1. Guest , Please be sure to use our new Bookmarks system to save your favorite threads! This lets you refer to them later and direct others, etc. Information on the new feature at this link
  1. velvetfoot God of Fire

    joined: Dec 5, 2005
    3,689 posts
    Sand Lake, NY
    I wonder if anyone could suggest a warm-colored (2700), dimmable, globe-shaped, around 60 watt equivalent, with a normal screw-in base. I need three for the fixture over the dining room table. Dimmable is key, as well as warm color. I tried an $8.00 (non-globe) model from HD that was 3100 and didn't like the color. We have flourescent globes in there now that we like, but we'd like to be able to dim them.

    Thanks.
  2. firebroad Feeling the Heat

    joined: Nov 18, 2011
    463 posts
    Carroll County, MD
  3. velvetfoot God of Fire

    joined: Dec 5, 2005
    3,689 posts
    Sand Lake, NY
    It's not a globe, but that wouldn't be a deal breaker.
    It is yellow though, when not lit up!
  4. firebroad Feeling the Heat

    joined: Nov 18, 2011
    463 posts
    Carroll County, MD
    The yellow color neutralizes that bluey cast that LED's give off. It looks like a bug light only until you fire it up. Also supposed to eat less power than CFL's
  5. velvetfoot God of Fire

    joined: Dec 5, 2005
    3,689 posts
    Sand Lake, NY
    I don't think bug lights in the dining room chandelier would go over too great.
  6. firebroad Feeling the Heat

    joined: Nov 18, 2011
    463 posts
    Carroll County, MD
    But wouldn't it be a surprise! Great conversation piece.
  7. velvetfoot God of Fire

    joined: Dec 5, 2005
    3,689 posts
    Sand Lake, NY
    Only I wouldn't like the way the conversation would be heading!
  8. begreen Super Moderator

    joined: Nov 18, 2005
    29,204 posts
    South Puget Sound, WA
    Maybe you could tell them the light protects them. Like the secret cone of silence.
  9. velvetfoot God of Fire

    joined: Dec 5, 2005
    3,689 posts
    Sand Lake, NY
    Still looking at the 8 buck led bulb from HD. Color not right for us. Really need 2700k.

    I wonder - do dimmable compact flourescents, really dim?
  10. velvetfoot God of Fire

    joined: Dec 5, 2005
    3,689 posts
    Sand Lake, NY
  11. billb3 God of Fire

    joined: Dec 14, 2007
    2,631 posts
    SE Mass
    I just replaced 5 -40watt bulbs in a dining room table fixture with osram-sylvania A19 LED- they are dimmable but they are a bit cooler than stated. I didn't like the whiteness at first, but reading under them is so nice I've decided I like them.
    Plus they look half-way decent- even when off. They do make a 60 watt equivalent but the heat sink was different.
    BJ's had 'em for $18 a piece with the Nstar rebate.
    http://buildaroo.com/news/article/s.../8-watt-ultra-a-line-sylvania-led-light-bulb/

    I've had dimmable CFL burn up (no flame- just black smoke ), so there are now none in my house.


    I had globe incandescents in that light originally and these don't look wrong.
    That light could pump out some heat, the LED are worth it just for the less heat in the Summer.
  12. velvetfoot God of Fire

    joined: Dec 5, 2005
    3,689 posts
    Sand Lake, NY
    Those dimmable 15 watt CFL globes I ordered came in and they work great! They dim down quite low and linearly. I got a Lutron Skylark CFL/LED dimmer at HD to go with them. The 2700K color matches with the other bulbs we have and is soothing. They are a little longer than the originals, but that isn't proving to be a factor in this case. Next step is to see how much power is actually saved by dimming them, although that wasn't the primary reason for getting them.
  13. velvetfoot God of Fire

    joined: Dec 5, 2005
    3,689 posts
    Sand Lake, NY
    Well, that didn't take long.
    It looks like it saves about 30 watts for the three.
    That's a pretty round figure based on the TED device, but dimming does save energy.
    Now, we'll see how long they last; hopefully that'll take a little longer.
  14. flyingcow God of Fire

    joined: Jun 4, 2008
    1,369 posts
    northern-half of maine
    Hang a fly strip from the light and you'd be all set. :)
  15. velvetfoot God of Fire

