The New Intimacy

LED light bulbs are cheaper; will you buy them?

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Contributor: spiced spiced
According to this NY Times article, LED bulbs are a lot cheaper than they used to be; the author makes a case that they're a really good deal now:

LEDs last about 25 times as long as incandescents and three times as long as CFLs; we’re talking maybe 25,000 hours of light. Install one today, and you may not own your house, or even live, long enough to see it burn out.

The price is down from $30 per bulb a couple of years ago to under $10 a bulb now. What do you think? Will you be buying LED light bulbs in the near future? Or are you still rockin' the incandescents?
03/20/2013
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Contributor: dv8 dv8
I've been using LED bulbs for the past couple of years.
03/20/2013
Contributor: spiced spiced
Quote:
Originally posted by dv8
I've been using LED bulbs for the past couple of years.
We're using CFLs. I think I'm going do the same thing I did when we switched from incandescents to CFLs, which is to replace the old with the new, one by one, as they burn out.

How do you like your LEDs? Is the light as good as they say?
03/21/2013
Contributor: K101 K101
Quote:
Originally posted by spiced
According to this NY Times article, LED bulbs are a lot cheaper than they used to be; the author makes a case that they're a really good deal now:

LEDs last about 25 times as long as incandescents and three times as long as CFLs; we’re ... more
Yea, but don't they have really negative health effects? I can't be totally sure, but it seems like it.

I have used them before, but I avoid those damn things at all costs because they're funky. They worsen my migraines, so I probably wouldn't use them even if they didn't cause health issues. I like regular light bulbs. I remember when I ran out and only had LED's and ended up taking my bedroom light bulb out and screwing it into the bathroom's every time I had to shower! Other times, I'd go to the bathroom in the dark. I hated the LED bulbs. If they didn't have such a strange tint, it wouldn't be nearly as bad.
03/21/2013
Contributor: spiced spiced
Quote:
Originally posted by K101
Yea, but don't they have really negative health effects? I can't be totally sure, but it seems like it.

I have used them before, but I avoid those damn things at all costs because they're funky. They worsen my migraines, so I ... more
Are you sure you're not talking about compact fluorescent bulbs? That's what it sounds like. One of the many cool things about LED bulbs is they're supposed to give off really good light. I only have one friend who has them and I haven't seen them in person that I'm aware. My friend says the light is actually nicer than incandescent bulbs. No health effects that I'm aware of, but they will have a major (positive) effect on your electricity bill.
03/21/2013
Contributor: Msmueller Msmueller
weve been making the switch to led
03/21/2013
Contributor: js250 js250
As someone who has used LED for signage--I made the change years ago. (I get serious discounts due to my business.) They are wonderful, no health effects and the light is incredible. You can get them in many colors--I use clear and ivory for the house.
03/21/2013
Contributor: Gunsmoke Gunsmoke
CFLs are a joke. The ones we have tried have very short life spans. I suppose making them cheaply in China results in very low quality. Then disposing of them is a hazardous waste problem because there is mercury in them - very toxic. All in all CFLs are a disaster.

LEDs are still way too expensive compared to the energy they save. The 25k hour life is probably another lie. They installed LED traffic lights around here and they began failing after less than 1 year.

Right now we have a mixture of incandescent and CFLs (the ones that didn't fail prematurely). Maybe when we go to buy more, we'll take another look at LEDs - but they are going to have to find a way to mitigate the harshness of the light.
03/21/2013
Contributor: gsfanatic gsfanatic
I'm planning to replace my old bulbs as they wear out, but since I already have the CFLs, I'll stick with them to not waste them
03/21/2013
Contributor: spiced spiced
Quote:
Originally posted by Gunsmoke
CFLs are a joke. The ones we have tried have very short life spans. I suppose making them cheaply in China results in very low quality. Then disposing of them is a hazardous waste problem because there is mercury in them - very toxic. All in all CFLs ... more
I'm mostly with you on CFLs. We have saved money overall on our electricity bill and bulb replacement costs, despite a failure rate of about 20% over a 5 year period (I know because that's when we moved in here and switched out all the bulbs).

I totally agree about the quality and the toxins. Supposedly, they're guaranteed "for life", but who has time to keep with the receipts and returns? (Not me.) They accept them at the dump for recycling several times a year, which is good — but it's a pain having to be so careful with them and having to deal with that.

My recent LED flashlight purchases are even better than I expected, but I wouldn't be surprised to find LED light bulbs aren't as great as they're advertised to be. But then, apart from high-end sex toys, what is?
03/21/2013
Contributor: Bme Bme
I have not tried them. I switched to CFL because they were supposed to last longer and save money. What a lie. I ended up paying 5X as much and they burned out faster than the cheap bulbs. I even tried different brands. I would like to know from someone who has used LED lightbulbs for a while to know if they really do last longer.
03/21/2013
Contributor: Woman China Woman China
I find the LED lights to hurt my eyes. I do love my incandescent light bulbs because they soften the whole room like candle light.
03/21/2013