I just can't justify a small wattage difference between my CFL's vs. LEDs for $5-$10 a bulb cost. I have my electric usage under reign with my current 260-320 KWh used per month already in a 3000 sq ft home and my heat costs are minimal too since I heat with free wood in a EPA stove.
Cree 9.5 W LED A19, $10 at Home Depot
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40 watt even 60 watt equivalent LED's are just not going to cut it for me. Was looking for the 100 watt equivalent and they don't seem to be there yet at a reasonable price. Even the 100 watt equiv CFL's are not quite bright enough for a reading lamp for me. I used to use 150 watt incandescents, but most of the cfl equivalents in that size are either too bulky or too expensive. And it looks like it's going to be worse with LED's in even the 100 watt equiv. size, which looks like about the largest now.
And the 3 way LED's are a joke -- maximum 75 watts equiv. Sheesh. I remember 3 ways that went up to like 175 or 200 watts.
And the 3 way LED's are a joke -- maximum 75 watts equiv. Sheesh. I remember 3 ways that went up to like 175 or 200 watts.
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Highbeam
Minister of Fire
You need a better fixture. I agree that the 60 watt equivalent (800 lumens) is the current sweet spot for A19 bulbs. You can choose a fixture that uses multiple bulbs or you can choose a fixture capable of being aimed and use a reflector bulb like you would use in a can light and direct the light into your work area.
If you are stuck on a particular single bulb desk top lamp style with a shade then you may be waiting for awhile. Those lamps are for lighting rooms, but you seem to want to use it for task lighting.
I believe one of the understated "benefits" of those Cree LEDs is that they truly are equivalent to the incandescent claim. Most CFL's have outrageous equivalency claims, with the stated lumens typically being 70-80% of the lumens of the "equivalent" incandescent, and you even won't have that brightness for several minutes.
TE
Certainly is true about not relying on just the wattage equivalents, you really need to look at the lumens. Actually in the meantime was checking out what's available in the larger size 150 watt equiv cfl's and there are some smaller dimension ones that should fit and decently priced for about $6 apiece. Problem is the actual wattage can vary from about 29 to mid 40's with lumens also varying. I think the ones in the 40's are still the big expensive clunkers.
And there are some decent 3 way cfls around which with their electronic ballasts shouldn't have the disadvantage of the old incand. 3 ways where the larger filament always would burn out first and you were left with just a low watt bulb. I'll have to look around for some decently priced to try a few out. I still have a few 3 way table lamps.
Was looking at the various options in 100 watt equiv LED bulbs. What's nice about almost all is they are a true 1600 lumens (unlike the cfl options). Actual watts varies a lot however. The most efficienct low wattage one doesn't even look like a light bulb though -- just has a bunch of flat surfaces made up of led circuit boards with a not so greal CRL But they are all larger than A19.
And there are some decent 3 way cfls around which with their electronic ballasts shouldn't have the disadvantage of the old incand. 3 ways where the larger filament always would burn out first and you were left with just a low watt bulb. I'll have to look around for some decently priced to try a few out. I still have a few 3 way table lamps.
Was looking at the various options in 100 watt equiv LED bulbs. What's nice about almost all is they are a true 1600 lumens (unlike the cfl options). Actual watts varies a lot however. The most efficienct low wattage one doesn't even look like a light bulb though -- just has a bunch of flat surfaces made up of led circuit boards with a not so greal CRL But they are all larger than A19.
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maple1
Minister of Fire
I got a new 3-way CFL bulb for a corner lamp we've got here. Darned thing was way too fat on the bottom to fit the lamp. So now either have to live with the old incandescents, or look for a new lamp. I also got some white light (6500k) 13w CFLs to put in new double-light fixtures on my office ceiling. I really like them - but the fixture shades won't fit the bulb - bulb base just a little too big. So I either have to try dremelling out the glass shades a bit - or see if I can find some bright LEDs with a base that's not quite so fat. And those likely won't be quite bright enough. Very poor selections around here to pick from, almost have to resort to Ebay to find something.
