RFI from Cree LED bulbs?

[k0ua]

Make sure the tombstone's are NOT jumped if you use the single ended direct feed LED tubes. Mine were not. but the instructions tell you to look for that. It is all pretty simple.

 

[5030]

Nice bulbs... but $14.00 for one light bulb is quite a bit.

When you buy the best available CREE SMD's, expect to pay a bit more for them. Interestingly, the LED 12 volt off road lights that HF sells are built with CREE SMD's.

Won't use anything else. Too many cheapo LED's on the market today and CREE stands a head above the rest.

 

[5030]

So far so good on the Cree's. These lamps are used as our TV room lighting. so they are on a lot. I like the instant on, just like an incandescent, and of course the efficiency of the bulbs and the low heat generation is great here in the summer time. Of course this winter, kind of offsets that a little. I had a CFL in the main walk in closet but took it out because I hated the CFL delay. It was just too darn dim, and I spend seconds in a closet not minutes. I wound up putting an incandescent back in. Of course that might be a good application for an LED. Time will tell on how long they last. I can tell you this, If they go dead in a couple of years, I am going to cry some real tears. The dang things just cost too much. I just had to buy a couple to see what all the hype was about, even if they do cost a fortune. At this point I am very pleased with them, and wish I was LED through the whole house, but I would need a long term loan to do that.

I have a dusk to dawn area light next to the shop that was built with CREE SMD's and it's been running every night for 3 years now and no issues at all. I expect at least 5 years out of the fixture so don't be concerned, they last.

 

[Jchonline]

Well, that was many years ago.

Haha ya I posted then I saw the original date. Sorry I got suckered in!

 

[California]

Re ballasts - I included a couple of dead fluorescent tubes along with some old paint when I went to the local hazardous waste facility. I carried the tubes in an old rusty fixture I intended to discard. To my surprise they wanted the fixture too. They said the ballast is also hazardous waste that they want to keep out of the landfill.

Fine by me! I came home with the trailer empty.

 

[MossRoad]

... I have 4 incandecent bulbs in my kitchen that were there when I bought the house 18 years ago! ...

Update from 2014...

One of the 4 miracle incandescent bulbs in the kitchen finally burned out. So that leaves 3 that are over 25 years old still running for about 4-5 hours per day with multiple on/off cycles.

Most of the house has been converted to LED.

What I do like about LEDs is that they are cool and don't add to the heat in a room.

What I don't like about them is they still just don't have that nice glow that a filament has. And, I cannot dim them down nearly as far as I can the incandescent bulbs. They still look lab-like/industrial. I've tried different temperature LED bulbs, and they still are not the same as the incandescents.

I converted the 50'+ Blue Spruce to LEDs this Christmas season. Those actually look pretty nice, but those are colored lights. Should see significantly lower electric bill, as the incandescents were pulling close to 30 amps.

 

[MossRoad]

When you buy the best available CREE SMD's, expect to pay a bit more for them. Interestingly, the LED 12 volt off road lights that HF sells are built with CREE SMD's.

Won't use anything else. Too many cheapo LED's on the market today and CREE stands a head above the rest.

That was 7 years ago. Have prices come down?

 

[ovrszd]

Make sure the tombstone's are NOT jumped if you use the single ended direct feed LED tubes. Mine were not. but the instructions tell you to look for that. It is all pretty simple.

Very simple. I'm guessing 10 minutes max to convert a six bulb fixture.

 

[5030]

That was 7 years ago. Have prices come down?

Nothing has decreased in cost that I know of. Only increased.

 

[k0ua]

I have a dusk to dawn area light next to the shop that was built with CREE SMD's and it's been running every night for 3 years now and no issues at all. I expect at least 5 years out of the fixture so don't be concerned, they last.

Remember I wrote that in August 2014, so over 7 years ago. Yes, they have all lasted but the original bulb which I replaced in 2016, So yes, they last, with many over 7 years old so far.