    joined: Dec 5, 2005
    3,689 posts
    Sand Lake, NY
    Just to add one more thing, it seems that before you can dim the lamps to any great degree, they must warm up first.
  16. maple1 Combustion Analyzer

    joined: Sep 15, 2011
    736 posts
    Nova Scotia
    Hope these LEDs start coming down in price soon. IMO CFL's aren't the answer to 'energy hungry' incandescents - I bought a bunch when they were coming into play here a few years ago, won't be buying any more.
  17. velvetfoot God of Fire

    joined: Dec 5, 2005
    3,689 posts
    Sand Lake, NY
    I personally like cfls just fine. Soft, omni-directional light, at an efficiency just a little less than leds.
  18. MasterMech God of Fire

    joined: Aug 2, 2011
    1,706 posts
    Hudson Valley NY
    I did similar when we moved into this house. Bought a ton of CFL's to "save money" and now I've replaced 3 in less than 3 years. I can't wait unit LED reaches more applications and the price comes down a bit.
  19. begreen Super Moderator

    joined: Nov 18, 2005
    29,204 posts
    South Puget Sound, WA
    I date our bulbs and have found the cfl's get a bit longer life than the halogens. But I will also wait on the LEDs. They don't save a lot more than the CFLs and I am not sure about their longevity. Considering that I would mostly be replacing recessed can lights I don't want to be dealing with heat failure like I was with the early CFLs. FWIW, the Christmas LED lights I put up a year ago have a couple dead spots already and they don't have a ton of hours on them.
  20. velvetfoot God of Fire

    joined: Dec 5, 2005
    3,689 posts
    Sand Lake, NY
    I messed around with led gauge illumination on the Beetle I had a while ago. What I learrned then was that leds were very directional; that's something that has to be dealt with too. That's fine, maybe, with down lighting, you still might get pools of light and dark. Anectodaly (sp?), I've noticed dead leds in traffic lights as well. I'm thinking for the minor energy advantage that leds may, or may not, have over cfls for home lighting, the negatives outweigh the positives. My theory is that there's some other technology being developed right now in a lab somewhere, that will overcome the negatives of both and be simpler.
  21. woodgeek God of Fire

    joined: Jan 27, 2008
    717 posts
    SE PA
    I don't get it. How many different brands/colors/powers did you try before giving up on the whole technology? I buy cfls at the local mom and pop, and if I don't like 'em, I take em back...and buy a different one. Life is to short to suffer a light bulb you don't like....but then there is no reason to.
  22. Seasoned Oak God of Fire

    joined: Oct 17, 2008
    1,028 posts
    Eastern Central PA
    Sams club has anice selection of reasonably priced LEDs THey seem to always have the latest one out in stock before everyone else.
    Already converted dozens of xmas light strings to LED.
  23. maple1 Combustion Analyzer

    joined: Sep 15, 2011
    736 posts
    Nova Scotia
    The ones I bought are still being used. I'll keep replacing until they're used up - then likely not buy any more. I don't have any issues with how they light per se, but from our experience they don't last any longer than incandescents (I think now when I'm screwing in a new CFL, it's more often to replace a CFL that's burned out, rather than a dead incandescent). So that kind of life span kind of outweighs potentially lower electricity use. Then that also brings in the mercury factor - something that seems to have been glossed over in the CFL wave.
  24. Seasoned Oak God of Fire

    joined: Oct 17, 2008
    1,028 posts
    Eastern Central PA
    CFLs are old tech ,leds have been slowly getting cheaper and quickly getting better. Its amazing what they have done with xmas lights. My electric bill barely budged this year as the wife has most of the 30 to 40 sets of lights and 5 xmas trees converted to LED.
  25. velvetfoot God of Fire

    joined: Dec 5, 2005
    3,689 posts
    Sand Lake, NY
    On a similarly judgmental note, LEDs are over hyped. CFLs have better non-directional light. Cost of LEDs still too high. Reliability unproven (see non-working elements in your average LED traffic light). Have to wait for the next big invention. I've noticed while chain sawing with my LED head lamp that there is a strobe-like effect such that at times it appears as if the chain is stopped; not sure what that means.

    PS: On the original topic, when I used those globe cfls with a Leviton dimmer meant for CFLs and LEDs, it would pulse some. When I replaced the dimmer with a similar one meant for incandescent everything is fine.

Share This Page