Philips Warm Glow bulbs.
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@timpster said:
Back to the power consumption: you should buy a Kill A Watt and go around your home to see how much power everything else is consuming.
Your eyes will thank you.
Yeah, I really have wanted to get one, and I will now. I've got some extra... well you probably know how it goes this time of year. Yeah, I like LED bulbs, but I think I'll wait a few more years, definitely not 20,000 hours though. How long is that. 2 hours a day sounds about right, so 20,000 hours... that's uh... what, 10,000 days? Wow 27.397 years! WOW! I'll probably have a few on a dimmer switch so it's closer to 30 if not much higher! This is insane!
I think I've made it clear about the whole LED flicker issue, so no need to bring that up again! Also the way the metal glows orange when it dims is what I consider a real health bonus considering sleep.
Exactly. Compare the 20,000-hour life expectancy of these light bulbs to most LED lights: it's about the same. So, you get the same long life without the problems of the quality of light that's produced by LEDs. In terms of life expectancy and quality of light, Aero-Tech's 20-000-hour light bulbs cannot be beaten or even equaled. Nothing can even come close. Their build quality is the best too. You'll see that and feel that once you have one of their bulbs in your hands. Buy some clear ones for the most fun in admiring their quality!
For as long as I live, I will always prefer light that comes from a burning object. So far, nothing can beat it. Some people might argue that incandescent bulbs flicker too, but they're wrong: their brightness simply goes up and down very quickly and very smoothly; they don't blink on and off digitally. They don't have a strobe effect, AT ALL. To see this very clearly, simply turn a fan on and compare the look of the fan blades with pure incandescent light bulbs to LEDs and fluorescents. You will find that with incandescent light bulbs, the fan blades look the same while spinning quickly as they do in sunlight (very smooth). With LEDs and fluorescents, you can clearly see the strobe effect.
I find that when I go straight from pure LED light to pitch black total darkness, I'm left with this lingering strobe effect with my eyes closed in the total darkness that can last over a half an hour. When I go straight from pure incandescent light to pitch black total darkness, there's absolutely no lingering strobe effect at all. So, no one will ever be able to convince me that LEDs are better. The same goes for fluorescent lights. I hate them both equally. Aero-Tech has it all figured out, and a 2-pack of their bulbs is only about $5.
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@TwoCables Yeah, my only complaint is the use of the Krypton gas that reduces light output. If they'd get rid of that, it would be great, and it would still last quite a long time.
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@timpster said:
@TwoCables Yeah, my only complaint is the use of the Krypton gas that reduces light output. If they'd get rid of that, it would be great, and it would still last quite a long time.
No, they wouldn't. Krypton improves the efficiency too. It has:
- A lower heat conductivity compared to argon, resulting in a higher filament temperature which increases the efficacy/efficiency of the bulb
- A larger molecular size compared to argon which retards the evaporation of the tungsten filament, resulting in a longer life
- A higher atomic weight
Aero-Tech also uses thicker and stronger filaments, which further improves bulb life. However, this reduces light output because watt-for-watt, a thicker filament can't burn as brightly (it takes more power to achieve the same brightness). So, you will notice that the bulb you buy isn't quite as bright as say a GE bulb of the same wattage. So for example: if you want the brightness of a standard 60W bulb, then consider the 75W bulbs.
Depending on the bulb size and the type of filament, using krypton gas can increase the efficacy of the bulb by 7% to 20%. Xenon is used too, but it's more expensive and is used primarily for special application bulbs.
So, don't judge these bulbs before you use them.
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@TwoCables Ah, so I had it backwards! That's great, so they DO care about efficiency! Alright, well I'm sold! I'll have to decide which ones to get. I'll probably pass on the 25 watt bulbs. I'd like to get the 60's, 100's, and the 200 watt version. I'll have 18 great lights!
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@timpster said:
@TwoCables Ah, so I had it backwards! That's great, so they DO care about efficiency! Alright, well I'm sold! I'll have to decide which ones to get. I'll probably pass on the 25 watt bulbs. I'd like to get the 60's, 100's, and the 200 watt version. I'll have 18 great lights!
Well remember, you can get them from Menards. At least I can locally.
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@TwoCables said:
@timpster said:
@TwoCables Ah, so I had it backwards! That's great, so they DO care about efficiency! Alright, well I'm sold! I'll have to decide which ones to get. I'll probably pass on the 25 watt bulbs. I'd like to get the 60's, 100's, and the 200 watt version. I'll have 18 great lights!
Well remember, you can get them from Menards. At least I can locally. They come in 2-packs at the store for around $5 each.
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@TwoCables Haha, I don't have that store! In fact, not even across counties! Oh well, I'll just get them from the net. I'll have to get them from Amazon directly, because the other sellers that have them are a bit too far away for my liking, so maybe I can get them from the same area if I do that.
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@timpster said:
@TwoCables Haha, I don't have that store! In fact, not even across counties! Oh well, I'll just get them from the net. I'll have to get them from Amazon directly, because the other sellers that have them are a bit too far away for my liking, so maybe I can get them from the same area if I do that.
Aw man. Well, at least Amazon has good customer service if it's ever needed.
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I'll update in about a week.
