 ... art_II.php

 

I have some of these bulbs and agree that they are nearly perfect. Behind a lamp shade, they are perfect. The only shortcomming is if you have a fixture where you can see the actual bulb, not so attractive. Otherwise, to my eye, they light might as well be comming from an incandescent bulb. Now to get the price down to $10.