Finally: an LED replacement for 60 watt bulb -- costs $20 (less than half the competition)

[txlibdem]

I've been posting for months that LED light bulbs @ $40 apiece pay for themselves after just a few years, in the end are far cheaper than incandescent bulbs and from day one are better than compact fluorescents (CFLs). But I always mention that as mass production ramps up, the cost of these LED light bulbs will begin to drop. I honestly didn't think it would drop that much this fast.

Refer to:

Sexiest LED lightbulb ever is first true alternative to incandescents

by Christopher Mims
19 May 2011 2:52 PM

The true successors to incandescent lightbulbs aren't CFLs, but LEDs, which are a totally different technology that, to date, has been a tad too expensive for most consumer. (Think $40 to $50 a bulb.)

Switch LED aims to change that, with a bulb technology that's different in a handful of key ways. First, the bulbs are liquid-cooled -- hence their vaguely glass-paperweightish appearance. Second, their tiny LED bulbs are arrayed around the outside of the larger bulb, to create more diffuse light. And they're cheap: at $20 a bulb and only 15 percent the energy draw of a traditional bulb, they can pay for themselves in just a year.

http://www.grist.org/list/2011-05-19-sexiest-led-lightbulb-ever-is-first-true-alternative-to-traditio

Switch Intros Affordable LED Light Bulbs

By Preston on Apr. 20, 2011

The 75W equivalent has 1150 lumens, 16 watts, 2750 Kelvins, 85 CRI, and a 20,000 hour average life. It’s dimmable and free of hazardous materials. In fact, all lamp components are reusable or recyclable, allowing for some kind of non-landfill application at the end of life.

Similarly, the 60W equivalent has 830 lumens, 13 watts, 2750 Kelvins, 85 CRI, and a 20,000 hour average life.

All of these bulbs offer instant-on functionality with the popular A19 shape, but the price is really where it’s at. I’ve been told the price of the 60W version may come in at $20, or half the price of the competition, with the 75W bulb at or near that price as well.

Switch Lighting expects to offer these LED bulbs for sale at the usual retailers starting this fall. And the company will showcase the new technology at Lightfair, which is in Philadelphia from May 17-19, 2011, if you’re in the area.

http://www.jetsongreen.com/2011/04/switch-lighting-cheap-led-equivalent-bulbs.html

Also see: Top 10 Reasons You Need to Switch to LED Light Bulbs - http://www.ecodirect.com/LED-Light-Bulbs-s/146.htm

# LEDs are ideal for use with occupancy sensors, since they are unaffected by frequent on-off cycling, unlike fluorescent lamps that burn out more quickly when cycled frequently.
# LEDs are built inside solid cases that protect them, unlike incandescent and discharge sources, making them extremely durable.
# LEDs have an extremely long life span when conservatively run: upwards of 100 000 hours, twice as long as the best fluorescent bulbs and twenty times longer than the best incandescent bulbs. (Incandescent bulbs can also be made to last an extremely long time by running at lower than normal voltage, but only at a huge cost in efficiency; LEDs have a long life when operated at their rated power.) LEDs ran at higher currents have a reduced life span. Further, LEDs mostly fail by dimming over time, rather than the abrupt burn-out of incandescent bulbs.
# LEDs light up very quickly.
...from http://www.led-works.com/resources/led_basic_information.html

PS, for comparison: a standard 60 watt incandescent bulb puts out 800 Lumens.

[aquart]

1. Where are they made?

[txlibdem]

6. Not sure where the Switch company has its factory

Their LED bulbs are coming to the market but I couldn't find them available yet.

PS, you do know that almost all current light bulbs are made in China...

[hobbit709]

2. But are they really equivalent to 60 watt incandescent?

All the one's I've seen so far actually give the light of about 2/3 of what they say they are. The 40w ones I've tried really work about like a 25w.

[txlibdem]

8. There are LEDs for every need so you do need to check the specs

Angle, or beam angle
Lumens
Color temperature
and connector type (Your screw-in incandescent bulb uses an Edison base, aka a screw base)

Remember that some lights in your home have specialized uses, like accent lighting only and LED lights will come in dozens of different connectors, shapes and sizes.

