Philips Warm Glow bulbs.
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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.
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We have started using the Philips Warm Glow LED bulbs. This house is primarily solar powered with grid interface and net metering. Additionally, we are in a very warm climate, so A/C in the summer is a requirement. The heat generated by incandescent bulbs requires additional A/C cooling to remove from the house.
The WG bulbs are darn near perfect. They dim smoothly on our Leviton Z-Wave dimmers, and they do so without any buzzing or fuss. I especially like the warm color temperature the more the light is dimmed, very similar to an incandescent. The bulbs also have a soft-on / soft-off behavior rather than the typical often-jarring instant-on/off of LEDs.
The only negatives I can give them are the light is not quite as evenly diffused compared to some of the competition (CREE or Philips own Hue line): more light emits radially from the bulb, although this may only be noticeable with certain close-fitting glass shades. Secondarily, of the seven bulbs we have now, there seem to be two versions with slightly different dimming curves. This is only noticeable at 50% power on a line of four fixtures in a master bath all on the same dimming circuit. It is subtle, but once I noticed it, I started swapping bulbs to make sure it wasn't a problem with the fixture.
So far I have tried the 60W A-style bulbs as well as the miniature Candelabra bulbs. I still prefer Hue for ultimate control and flexibility, but these Warm Glow bulbs fit the bill brilliantly when you have conventional dimmers (automated or not).
Most importantly for me is having the soft warm incandescent glow in the evening before bed, as well as at very low levels when waking up in the night. This is far less disruptive than constant-2700K dimmable LEDs.
Cheers!
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@Bromeo this is a great review, thank you for posting.
