On the shelves in the lightbulb section they had a display featuring Phillips brand LEDs. I was immediately impressed because some of the LEDs were giving off a warm light which I've had difficulty finding. In the past, despite claims of having "warm light" all the LEDs I've tried have been a harsh bluish colour. As you can see in the pic though, these don't.
They also come in both a bulb-style and a spot-lighting style for recessed light fixtures.
Unfortunately I'm not sure if I'm ready to replace my CFLs just yet.
The bulbs are a little pricey at $30 each, though it's reasonable when you consider CFLs were over $80 when they first came out. I bought my first CFL 10 years ago for $30 so hopefully the price of LEDs will drop as they have for CFLs.
Secondly, they use 7 watts and the spotlights are supposed to replace a 35 watt incandescent, while the bulbs replace only a 25 watt. Currently the CFLs I have use 9 watts and are the equivalent to a 40 watt. In terms of light output there probably isn't much of a noticeable difference, however, $30 a bulb probably isn't worth the 2 watts per bulb I'd save.
That being said, if I wasn't already using CFLs I'd probably switch over to these LEDs and I'll probably buy one soon just to play around with it (I get excited over strange things).
For example, I'm slowly renovating my basement and I plan to use pot lamps in my ceiling. These spotlight LEDs would be great for that.
Also if you're an off-grider these bulbs would definitely be worth a second look since every watt counts in that type of situation.
Pros
- only 7 watts
- warm colour
- no mercury
- no heat
Cons
- $30 a bulb
- not very bright, equal to 25 or 35 watt incandescent
FYI: Costco has a set of 3, 1.5 watt LEDs on sale for only $15 this month. I've tried this brand before and didn't like the blue light they have but at that price I'd consider buying some for use outdoors. They're "candle-style bulbs" but also come with 3 adaptors so they'll fit in regular sized sockets.
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