Light Bulb Rant!

[MR.MAGOO]

Is anyone old enough to remember those evil old energy wasting incandescent light bulbs? You know, the screw in kind? EASY to replace? EASY to find at the grocery store aisle? Then we went to those EASY to replace screw in tree-hugger long life squiggly looking bulbs, BUT they contain MERCURY which will destroy the planet! Now thank our lucky stars we have LED bulbs, but I sure can't seem to find any screw in EASY to replace ones at the local grocery store. A few years ago the multi-billion dollar real estate company who owns this apartment complex replaced all outdoor lighting with LED's with the two prong connector, not the EASY to replace screw in. So now when my outdoor porch light burns out I need to call maintenance or buy online the new planet-friendly LED bulbs usually made in CHINA.

 

[lovinthehd]

Can't say I've ever shopped for light bulbs at the grocery store....but I do use some LED screw in bulbs, even some motion detector ones. Like 'em.

ps Never saw the other style of socket with the prongs you show. I have run into that in other types of bulbs, like halogen (for diy bike lighting systems).

 

[slipperybidness]

Yeah, I would say the root of the problem was the (silly) decision to install these non-standard bulbs! I have never seen those.

 

[Mikado463]

I absolutely love LED bulbs, soft light throughout the living area and daylight in garage / work areas. An incredible reduction in my monthly electric bill. Started the conversion a few years back, have yet to replace a bulb, given their price I hope that trend continues

 

[slipperybidness]

I absolutely love LED bulbs, soft light throughout the living area and daylight in garage / work areas. An incredible reduction in my monthly electric bill. Started the conversion a few years back, have yet to replace a bulb, given their price I hope that trend continues

I have found that LEDs tend to last a long time, but not as long as the marketing would have you believe!

The LEDs don't/can't really burn out, but the electronics that control them is not as robust as the LEDs themselves.

Regardless, I have replaced maybe 5 LEDs in the last 6-7 years, which is still miles ahead of the other obsolete options.

For those that did not know, the BLUE LED was such a challenge, and was so important to the development of white LEDs to allow for the production of consumer light bulbs, the inventors of the high efficiency blue LED won a Nobel prize in 2014 (not log ago at all!)

Light-emitting diode - Wikipedia

en.wikipedia.org

 

[DigitalDawn]

If you love the color temperature of soft white incandescent bulbs, then take a look at Philips' Warm Glow LED bulbs. These bulbs get "warmer" (more yellow/orange) as you dim them down. They come in multiple bulb sizes and watt outputs. Great bulbs.

Warm Glow dimming | null

Philips LED bulbs with a Warm Glow dimming effect, dim just like traditional incandescent bulbs. They get warmer in tone as the light gets dim.

www.usa.lighting.philips.com

 

[eljr]

Is anyone old enough to remember those evil old energy wasting incandescent light bulbs? You know, the screw in kind? EASY to replace? EASY to find at the grocery store aisle? Then we went to those EASY to replace screw in tree-hugger long life squiggly looking bulbs, BUT they contain MERCURY which will destroy the planet! Now thank our lucky stars we have LED bulbs, but I sure can't seem to find any screw in EASY to replace ones at the local grocery store. A few years ago the multi-billion dollar real estate company who owns this apartment complex replaced all outdoor lighting with LED's with the two prong connector, not the EASY to replace screw in. So now when my outdoor porch light burns out I need to call maintenance or buy online the new planet-friendly LED bulbs usually made in CHINA.


View attachment 42217

should this thread not be posted under first world problems?

 

[Trell]

I have found that LEDs tend to last a long time, but not as long as the marketing would have you believe!

The LEDs don't/can't really burn out, but the electronics that control them is not as robust as the LEDs themselves.

Regardless, I have replaced maybe 5 LEDs in the last 6-7 years, which is still miles ahead of the other obsolete options.

For those that did not know, the BLUE LED was such a challenge, and was so important to the development of white LEDs to allow for the production of consumer light bulbs, the inventors of the high efficiency blue LED won a Nobel prize in 2014 (not log ago at all!)

Light-emitting diode - Wikipedia

en.wikipedia.org

Inadequate cooling will reduce the lifetime of a LED bulb, through improper installation or the bulb's heat sink is too ineffective.

 

[John Parks]

Edison style LED bulbs - the best of both worlds...

 

[killdozzer]

Also, no one ever told you that dimmers kill one sort of those "planet saving" "green" "long lasting" bulbs. My shop changes them like crazy and we don't even use the dimmer, but we have it installed and the bulbs don't like it.

 

[Trell]

Is anyone old enough to remember those evil old energy wasting incandescent light bulbs? You know, the screw in kind? EASY to replace? EASY to find at the grocery store aisle? Then we went to those EASY to replace screw in tree-hugger long life squiggly looking bulbs, BUT they contain MERCURY which will destroy the planet! Now thank our lucky stars we have LED bulbs, but I sure can't seem to find any screw in EASY to replace ones at the local grocery store. A few years ago the multi-billion dollar real estate company who owns this apartment complex replaced all outdoor lighting with LED's with the two prong connector, not the EASY to replace screw in. So now when my outdoor porch light burns out I need to call maintenance or buy online the new planet-friendly LED bulbs usually made in CHINA.