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I've been through the same dimming LED woes as you. I tried three different brands (Lighting Science, IKEA and GE) before I got the Philips Warm Glow. You really aught to try one in a dimmer.
I've used the 40W (450 lumens), 60W (800 lumens) and 100W (1,600 lumens) versions. I think the 60W and 100W has a perfect dimming color profile, while the 40W is still way better than a normal LED. They look like a candle or sunset as they dim down. We use LED-compatible Lutron dimmers.
They only go down to 5 - 10%, so try one before you replace your entire house. We found them quite pleasant nonetheless.
As far as energy usage goes, replacing a 100W (1,600 lumens) incandescent with an 18W LED saves $225 over its 25,000-hour lifetime, assuming you pay 11¢/kWh. That's just one bulb! Our monthly electricity bill now fluctuates between $25 and $35. Must be the computers.
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Cree appears to have what may be the best module (LMH2) - high CRI down to 1800K! I saw a demo at Lightfair two years ago and still can't find an actual lamp to buy.
Hue is still quite good but you have to use a custom control to make it work. But the Philips Warm Glow product nails it on price and good-enough quality.
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Well I've just purchased the aerotech bulbs because I knew I'd need them sometime. I'll have to get a few warm glow bulbs while I'm at it!
Edit: Added 37 minutes later, best of both right.
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@TwoCables said:
Xenon is used too, but it's more expensive and is used primarily for special application bulbs.
I like that you mentioned Xenon, I had a discussion about Xenon lights here on the forum. It ended up being that they get EXTREMELY hot, they are a bit dangerous, can put off ozone, and are expensive, hard to find, and probably difficult to install. I just didn't want all that trouble.
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I just want to update and list what I will have in about a week.
- 6 pack of 60 watt Aero-tech bulbs
- 6 pack of 100watt Aero-tech bulbs
- Single bulb 200 watt ^
- 2 packages of: two Philips Warm Glow (60w equal) bulbs.
I think I'll be set for a while!
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@timpster said:
@TwoCables said:
Xenon is used too, but it's more expensive and is used primarily for special application bulbs.
I like that you mentioned Xenon, I had a discussion about Xenon lights here on the forum. It ended up being that they get EXTREMELY hot, they are a bit dangerous, can put off ozone, and are expensive, hard to find, and probably difficult to install. I just didn't want all that trouble.
Yeah, Xenon bulbs do get extremely hot and they do indeed emit UV radiation. It's hilarious. My parents had xenon lights that were under their cupboards to shine down onto the countertops, and the damn things had UV blocking clear lenses! They were also like mini heat lamps. LOL They could keep something somewhat warm or warm something up to around 80-90 degrees I'm guessing. It was funny. They had an awesome quality of light though - like showroom lights. They had a bright golden white color. I miss those lights. I don't miss replacing the bulbs though. They had a total of 6 lights, 3 on one side of the sink and 3 on the other. My parents had them on a 3-way dimmer too, and WOW they were fantastic dimmed. So golden and beautiful.
In our new place where we live now, they decided on some daylight-color LED sticks. heh No more bulb replacing, but I miss the ability to use dim golden light when I have to go into the kitchen when I'm getting ready for bed. So now I blindly find my way to the microwave's light button which fortunately has two light levels and a standard incandescent appliance bulb.
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@TwoCables I've seen reviews of what I think you're talking about. I think it's basically a tungsten metal and Xenon gas. I think they use like 18 watts and can generate above 2700K light, just incredible! My dad has a really cool Xenon flashlight (I know it is because it's just amazing) and that thing is really cool!
It starts off with a nice bluish white, maybe 6200K, seriously I think that's close, because it was used outside on an overcast day to light up a vehicle my grandpa was working on. It put off such a great useful light and I knew right then what we were using was a LOT better than any LED bulb.
After about a minute or so, it warms up to produce maybe a bit whiter than halogen, just a really interesting light source for sure!
Edit: I also got a watt meter with all the lights.
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@lorna I saw a review that said the Philips warm glow bulbs use 120hz flicker. You know the people who mention that are few and I've seen the same comment on rope lights and they were correct. Are you familiar with the light to verify or nullify this?
Edit: I watched the tear down video of the bulb for the second time and I do not see any flicker. I'll let you know what I see in a few days.
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@timpster Even the hue has it, but the PWM seems better shaped. I will try to test one out and let you know.
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@lorna Thanks for mentioning the Hue, I see it there a little bit but that's bearable because it's multi color. Not sure if that's the excuse to use there or if Philips can prevent it. Hopefully it's not a deep 100-0 flicker, I'm now very interested in what you find, thank you!
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@f-lux-team got them today, will test.
O.K. so the flicker only happens when in between the two levels. If you're at full brightness or using only the warmer color, I see no serious flicker when moving my hand or eyes around. When in between, there is a noticeable amount of flicker. Also when using just a slightly warmer setting, as a feel the default is just a tad to white for night time, there will be a bit of flicker.
I can put up with this and I'm happy with the purchase. I'm noticing that I'll probably run it at full to avoid flicker, as it is a bit fatiguing, and I'm still happy with the color, although it is a bit whiter than I'd like. It's fine in the daytime and I'll dim it down at night.