Your post seems to be talking about Lumens and I agree with you that some of the first LED light bulbs to come out did not perform as promised. Especially the "no name" brands. I've owned a few of those and have since relegated them to night light duty. The ones in the OP and the ones coming from NEC, GE, Sanyo, Philipps, etc. (the big players) will perform as advertised. A 60 watt bulb puts out 800 Lumens, look for around that in an LED bulb.

[cutlassmama]

3. this is good news that the cost is coming down

[Poll_Blind]

4. Bookmarked! +1

PB

[jwirr]

5. Do these bulbs work in everyday normal lamps or would we need

to purchase different lighting fixtures?

[gejohnston]

7. Seems that they make ones for standard sockets

Here is one place. I am sure there are more with better selection.

http://www.ccrane.com/lights/led-light-bulbs/

http://www.lampsplus.com/products/light-bulbs/type_led/

http://www.homedepot.com/Electrical-Light-Bulbs-LED/h_d1/N-5yc1vZbm79/h_d2/Navigation?langId=-1&storeId=10051&catalogId=10053

[bhikkhu]

27. Here's another cheap source:

http://www.priceangels.com/Flashlights___Lasers_LED_Light_Bulbs_t.html?childtypeid=138

You have to make sure you get the right voltage and socket style, but they are very affordable.

[struggle4progress]

11. Product sheet indicates a standard Edison base and shape. So geometry shouldn't be

an obstruction but -- the heat-diffusing metal collar and liquid coolant will make them heavier than ordinary bulbs, so some fixtures may not support them. Also, they may still be unsuitable for closed fixtures: heat deteriorates lcds, so you want to be sure the heat can escape

[jwirr]

22. Thank you. I will see if I can talk the family into changing.

[struggle4progress]

24. Don't go all out from the start. Try one or two bulbs at first

Meanwhile, you can get cfls around a dollar a bulb now

[chalky]

9. They weren't kidding about "Sexiest LED lightbulb"

That bulb in the first link looks almost like sculpture.



I'd been exploring my options for LED bulbs for the past month. Along comes this post to save the day.
Thanks!

[Old and In the Way]

13. That lower 1/2 of the lamp is an active heatsink. Ithink those are superbrite 3W LED chips

They require a lot of heatsinking so as not to burn out the LED.

[txlibdem]

15. One cool thing: the "globe" is filled with water

according to the articles linked in the OP.

[kestrel91316]

10. Because so many people switched over to CFLs years ago, it would be REALLY HELPFUL

to compare lumens, watts, lifespan, and energy cost with CFLs and not with incandescents.

I am not convinced that tossing my CFLs in favor of LEDs will give me any better illumination for the dollar.

[struggle4progress]

14. I bought a bunch of ledbulbs a couple of years ago: unfortunately, the ones I liked

best for cost and brightness and white color died rather quickly, sometimes within a few months of irregular use; I think the problem was just flimsy construction, as the ones that quit were ones I had moved from place to place for testing purposes; the ones I never moved have survived. The next-best option for me (cost and brightness and white color) has been some floodlight-shaped led bulbs that simply won't fit in most of my fixtures, due to geometry, but do fit some of desklamps; the light is very directional, so I bounce it off walls or ceilings

In lumens/watt, it's currently hard to beat cfls, though the next generation of leds might be a reasonable choice in locations where you turn lights on and off frequently: my cfls in such locations do die rather quicker than I might like. I've also got some rather dim leds in locations where I'd like some light but don't need much: a 2.5 watt led permanently lit on my patio isnn't bright enough to disturb the neighbors at night but do give me enough light to see my way around, for example

[txlibdem]

16. Struggle, my experience mirrors yours - trouble with the early models

Now that the "big boys" are getting their factories set up and starting to trickle out products, IMO all that will change. I bought 3 "60 watt replacement" led bulbs in a pack and I only use them as you describe: nite light, in the hallway that leads from the garage to the kitchen, etc., because they are far too dim to be used in any lamp.

