On 3/26/2013 8:38 PM, James Silverton wrote:
> LED bulbs are promoted to replace incandescent and CFL bulbs and they
> may be cost effective but the brightest ones you see are said to
> replace 75W incandescents, which might sound good but is a most
> unusual size.In my house, I had many 60W and 100W standard lamps but
> LED replacements for 100W are hard to find and expensive. To add
> insult to injury, sales of 100W incandescent bulbs are now forbidden.

IIRC, there's been a postponement of the 100W incandescent sales ban
in the US.

Also, wattage equivalents aren't the best way to shop for
replacements, since it is only an indication of power consumption, not
light emission. Light output is measured in lumens, and there's no
watt : lumen standard with light bulbs. Brand A's 60 watt incandescent
may have a lower lumen rating than Brand B's 60 watt incandescent. You
can even find 60W bulbs whose light output is pretty close to another
brand's 75W. So check the packages for the lumens listed and choose
accordingly.

Color temperature is another factor we're going to have to start using
when selecting bulbs. Incandescent bulbs tend to emit a warmer,
yellower light (approx. 2700 - 3000 Kelvins) than the bluish-white
light typically emitted by CFLs or LEDs (approx. 5000 - 7000 Kelvins).
However, some of those bulbs have been designed to emit light in the
warmer color range, so if you want to replicate the look of
incandescent light, check the color rating on the package and see if
it falls within the warm white range.

>
> It seems inevitable that LED's should be expensive since the diodes
> run on DC and bulbs must incorporate converters.

The quality and options in home LED lighting have made great gains in
just the past year or so, while the prices are starting to
significantly drop. So we're close to the tipping point where LEDs
will surpass CFLs as the affordable replacement bulb of choice, and
soon LED bulbs will be available with 100W equivalent or higher output.

Just last week the latest and best incandescent-replacement LED bulbs
hit the market: Cree 40W and 60W equivalent bulbs. Currently available
only from Home Depot, they range in price from $9.97 - $13.97 each,
and in warm white or cool white light output. They're also designed to
mimic the appearance of a conventional incandescent bulb, making them
an aesthetically suitable replacement as well as a very cost-effective
one.
Cree has a reputation for producing outstanding quality LED flashlight
bulbs, and this is their first foray into the residential lighting
market. Bonus: they're made in the USA, too.