Light Bulb Ripoff

[billt]

I never heard of Cree,.....

My gut say Phillips is going to be a better quality than Cree.

Cree makes most all of the LED bulbs that are used in weapons lights, and small, high efficiency flash lights. But those run off batteries. They draw far less power, and are not on for long periods of time. So it stands to reason longevity isn't as much of a problem with them as it is with 110 volt LED's. They roast in their sockets.

[MikeBjerum]

We are using Feit.  They are sold at the local Ace Hardware.  We have been replacing the old bulbs with them as they burn out.  Never have been a fan of CFL for the house, as they don't last.  We have them in the barns, and they have a long life there where they are on for long periods of time - Half never get turned off.

With about half our house switched to the LED our electric bill has gone down about 10%, but we are leaving lights on far more.  We never turn off the outside lights (10 fixtures), and we have some in living spaces we never turn off.  Call me an energy hog, but it is nice to be able to navigate without stubbing my toes.

[Timothy]

I stocked up on 100 and 60 watt incandescent bulbs as well.  When the wifey heads to the cellar she wants instant light.  The CFL's get worse as they age and the LED's I use for more frequently used fixtures.

[Big Frank]

I haven't tried any LED bulbs yet. I have some incandescents left and a bunch of 60 watt equivalent CFLs the power company gave me that are only 13 watts. I'm using a pair of 100 watt equivalent CFLs that use 23 or 26 watts in one light fixture. I had a couple of light switches that I replaced with dimmer switches and have recently switched back to regular light switches so I can use any type of bulb anywhere in the house. I replaced my 40 watt bulbs with 29 watt bulbs as they burned out and they make almost the same amount of light. I can't tell the difference. My plan is to use the 75 watt incandescents in single fixtures and 13 watt CFLs in multiple fixtures not counting the one with 5 bulbs.

[Rastus]

LED's are getting better.  I use them to make up for not having enough light and too small of sockets. 

The Phillips have better heat sinks and last longer.  The Feits seem to hold up OK too.  There was a brand Eco-Smart through the Home Despot.  I really like their output in lumens and in color...most of the early ones hit the trash and they honored the warranty back when...but I cannot find them to honor the others that have died.

I put a couple of CREE in and like them...but I wonder if they'll get hot and die young. 

In my ceiling fans and other fixtures I've drilled holes to allow some air circulation past the bulb base...all of those set up for ":flow-Through" are still good.


And, oh yeah.  Get the lower "temperature bulbs" for better light.  Many of the high lumen outputs are 4,000 K or 5,000 k which is to blue/white...at least too much for me.  I like around 3,200.

The higher in the "temperature" the more efficient in lumens...dropping the temp to get more realistic light gives you less lumens.

[Sponsor]

[vincewarde]

I have decided to stay away from LEDs until they technology matures - which it has not (at least not in the 110v versions - I installed 100% LEDs in my 12v motor home system).  As for CFLs I'm not seeing the short life described by some here - but I do not think I am getting the claimed life either.

[Majer]

You can still get incandescent bulbs,Do a web search for Rough service bulbs,Can't use a CFL in a garage because they get broken too often and you need a HazMat clean up because of the mercury.

[billt]

You can still get incandescent bulbs,Do a web search for Rough service bulbs,Can't use a CFL in a garage because they get broken too often and you need a HazMat clean up because of the mercury.

Thanks. That's good to know Majer. Although I've thrown out many a CFL in the trash. I'm sure millions of others have as well.

[MikeBjerum]

I learned years ago that the secret to CFL's is that you get what you pay for.  If you buy the cheep ones they are extremely fragile, and they don't last as advertised.  I replaced the 130w bulbs in the funeral home (36 bulbs) with the CFL rated for the fixture.  When I purchased quality ones they lasted several years.  The "money man" complained about what I spent, so he went to a place I will not name but call "W" and purchased the supply for me.  After getting 3-5 years out of the quality, I was getting 18 months and less out of the bargain CFL's (that is less than I got out of the incandescents).

During my stint, 10 years, on our local Utility Commission, we were constantly pushed by the government to push these things.  I am not against conservation, but I asked about the mercury issue.  The greenies push the issue of mercury from power plants, but I pointed out that we are now putting mercury in every light socket in the community, and most of those are being thrown into the regular waste stream.  I was told I was wrong about the waste stream, because that is illegal - How many people follow that law, or even know about it?

On to another thought - Carbon Sequestration.
Do you want to see an engineer's head explode and a Sierra Club protester jump down your throat?  At a public meeting, ask them what possible issue there could be with taking super heated liquid carbon collected from power plant stacks and pumping it into "spent" oil wells.  When I asked that question in St. Paul the plan was to pump this liquid carbon from 300 - 500 miles from plants in Nebraska, South Dakota, and Minnesota to oil wells in North Dakota.  Wells on the edge of what is now called the Bakken Fields.  The only rational response I got was an engineer who said "Hummmmm."

[Rastus]

It's called a CO2 Flood!  It's secondary or tertiary oil recovery.  Lots of oil being produced that way but you need the right conditions.  The CO2 dissolves into the oil causing it to swell and that drops the viscosity in the rock pore throats and it flows out where previously trapped by just being to "thick" to move.