LED Light Bulbs?

[hausfrau]

I have new fixtures to put up in our kitchen, and while I was at it, I was thinking of changing from CFL bulbs to LED ones. I know Daniel from Manhattan Nest at one point recommended Cree bulbs, but has anyone actually used LEDs in their house? How do you like them? Also, do you have a specific bulb you would recommend? The fixtures will take up to 100W.

[AmyRI]

I only have experience with Philips Endura LED lightbulbs. We got 3 free from National Grid when they did a home energy assessment, and another 3 for $10 when they ran a special on them. No complaints so far. They aren't super blue (which was one of my fears) and all are still functioning, although we've only had them for 6 months to a year so far.

[bunch]

I have some really weird fixtures, so I didn't have many options, but I bought the warm white version of these and have been very pleased.

www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00AKAYMVI/ref=oh_aui_detailpage_o09_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1

The middle and left are led, the right halogen.

[bunch]

Sorry for my lousy picture, but it does get my point across that you can't tell the difference

[julygal]

Our DD's room felt like a cave when we moved in, so we changed out the overhead fixture's functioning 60w incandescent bulb with a LED that was equivalent to 75w. We have been pleased with it so far (1 week). Her room is nice and bright now. We feel that it is nice color and not blue. We got the Cree soft white. We picked it because it could be used in an enclosed fixture. They had the soft white or daylight colors. We went for soft white, as it was a more yellow color and more similar to an incandescent compared to the daylight version that was more blue.

Something I noted when I was picking ours out was that many were not approved for enclosed light fixtures and said using it in that manner would reduce its life. Also, the ones that were approved for enclosed fixtures said not to mix bulb technologies (i.e.,us a cfl and led in the same enclosed fixture).

I think as our bulbs burn out we will replace with LED. I figure doing it that way gives us more time to determine that we are still happy with LEDs and be a bit more gentle on the pocket book.

[shortcake2675]

I hate CFLS and have been replacing light bulbs as they burn out with LEDs. I prefer Cree or Great Value ones, because I'm cheap, but I've had my garage lights for 2 years with no problems (Great Value). The temp differences are pretty drastic, so look at a display. I don't replace working bulbs until they burn out though. For enclosed fixtures, I choose Cree or Great Value too, but check the box.

[msmerymac]

I picked up some at Home Depot, though I can't remember the brand. They do not work on dimmers, so I only have them in certain lights right now (porch, kitchen, upstairs hallway, possibly the living room). So far, so good. I always get the kind that have warm light.

[auntie]

Costco has them near me with a significant savings.

I put dimmables in my dining room chandelier. Not wild about the look of the bulb compared to the traditional incandescent. The light is very "white" compared to the goldish cast of a dimmed incandescent.

I'll probably put them in my outdoor lanterns- 8 bulbs @ 40 watts each and my backyard floods as they burn out.

[hausfrau]

Thank you for all of the information and the previous thread about the bum bulbs.

We plan on reselling the current kitchen fixtures, so I was going to go ahead and pass the CFLs on with them or just hold onto the bulbs for use in other lamps. The new fixtures can take a higher wattage than what we have currently.

I guess we'll need to figure out the light temperature. Our kitchen is already yellow.

[kaylie]

Nov 18, 2014 16:00:02 GMT -5 auntie said:

Costco has them near me with a significant savings.

We got some at Costco as well, though there was a PECO poster next to the pack we bought so I wonder if it's a special PA deal? I think I paid under $10 for three bulbs.

[auntie]

Nov 18, 2014 21:25:07 GMT -5 kaylie said:

Nov 18, 2014 16:00:02 GMT -5 auntie said:

Costco has them near me with a significant savings.

We got some at Costco as well, though there was a PECO poster next to the pack we bought so I wonder if it's a special PA deal? I think I paid under $10 for three bulbs.

It was underwritten by PECO- mine had a $10 instant rebate making them 3 for $9.99.

My mother got some cheapies at either Walmart or Home Depot with a local utility rebate but I can't recall if it was in FL or MD.

[sillygoosegirl]

Our house has almost all LEDs, almost all Cree daylight ones, which are bluish, but we really like them. They make a room the same color at night as it is when lit by the sun during the day, so more blue and less yellow than incandescents. The "temperature" rating is typically very accurate on LEDs and they really very it color, so pay attention to what you are buying!

The other big thing to look at is directionality. LEDs naturally make fantastic spotlights, but have a harder time creating a nice 360 degree spread of light (though some manage to come close). So the type and shape of your fixtures can have a big impact on what bulbs you want. If they are new fistures that could still be returned, you might want to consider integrated LED bulb + fixture combinations. At least the ones we have (simple cans) look really good, better than separate bulb + trim. And I think the fancier ones look really nice too, though it does limit your style options.