LED Lighting

[California]

By popular demand

My fifth LED household bulb arrived today. Best yet!

Claimed 7 watts, 720 lumens. $8 including delivery. It seems brighter than a 60 watt incandescent. Some 75 watt bulbs don't claim as many lumens. The price on LEDs is dropping rapidly, last year I see this output cost $40.

Oops GrowFarmers I didn't mean to pull your thread off topic. I encourage you to keep biodiesel in the spotlight.

I would definitely be interested in hearing more about the LEDs. Would you guys want to start a thread?

I just noticed that October 2011 Consumer Reports rates energy-saving lighting including LEDs. They note Compact Fluorescents use "75% less energy and last seven to ten times longer" than ordinary incandescent bulbs saving "about $52 per 60 watt-equivalent over a bulb's lifetime" while LEDs "use even less energy and are claimed to last for decades".

Is anyone else buying household LEDs?

 

[ultrarunner]

Not yet...

Home Depot is running an ad offering LED for under $10 and it is supposed to last for decades.

 

[mrmikey]

Is anyone else buying household LEDs?

I will when the price drops. I've bought a couple off flea bay for outside use by the back door and they're a nice, clean light but the intensity leaves a lot to be desired.....Mike

 

[chipsndust]

So far, all I've used are solar charged lights on flagpoles to light my flags at night.

They have held up well, but are barely bright enough to do the job.

 

[GrowFarmers]

Hey california,
Thanks for starting this thread! :thumbsup:

I succumbed to my curiosity and bought a sylvania 75W equivalent flood light when I needed to replace one on my outdoor sensor lights on my garage but it is paired with a normal flood light right now so I havent gotten a good sense of the light quality. Seems pretty good. One thing I notice is that there is a delay before it comes on compared to the regular flood light. Not a big deal, just an observation.

Of the people who have bought them for indoors I have a few questions.
Is there a brand that is better than the rest?
How well do they work on dimmer switches? I have a lot in my house.
Any tips or tricks for picking out bulbs?

Thanks!

 

[Kays Supply]

I just put up an outside flood light that is LED. I could'nt be happier. It is 37 watts but is plenty bright for a night light. I got tired of replacing the halogen bulbs every few months. It wasn't cheap by any standard but I think it is worth not having to mess with changing it so often. One fall off the ladder and and it could cost way more than an LED light.

 

[jinman]

Is anyone else buying household LEDs?

Yes, and squinting. I bought six expensive candelabra base lamps from Sam's for my hanging chandelier. They are half as bright as my previous incandescent lights. Now I have these lights that I can't afford to chunk into the trash. :smiley_aafz:

 

[buckeyefarmer]

I want to try one, but haven't seen them cheap enough. I love the LED flashlights. I have a few CFL's, don't care for them, especially the CFL flood light.

 

[DavidVT]

I bought one today at HD out of curiosity. It is dim-able and very white. Unfortunately the light in this bulb is very directional vs the incandescent I replaced in a living room overhead fixture for the first test.

The package claims it will cost $4 per year to operate it...

After playing with it a bit, I plan to put it in my moist basement and leave it running year round to replace a dim nightlight.

I am looking to eventually replace my outdoor fixtures with LED lighting that is more directional towards the ground. I am in rural Vermont and don't like the classic flood lights that shine into the trees and sky for no good reason.

 

[IslandTractor]

I'm waiting. I like the idea of LEDs but my experience with compact fluorescents is not what was advertised. We change them about as often as the old incandescent bulbs despite the claims of many fold longevity. I know LEDs are durable but don't trust the manufacturing and other parts of the new lights yet. Especially not at current prices.