Any LED bulb recommendations?

[amcnj]

Anyone have some long lasting LED brands to recommend? I seem to replace them more often than I did the incandescent bulbs.

 

[_19disnA]

The quality of them seems to be all over the map. I bought some name brand bulbs (GE) that didn't last as long as some of the no-name brands at the grocery store. One package says they last an average of 13 yrs of normal use. I have replaced it twice in the past 4 yrs so clearly they don't last as long as advertised. If you look around on Amazon you can find a lot of helpful reviews when trying to compare them. The LED bulbs I got for use in some outdoor light fixtures are 1/2 the price and have lasted twice as long as the name brand bulbs from the local home improvement store.

 

[GreatLakes]

I assume you are looking for a standard A19 bulb? I've had good luck with Philips and Amazon Basics myself.

 

[P'colaBeachBum]

I use the GE ones for light fixtures and have not replaced them in years.

 

[Dan Murphy]

I have had great service out of Feit bulbs, usually get at Costco.

 

[GAN]

Philips, RAB are reliable. Where are you putting these(application)?

 

[bcla]

What application? For Edison base replacements, they're basically commodities regardless of who is selling them or making them. A particular "brand" might have multiple sources where the quality may vary. I've gotten decent performance from dollar store bulbs or whatever was sold at Ikea.

For fluorescent replacements, direct wiring is the best way to go. Ballasts waste a whole lot of energy and make a bit of noise (although the newer types are quieter). I've done a few of those myself, but I'm comfortable pulling fuses/breakers and doing basic rewiring.

Then there are purpose made strip lights. Also - many newer homes are built wired with DC power for high-effiicency LEDs.

 

[GAN]

What application? For Edison base replacements, they're basically commodities regardless of who is selling them or making them. A particular "brand" might have multiple sources where the quality may vary. I've gotten decent performance from dollar store bulbs or whatever was sold at Ikea.

For fluorescent replacements, direct wiring is the best way to go. Ballasts waste a whole lot of energy and make a bit of noise (although the newer types are quieter). I've done a few of those myself, but I'm comfortable pulling fuses/breakers and doing basic rewiring.

Then there are purpose made strip lights. Also - many newer homes are built wired with DC power for high-effiicency LEDs.

Direct wiring isn’t really “the best” way to go. You shouldn’t die from getting whacked with 120V but that doesn’t mean it’s “safe.” A ballast provides a trickle of voltage to the lamp socket which Is much safer. Plug ‘n Play LED fluorescents are probably the best option for the average homeowner.

 

[princesscinderella]

I second IKEA bulbs if you have one nearby

 

[amcnj]

Thanks for all the replies. I have been using them in standard light fixtures, and believe I have both 60 and 100 watt equivalent bulbs.

I do have access to Costco (and BJ’s) and an IKEA is also very close by. I will have to check the offerings available at these locations.

Thanks again!

 

[bcla]

Direct wiring isn’t really “the best” way to go. You shouldn’t die from getting whacked with 120V but that doesn’t mean it’s “safe.” A ballast provides a trickle of voltage to the lamp socket which Is much safer. Plug ‘n Play LED fluorescents are probably the best option for the average homeowner.

People have died from 120V. I wasn't thinking of "safety" though. I wouldn't even try a rewiring or replacement without disconnecting the power at the fuse and/or breaker. A direct wire a fluorescent tombstone is no more or less safe than home AC power to an outlet or to a regular Edison base socket.

There really is no plug and play. LED replacements for ballasted setups should be specific to work with specific ballasts. And ballasts waste energy as well as make noise. And if one LED tube goes bad (I've had that happen with direct wire) the other one goes down with it, while direct wire works independently. And ballasts can wear out where they have to be replaced; A replacement for my old ballast is $30 at Home Depot. I know there are some LED replacement tubes that claim to be universal to any Fluorescent tubes are pretty generic, but matching an LED tube to a ballast takes a bit of research.

https://www.assets.signify.com/is/c...led-tube-hf-ballast-compatibility-list-q4.pdf

A direct wire LED does the same thing that an Edison base LED bulb does. Just a reasonably efficient AC conversion to DC. It's not all that difficult. My tubes were actually cheaper than any of the "ballast compatible" tubes I could find. Rewiring was extremely easy. I just pulled out the ballast and connected the hot and neutral wires to the tombstones, and I was set. Even when one of the tubes had problems, the other tube still worked fine, while a ballasted setup would have failed without two working tubes.

 

[Imzadi]

I have one GE in a light fixture that has lasted for years. Philips also seems to last.

While not quite as efficient energy-wise as LEDs, I also like the cheap Dollar Tree mini spiral compact florescent bulbs. They may not last as long as LEDs, but they are also not as expensive. And they definitely last longer than incandescents. Cheap and easy to replace at $1.25 each. Turns out some are great as plant lights too.