I also had troubles with a CFL bulbs: they will burn out within 1 to 3 months if I put them in the 4" ceiling cans but they seem to work okay in the 6" cans. I did pay the extra cost to get "dimmable" CFLs. CFLs also fail rapidly if I use them in ceiling fans.

[Old and In the Way]

12. They are gonna be huge.

Prices are coming down as production is ramping up. Very big in China where the government is subsidizing their use because they are so much more efficient. I'm dealing with a factory that has UL/CUL/CE/GS certification-

11 watt/>600 lumen - 500 pc MOQ - $15.00 / 1000pc+ $14.00
5 watt/>300 lumen - 500 pc MOQ - $#12.50 / 1000pc+ $11.50

Replacements for flourescent tubes and streetlighting applications as well.

[OnlinePoker]

17. This from the company website

Switch bulb designs are inspired by the Cradle to Cradle® principles and are designed to be 100% reusable or reclaimable. When a bulb is returned to Switch at the end of its use, none of its components will ever see the inside of a landfill.

http://www.switchlightbulbs.com/whyswitch.php

Their media center has a video on the technology. One concern...it says "liquid cooled" but doesn't say what the liquid is.

[chillspike]

18. I bought a 60W LED bulb and am very happy with it's light output

It doesn't seem dimmer at all to me.

[txlibdem]

20. That's great! What's the brand and when did you buy it?

[chillspike]

23. It's an Ecosmart bright white PAR30

Manufactured in USA. I bought it at Home Depot maybe 3-4 weeks ago

725 lumens. 15 energy used in watts. 50,000 life in hours or, as the box says 46 years.

[txlibdem]

25. Nice!

Thanks for the info.

[chillspike]

26. You're welcome! Here it is:

http://milo.com/ecosmart-par30-led-60w-equivalent-light-bulb

[OnlinePoker]

28. ...can last UP TO 50,000 hours...

It could burn out after a week and it would still be valid given that statement. Do they come with a warranty against burning out too quickly?

[txlibdem]

29. I highly recommend to check the Lumens and other specs before buying

Like I mentioned in Post #8, LEDs come in all shapes and sizes - and different connectors for different applications.

And just like any electronic device, try to stick with a manufacturer you trust. If you want to try out an unknown brand then buy only 1 of them and make sure they have a money back policy. LED light bulbs are still too pricey to go hog wild on. Just replace one regular bulb each month or so and you'll soon have your entire house switched over.

[Kolesar]

19. 1150/16 => 71 lumens/watt and that is less than T5, T8, or T12 fluorescents

Some T8 and T12 lamps can achieve 97 lumens per watt.

http://www.geconsumerandindustrial.com/environmentalinfo/regulations_resources/2009_doe_regulations_lfl.htm

I have been shopping for LED lighting for our kitchen remodeling project and I am not impressed with what I have been finding. There is some cheap products that don't even specify the lumens/output.

[txlibdem]

21. Also see post #8

for some other info to use when comparing LED bulbs. Mass production hasn't even fully begun; there will be many improvements in years to come.

That being said, if you like the fluorescent tube lights then by all means use them. You'll just have to replace them every year or two.

"While both types of bulbs do begin to lose some of their brightness after 7,000 hours of use, most people tend not to replace the bulbs until they begin to flicker or burn out completely.

"Manufacturer recommendations suggest that users replace the bulbs every six to 12 months due to a slow decrease in brightness, but the difference is not usually noticeable to the naked eye. Bulbs running 10 hours a day daily can last up to two years before showing noticeable signs that they're in need of replacement."
... from http://www.ehow.com/about_5426758_fluorescent-t8-vs_-t12-bulbs.html

Read more: Fluorescent T8 vs. T12 Bulbs | eHow.com http://www.ehow.com/about_5426758_fluorescent-t8-vs_-t12-bulbs.html#ixzz1Myh48tfh