CFL Vs LED ligthing for the home?

[Low Drag]

I drank the CFL grape kool-aid. I've found they cost more, do not last any longer, provide crap light and are a pain in the a$$ is you break one.

I've taken note of LED bulbs for the home at Lowes & Home Depot, they cost a bundle. But as we all know here LED flashlights have come a long way.

Has anyone here tried LED lights for the home? If so what type, a 3-way for a standard lamp, a replacement for a standard 60W bulb for a hallway etc?

Thanks in advance.

[turdbocharged]

I did some research on this earlier this year and decided against going LED. Until they drop in price you really don't save any cash. If I am correct the typical 60W incandescent bulb puts out between 550 and 700 Lumens. Unfortunately the problem with these is that they transfer some (or most) of the electricity into heat which is not efficient at all.

This is where the LEDs are better, they can take a lower wattage and make similar light because they don't waste their energy on creating heat.

http://www.besthomeledlighting.com/product/EL-A19-120-6W-W

This 6w LED is as close to a 60W incandescent as I have found in my short interweb search, and you can see that it doesn't output nearly as much light as the incandescent would, however the light it does produce should be more natural white. However at 22$ I can't see myself ditching good ol incandescent bulbs yet.

[skyugo]

http://www.gizmag.com/worlds-first-100-watt-equivalent-led-replacement-bulb/18659/

these are coming out "soon"
I don't think LED is quite there as far as price goes, but the performance is almost there. I think in 5 years CFL's will be dead.

[chadbag]

http://www.besthomeledlighting.com/product/EL-A19-120-6W-W

This 6w LED is as close to a 60W incandescent as I have found in my short interweb search, and you can see that it doesn't output nearly as much light as the incandescent would, however the light it does produce should be more natural white. However at 22$ I can't see myself ditching good ol incandescent bulbs yet.


That bulb is not anywhere near the light output of a 60W incandescent. It might be a 40W equivalent if you are lucky.

60w equivalents run about 13-14W, just like the CFL do.

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for me, I would try various CFL to get the light color you are looking for. Then in a few years, when the LED based lights that actually output a nice color, and at least 60 if not 100W equivalent in light (like the Switch one that is posted by skyugo), are down in cost from $30 to $10 or less, you can switch them over.

Not all CFL are created equally. I have some that I cannot tell any difference in light color from a normal incandescent. Some do suck monkey-balls.

[An Undocumented Worker]

untill a major bulb manufacturer gets into the game of LED home/area lighting, LED lighting will not be adequate enough to open the pocketbooks of consumers enmasse.

The big problems facing LED lighting are color temperature, uniform intensity across the area of emitted light, cost, and durability of the electronics needed to drive the lamps, and also heatsinking. Excess heat will really kill an LED and many home fixtures do a better job of trapping heat than carrying it away.

Something has to change in the manufacture of the LEDs themselves to allow them to make suitible bulbs. As all massproduced LEDs today directional in nature of the light emitted, none are optimized for flood. Yes you can create optics to disperse the light, but ulimately that increases cost and a proper LED design would render that unecessary.

Hell even CFL's haven't fully caught up to incandescent bulb performance in certain areas. The technology of both LEDs and CFLs have alot of maturing to do.

[Low Drag]

Thanks for the info gents.

I'm done with CFLs due to cost and performance, or lack thereof.

I gather no one here as actually tried them but the info you've posted is similar to what I've seen. I guess they are not ready for prime time.

[Jer]

I don't understand the hate of CFLs. I've been using them exclusively now for 7yrs and love them. I just switched all my garage lights to 150 watt instant on bulbs and they are incredible. When it comes to CFLs it really depends on which bulbs you buy because, just like any product, some manufacturers make quality products and others do not. It would be like buying a Yugo in the 80's and then saying 'cars suck, I'm going to stick with my horse & carriage' :D

[chadbag]

Thanks for the info gents.

I'm done with CFLs due to cost and performance, or lack thereof.

I gather no one here as actually tried them but the info you've posted is similar to what I've seen. I guess they are not ready for prime time.

You mean, tried CFL, or LED?

My house is full of CFL. I like them. They typically cost from less than a buck to about $2, and use 25% or less of the energy of an incandescent, and put less heat into the air. The ones I have are not a bad color, don't flicker, and are mostly "instant-on". (A few are not).

[hatt]

I haven't had a big problem with CFLs. No they don't last a million hours like the label says. And they take a little time to warm up to full power. Just use them in the right places. I have them in the recessed cans in the kitchen so I don't have 600 watts worth of incandescents blazing for hours everyday. Along with a few lamps that stay on a lot. They aren't for every socket.

[Suwannee Tim]

Everything hatt said......and they are a fire hazard. Which is why I have a lifetime supply of incandescent. **** the politicians.