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Our experiences with LED light bulb replacements
mouser:
But in the cooler months when you're running heat, this is much less clear to me. To a first approximation, I expect that inefficiency in the lighting is essentially free.
--- End quote ---
this is a good point -- though it might be less valid if you have a cheaper way of heating (wood, gas, etc.)
Shades:
The design of LED lights is on purpose made to look like the light bulbs everybody knows. That way people are more easily persuaded to buy these. I think 2 or 3 design generations into the future will result in much more efficient shapes for LED light bulbs regarding heat, weight etc. But first the manufacturers need to make enough money to earn back their initial investments, to make it more interesting for them to continue with this type of lights.
mouser:
Another caveat i've found with replacing some of my incandescent bulbs is that even if you get an LED that is the same size as an A19 (standard bulb), sometimes the base is thicker which prevents it from screwing in all the way -- and thus will not power on.
Conclusion: Buy your LED bulbs from someplace where you can return them.
sazzen:
I saw the title of the thread and got all excited, but nobody has addressed the issue that troubles me. I cannot SEE with these awful replacements.
Where I live, it has been almost impossible to find a 100W incandescent for several years. In any event, I knew the end was coming, and so I started experimenting with different bulbs. NOTHING comes close to the efficiency of the now outlawed lighting I have enjoyed all my life.
My experience with LEDs has been even more disappointing than my experience with CFLs. Because the little desk lamp in my computer room, with its tiny bulb, puts out such nice bright light, I expected the same from whatever LED I put in my reading lamps. But, no. I cannot see. I read. I write, I work cross-word puzzles. I sketch. I paint my fingernails. And, what will happen when those big round bulbs that light my bathroom die? How will I see to apply make-up?
I haunt Lowe’s lighting section. They are tired of me, and my questions, and my returns. Packaging may say “Replaces 100W incandescents” but for light output, that just isn’t so. I don’t care about heat. I don’t care about electrical usage. I don't care about life span. I just want illumination.
For my reading lamps, which is what I really care about, 1600 lumens should work, but part of the problem is what Mouser said here:
3. Spotlight effect. The LED bulbs are more directional -- which can be especially troublesome for fixtures where the bulb is pointing up.
But I’ve also had noise and flicker from both CFLs and LEDs. Horrible, horrible, and no relief in sight.
Shades:
@Sazzen:
Perhaps you should consider halogene light?
When I have time, I'll drop by a light shop here in PY. They sell a led light fixture that is shaped like a construction light or flood-light (if that term makes more sense to you). The light surface would have a surface that has a similar size as the surface of an iPad. It's height would be similar to 3 iPads stacked on top of each other. The light is very bright and strong. It doesn't get that hot either. I don't know the type or model nr, so I'll ask. To me it looks like it uses a special type of LED, with a size and shape similar to a computer processor.
Halogene light is something that should be easy to buy all over the world though. That type of light has quite a big range of color, so there should be something to your liking. However, they are not cheap (purchase and consumption) and don't last that long either. Having said that, their light I find much more pleasing than incandescents.
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