Mercury is bad for the environment but even bad for you when you break a mercury containing bulb while it is on as then you'll have airborne mercury: Not healthy to breath in.

Using a LED bulbs is less risky for elder people as they seldom have to change bulbs in high places (fall risk). They can even have much more light as far less heat is produced.

One real down side of many LED bulbs is the poor color rendition, especially the reds, and (near)visible flicker. It's not always easy (depending on where you live) to find flicker-free LED bulbs with excellent color rendition, tha is also inexpensive. Dimmable LED bulbs often have visible flicker at certain levels.

 

[slipperybidness]

Inadequate cooling will reduce the lifetime of a LED bulb, through improper installation or the bulb's heat sink is too ineffective.

Likely a lot of the bulbs have heat sinks not up to spec for the bulb.

 

[slipperybidness]

Mercury is bad for the environment but even bad for you when you break a mercury containing bulb while it is on as then you'll have airborne mercury: Not healthy to breath in.

Using a LED bulbs is less risky for elder people as they seldom have to change bulbs in high places (fall risk). They can even have much more light as far less heat is produced.

One real down side of many LED bulbs is the poor color rendition, especially the reds, and (near)visible flicker. It's not always easy (depending on where you live) to find flicker-free LED bulbs with excellent color rendition, tha is also inexpensive. Dimmable LED bulbs often have visible flicker at certain levels.

A burned out Fluorescent bulb must be treated as HazMat!

 

[highfigh]

Is anyone old enough to remember those evil old energy wasting incandescent light bulbs? You know, the screw in kind? EASY to replace? EASY to find at the grocery store aisle? Then we went to those EASY to replace screw in tree-hugger long life squiggly looking bulbs, BUT they contain MERCURY which will destroy the planet! Now thank our lucky stars we have LED bulbs, but I sure can't seem to find any screw in EASY to replace ones at the local grocery store. A few years ago the multi-billion dollar real estate company who owns this apartment complex replaced all outdoor lighting with LED's with the two prong connector, not the EASY to replace screw in. So now when my outdoor porch light burns out I need to call maintenance or buy online the new planet-friendly LED bulbs usually made in CHINA.


View attachment 42217

I can't find food at most hardware stores- makes me mad.

Why would a grocery store sell specialty bulbs?

 

[slipperybidness]

Mercury is bad for the environment but even bad for you when you break a mercury containing bulb while it is on as then you'll have airborne mercury: Not healthy to breath in.

Using a LED bulbs is less risky for elder people as they seldom have to change bulbs in high places (fall risk). They can even have much more light as far less heat is produced.

One real down side of many LED bulbs is the poor color rendition, especially the reds, and (near)visible flicker. It's not always easy (depending on where you live) to find flicker-free LED bulbs with excellent color rendition, tha is also inexpensive. Dimmable LED bulbs often have visible flicker at certain levels.

Well, that is exactly how they are dimmed, just a lower duty cycle.

 

[Hobbit]

Where do you live? I see them in my local grocery stores and Lowe's/HomeDepot. In fact, it's hard to find anything else.

 

[Trell]

Well, that is exactly how they are dimmed, just a lower duty cycle.

But the good ones does not flicker while dimmed or the flicker is at a high rate (1 000 Hz +). More expensive, though.

 

[highfigh]

I absolutely love LED bulbs, soft light throughout the living area and daylight in garage / work areas. An incredible reduction in my monthly electric bill. Started the conversion a few years back, have yet to replace a bulb, given their price I hope that trend continues

I really like the color of the light from halogen bulbs and that's the reason I didn't jump on LED until I could find some that I like. I hate yellow light, blue light is worse and the color doesn't always match the description (warm white, bright white and cool white). I finally replaced the rest of the CFL bulbs and never liked them, but few of the ones I had were used for more than a few minutes at any time. If it was on for long, it was going to be something I could tolerate. Nice that the cost/bulb has come down, too.

 

[highfigh]

Well, that is exactly how they are dimmed, just a lower duty cycle.

Right, but they need to be dimmed differently from CFL and incandescent-

Dimmers – Trailing vs Leading Edge – Lyco

Dimmers allow you to achieve the exact light level that you desire in a room and consequently alter the mood. There are various types of dimming options available, but the most popular are ‘phase control’ (or phase-cut) dimmers.

www.lyco.co.uk

 

[slipperybidness]

But the good ones does not flicker while dimmed or the flicker is at a high rate (1 000 Hz +). More expensive, though.

I have used pretty much exclusively TCP and been pretty satisfied. I believe Cree has good bulbs too.

@TLS Guy has a lot of experience on this topic too.