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Mike Cruz
10-06-2011, 3:46 PM
Looking to switch out the bulbs in my house to LEDs, but OUCH!!!!!!!! HD has a great sale right now on 40w equivilents for $10 each, but I'm afraid they will not be bright enough. I'm looking for 60w equvilents. Anyone have a good source for a great price? Thanks.

Todd Leback
10-06-2011, 7:54 PM
General Bulb led lights
Super Bright LEDs - Intermediate Base Candelabra Bulbs
LR6-2700 L.E.D. Recessed Retrofit for 6" Recessed Housings - 6" LED Retrofit Recessed Lighting - 6" Low Voltage Recessed Retrofit Kits - Recessed Lighting - Fixtures (http://www.ledlight.com/led-lightbulbs.aspx)

Myk Rian
10-06-2011, 8:10 PM
Might want to research how "equivalent" is measured. Lumens @ X distance. A 60W incandescent measured at 10 ft. might be the same as a 100 W LED. CFLs are measured at a closer distance, so LEDs might also.

Dan Hintz
10-07-2011, 6:53 AM
Might want to research how "equivalent" is measured. Lumens @ X distance. A 60W incandescent measured at 10 ft. might be the same as a 100 W LED. CFLs are measured at a closer distance, so LEDs might also.
A lumen is a lumen, no matter at what distance it is measured from, because it is the total light emitted by a source over a specified area of a sphere.

Mike, for an equivalent room-filling glow, a 60W incandescent will be in the 800 lumen range... this measurement will be on the package. I can't help with an immediate source because they're really starting to change faster than I can keep up with it (someone always has a brighter, more efficient bulb out there compared to the next guy). Phillips/OSRAM have consistently had the brightest and most efficient LEDs, so look for bulbs with those. Last I read, Phillips was introducing one in early 2012 that was the equivalent of a 75W bulb, but used about 8W.

Sam Layton
10-07-2011, 9:41 AM
Hi Mike,

I also want to switch to LED. I purchased two of the bulbs from HD for $10.00. They are not very bright. If you put them in a lamp, the light is displayed more toward the top of the bulb, and not to the side of the bulb. I have tried some different type ones in can lights, and they were more like a spot light and not a flood light. I installed LED under counter lights in my kitchen, and they are great. Bright light, dimable, and operate very cool. I keep checking them out. If you find some good ones let me know.

Sam

Mike Cruz
10-07-2011, 4:59 PM
Todd, thanks for the links. The first one basically puts me in the $20+ range per bulb...I need over 20 bulbs...OUCH! The second link seemed to be for candlabras...I need them for canned lights. The third one gave me a 404 error...but seemed like it would probably have been what I am looking for...price dependent, though.

Dan, 60 would probably be enough, but would entertain 75s for the right price. Most of what I am using them for is on dimmers.

Sam, I'll let you (and the rest of the Creek) know if/when I find something.

Myk Rian
10-08-2011, 2:41 PM
Last I read, Phillips was introducing one in early 2012 that was the equivalent of a 75W bulb, but used about 8W.
This is the measurement I was talking about.
How far away from the lamp is the light output measured, compared to an incandescent?
CFLs are measured closer, and LEDs may also.

To get the same light 5 feet away from a CFL, you need a higher equivalent number.
Check it out yourself sometime. Take a 40 W incandescent, and a 40 W CFL.

Glenn Clabo
10-08-2011, 3:33 PM
This explains it pretty well...
http://www.theledlight.com/lumens.html

Mike Cruz
10-09-2011, 2:44 PM
Myk, I take it you mean a 40W equivilent CFL. A 40W CFL would be uberbright!

Mike Cruz
10-09-2011, 2:51 PM
Wow, Glenn, not sure how "clear" that was, but yeah, it explains it... Interesting read.

Doug Novic
10-10-2011, 5:30 PM
Changed most all of our light bulbs to LED and bought most at WalMart (surprise) but not all of them carry LEDs. Electric bill dropped a lot. (four people under roof)

Tim Morton
10-10-2011, 6:36 PM
i was listening to some TV show about led bulbs a few weeks ago...watts are dead...long live lumens.

Bill Edwards(2)
10-11-2011, 8:01 AM
These guys offer a lot, probably pricey:

superbrightleds .com

Mike Cruz
10-11-2011, 8:27 AM
Thanks, Bill. Yeah, I'd found them already. Seems the bottom line for now is that they are just that...pricey. I need 20 plus bulbs. The CHEAPEST I've been able to find them (60w+ equivilent) is about $20 each...and those didn't get a great revue. That makes for a $400 investment. General prices are closer to $30+ each. I'll just have to wait for prices to come down...

Thanks everyone for your input. Other than checking Walmart, I think I'll have to wait. I was just getting hopeful because of the sale HD was having on 40w equivilent LEDs for under $10 each. I thought I'd be able to find 60s for $12 or so...

Larry Browning
10-11-2011, 8:31 AM
I am replacing mine as the old ones go out. I am buying them at wal-mart. The thing I don't like is that they are real dim when first turned on and then brighten after 30 seconds or so. Is this what they all do or should I buy a more expensive bulb?
Maybe I'm thinking florescent not led. The prices you guys are quoting are WAY higher than I am paying.

David Weaver
10-11-2011, 10:03 AM
I'll just have to wait for prices to come down...


That would be the same as my thinking. I've only bought one low-consumption bulb to go in the fridge where I couldn't find a small enough bulb in incandescent and I didn't want a CFL because the base wouldn't fit, and because it's not very useful to have a CFL in a cold space where the bulb only works for a few seconds at a time.

They're a lot like flat screen TVs were 6 or 7 years ago - expensive and still intensive. I don't know if they'll ever come down too much given that they have a chip in them, but as many as can be sold (if everyone uses them), you'd have to figure that the effort being expended is pretty signficant and it might make sense to wait a little.

Speaking of deals, Sams had CFLs a couple of months ago, GE brand, that were 13 watt replacements and 26 watts. The 26 watt CFLs were something like $10 for 8, and the 13 watt replacements were $1.69 for 8. I thought there must've been something wrong with the price label, but when they rang up, they were $1.69 for 8.

Mike Cruz
10-11-2011, 4:12 PM
Larry, sounds like you are buying CFLs. They tend to have that warm up period, and are less than stellar dimmers. I'm looking at LEDs. No warm up and fully dimmable.