RFI from Cree LED bulbs?

[k0ua]

I just saw these in this week's Lowe's flyer. I'm going to have to try some, hard to beat 2 for under $5. reviews are decent too.

Shop Utilitech 9.5-Watt (60W Equivalent) 3,000K A19 Medium Base (E-26) Warm White LED Bulb at Lowes.com

gotta admit the price is good.. How about the RFI emissions?.. and of course how long would they actually last, and overall build quality is ? But with prices like that, it will put market pressure on Cree too.. I just hope the quality stays up.

 

[ultrarunner]

Me too...

Too many times the quality suffers when costs are cut...

 

[KubotainNH]

No idea but I bought a 40 and a 60 to try. 2 year warranty, not close to the warranty on the cree but worth a try.

 

[California]

Looking at the generally favorable reviews on Lowes and Amazon - that seems to be a good bulb. Several owners noted the color is more white than an incandescent. One said it made his white walls look slightly green. I would buy them for general use but maybe not for over the dining table. That's the best price I've seen for LED's.

On the other hand: Fry's had a sale on LEDs that are so generic that I can't find a mention of them anywhere. I picked up a four-pack to try them - but left it on the cashier's counter when she told me light bulbs are never returnable to Fry's for any reason.

 

[Redneck in training]

I have six banks of fluorescent lights in my shop. There at least two that make my AM radio buzz loudly. So far none of the LEDs we have in the house exhibits similar effect.

 

[k0ua]

I have six banks of fluorescent lights in my shop. There at least two that make my AM radio buzz loudly. So far none of the LEDs we have in the house exhibits similar effect.

yes some of the electronic ballast in florescent fixtures are pretty dirty.

 

[KubotainNH]

I put the newly purchased 40w in a ceiling fan, it is brighter then the 40w incandescents in it (4 bulbs total). Wife commented on how bright it is. My only complaint so far is it does not start up instantly like the Cree bulb. It also is a non-dimmable bulb made in China. I think the Cree is at least built in the USA.

 

[Bird]

I put the newly purchased 40w in a ceiling fan, it is brighter then the 40w incandescents in it (4 bulbs total). Wife commented on how bright it is. My only complaint so far is it does not start up instantly like the Cree bulb. It also is a non-dimmable bulb made in China. I think the Cree is at least built in the USA.

And what brand is it that doesn't start up instantly? I ask because we have a light fixture in the master bathroom that has 6 bulbs; each is behind what I'd guess is a seashell type cover. I had a hard time finding any LED bulbs with the candelabra base that weren't too long to fit behind those covers. I finally found some Sylvania bulbs at Lowe's that I'm using. They're the only LED bulbs we have that don't come on INSTANTLY. Of course I've gotten accustomed to the fact that those will take just a fraction of a second to come on.

We even have a couple of cheap night lights from Walmart; one of which is in the hall bath and if you walk in there and flip the light switch on, that night light goes off instantly. Turn the wall light switch off and that night light comes on instantly.

 

[KubotainNH]

Utilitech from Lowe's, the link is back a couple posts. Good price but I may go with the Cree's instead. Maybe the delay wouldn't bother me if they were all the same.

 

[Industrial Toys]

Curious what would cause RFI in a LED bulb. There is probably not much of a PSU but maybe just a voltage regulator which oscillates and could cause RFI I guess. How many LEDs are actually in a household Eddison replacement type bulb anyway?