Laszlo
Member
jharkin
Minister of Fire
Second that. I had a lot of "100 watt" equivalent CFLs (23w) in ceiling fixtures meant for 60s just to get decent light. Moving to led I put in 8w Phillips bulbs (the dear departed L prize) and found them to be brighter actually. Big difference.
jharkin
Minister of Fire
Yeah, I got a bunch of those for $7 bucks at Home Despot (PECO subsidy in my area). I like em a lot, but they do 'buzz' very slightly.
Geek, you have a bunch of Phillips Lprize lamps right? What do you think of these Cree's in comparison?
So far 3 Philips bulbs are my only A19 shape in use around the house but Id like to replace a few more reading lamp cfl bulbs with something comparable.
I think for down lighting, LEDs, which are intrinsically uni-directional, excel. The subject bulbs are meant to replace an incandescent A19 base bulb which transmit light in all directions. I'm no expert though.
jharkin
Minister of Fire
Hey guys just found this is a quick google search.
I can get t new style Phillips for $9.50 mail order though my POCO, might try a couple....
I can get t new style Phillips for $9.50 mail order though my POCO, might try a couple....
maple1
Minister of Fire
Those look like the Philips bulbs that were on promotion at a local building supply place here last fall. 830 lumens, 11 watt soft white dimmable. I saw their sign out front when I was going by - LED bulbs $3.99. So I pulled a U turn and went back. Sure enough, huge stack of them beside the checkout at $3.99. I was leery so only got a couple. Tried them out when I got home, then went back for 8 more the next day. Have three of them in our kitchen ceiling, I really like them. I should have got even more - they didn't last long at that price.
DBoon
Minister of Fire
I also think the new Crees are pretty comparable to the L-prize. I was very surprised they were that good after paying nearly $40 for one L-prize bulb and then seeing these Crees for ~$10 a year later.
semipro
Minister of Fire
So, were you able to hear the flyback transformers on CRTs?Pretty darn similar Jeremy in terms of color and brightness (by eye). The Crees look a little nicer in an translucent fixture, the light 'quality' on the L-prize seems slightly better (or I could just be suggestible). Neither kind is silent.
Couldn't hear it but smelled it in our 1960 RCA color TV. We had the first color TV in our small town. Flyback transformer burned up four times and filled the house with smoke.
Thanks for the memories.
Nope. I actually have terrible hi range hearing (too many explosion hijinx as a youngin).
I can hear all of them, in a quiet room, with my ear <2' from them. I'm prob cranky cuz I got one cree (out of 9) that is prob 10x louder than all the rest, or the L-prizers. Clearly a lemon, I'll prob move it to an outside fixture.
maverick06
Minister of Fire
hmm strange. i have 6 of these all in the same chandelier. I can stand with it a foot over me and i dont hear a thing. Guess depends on the lot you get. Very happy with them, they are great, certainly a great money saver.
Me too, (both about the hijinx and being able to hear the buzzing from some Crees). One of two I bought a few weeks ago for my halogen retrofit attempt is clearly audible when I'm reading in a quiet room. Most have a barely perceptible hum, so I'm swapping them around.
TE
Highbeam
Minister of Fire
I went out and bought another cree 800 lumen a19 yesterday. I luvem. This one was 7.97$ at home depot. I even luv that rubbery coating that makes screwing them in easier.
jebatty
Minister of Fire
I just discovered that the majority of the buzzing from the Cree is due to some harmonics/resonance with the dimmer, not inherent in the LED. I took out the loudest Cree and moved it to my garage where I noticed it was practically silent. A little experimentation showed that a Cree in a non dimmer circuit produces a very slight hum that is only audible an inch or two from the bulb, but that same bulb on a dimmer circuit can be heard 2-3 feet away. I also noticed that my dimmer on maximum still doesn't allow full current through, only 17W for the two 9.3W bulbs, so I need to dig through my junk electrical box to replace that dimmer foot switch with a regular on/off.
TE
TE
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