 

[bcla]

I have one GE in a light fixture that has lasted for years. Philips also seems to last.

While not quite as efficient energy-wise as LEDs, I also like the cheap Dollar Tree mini spiral compact florescent bulbs. They may not last as long as LEDs, but they are also not as expensive. And they definitely last longer than incandescents. Cheap and easy to replace at $1.25 each. Turns out some are great as plant lights too.

I haven't seen a compact fluorescent being sold for several years. They don't make much sense since LEDs are more efficient and overall more reliable.

 

[GAN]

People have died from 120V. I wasn't thinking of "safety" though. I wouldn't even try a rewiring or replacement without disconnecting the power at the fuse and/or breaker. A direct wire a fluorescent tombstone is no more or less safe than home AC power to an outlet or to a regular Edison base socket.

There really is no plug and play. LED replacements for ballasted setups should be specific to work with specific ballasts. And ballasts waste energy as well as make noise. And if one LED tube goes bad (I've had that happen with direct wire) the other one goes down with it, while direct wire works independently. And ballasts can wear out where they have to be replaced; A replacement for my old ballast is $30 at Home Depot. I know there are some LED replacement tubes that claim to be universal to any Fluorescent tubes are pretty generic, but matching an LED tube to a ballast takes a bit of research.

https://www.assets.signify.com/is/c...led-tube-hf-ballast-compatibility-list-q4.pdf

A direct wire LED does the same thing that an Edison base LED bulb does. Just a reasonably efficient AC conversion to DC. It's not all that difficult. My tubes were actually cheaper than any of the "ballast compatible" tubes I could find. Rewiring was extremely easy. I just pulled out the ballast and connected the hot and neutral wires to the tombstones, and I was set. Even when one of the tubes had problems, the other tube still worked fine, while a ballasted setup would have failed without two working tubes.

Correct.. it’s no less safe than a 120V receptacle, which by code in most states must be tamper-resistant …fluorescent sockets are not(like Edison base). This leaves open the possibility that some unsuspecting fool may get zapped by changing a lamp or some other “maintenance“ if they don’t kill the breaker. And there are many options for plug and play lamps that work with any electronic ballast -even some magnetic ballasts. If you have an old magnetic ballast then you’re probably better off replacing the whole fixture with a new LED fixture. The amount of power drawn from an electronic ballast is minimal, especially in most residential applications where they aren’t being run all day long -you’re suggesting rewiring a fixture just to save $1-2 per year when you could just twist a lamp out and put a new one in. Not worth it in my opinion. Not trying to argue …but I deal with lighting all day long and am familiar with these types of things, and not really comfortable suggesting electrical work to homeowners(not that you were directly).

 

[_19disnA]

Amateurs shouldn't be doing any kind of home electrical work that involves opening your main circuit breaker panel. You can be seriously injured or killed if you don't know what you are doing. There is a reason to hire a licensed electrician for various major projects. Bad wiring can also result in a fire that your insurance won't cover if done by an inexperienced amateur.

 

[bcla]

Correct.. it’s no less safe than a 120V receptacle, which by code in most states must be tamper-resistant …fluorescent sockets are not(like Edison base). This leaves open the possibility that some unsuspecting fool may get zapped by changing a lamp or some other “maintenance“ if they don’t kill the breaker. And there are many options for plug and play lamps that work with any electronic ballast -even some magnetic ballasts. If you have an old magnetic ballast then you’re probably better off replacing the whole fixture with a new LED fixture. The amount of power drawn from an electronic ballast is minimal, especially in most residential applications where they aren’t being run all day long -you’re suggesting rewiring a fixture just to save $1-2 per year when you could just twist a lamp out and put a new one in. Not worth it in my opinion. Not trying to argue …but I deal with lighting all day long and am familiar with these types of things, and not really comfortable suggesting electrical work to homeowners(not that you were directly).

I’m pretty sure that the easiest thing to do is just turn off the switch. And replacing a tube is easy enough for the average homeowner to do.

Ballasts use power, but for me the big thing is the hum. I’ve also heard that the reliability of plug and play LED replacements is pretty poor. If you’re going to go with it, then finding a match to the ballast is a much better option. But then that would mean at least knowing how to locate the ballast and read the label.

I’ve replaced (or just removed) a ballast myself several times. It does take a certain comfort level to do it, but it’s something that DIYers have done. Definitely turn it off at the switch and breaker. But certainly many might just hire an electrician. I think it’s worth replacing any fluorescent infrastructure in the long run.

 

[tvguy]

I have had great service out of Feit bulbs, usually get at Costco.

Oh man, I'm glad someone has had good luck with Feit. I don't think I got more than six months with them. I changed out all my interior bulbs to LED, which means I have a huge stockpile of incandescent bulbs! So using those up before I buy anymore LEDs.