Lighting Science Group 40 Watt Equivalent LED Light

LED light bulbs have long had incandescent and CFL (compact fluorescent) bulbs beat in terms of energy efficiency, yet they’ve taken a back seat to the CFLs due to the much higher price tag of an LED bulb. That is until now. As incandescent bulbs are being phased out, lighting companies are scrambling to get their LED bulbs on the shelves and in the homes of America. Which means prices are dropping.

Lighting Science Group recently announced its’ new 40 watt equivalent LED bulb for sale on Amazon for $21.98, quite a bit cheaper than the competition, such as the $38 GE LED bulb. The A19 type bulb lasts 23 years and contains no mercury, unlike the CFL bulbs that have recently received a lot of press due to a study about potential cancer causing chemicals. Lighting Science Group plans to release a variety of LEDs for sale on Amazon including the more popular 60 watt equivalent bulb. Home Depot also carries a line of LED bulbs from Lighting Science Group, called the Ecosmart LED bulbs.

Switch LED Bulb

Vying for a slice of the LED pie, is Switch lighting who have developed 60 watt and 75 watt equivalent LED bulbs. With plans to begin production in the U.S. later this year, the Switch LED bulbs are expected to cost less than $15.

Metaefficient is also a fan of the Pharox 300 LED bulb which, at $27, is slightly more expensive than these new LEDs about to hit the market, but it does offer dimming capability, while the Lighting Science Group bulb is non-dimmable. For more on the Pharox 300 LED bulb see here. Though it’s been a long time coming, we may be finally able to see the LED light at the end of the tunnel when it comes to replacing the beloved incandescent with affordable, uber-efficient, non-toxic lighting.

For more on LEDs see our recent articles on light bulb efficiency guidelines and LED bulbs for the home.

Pharox 300 Warm Led Light Bulb

The Pharox 300 Flame is the warmest LED light bulb I’ve tested. It’s been in a desk lamp in my living room — it gives off a pleasing yellow glow (a 3000 kelvin output). The Pharox’s light quality is very good. Unlike CFLs, this bulb contains no mercury it emits no UV radiation. Typically, quality household lights tend to have the Color Rendering Index (CRI) between 80 and 100. The Pharox has a CRI of 85.

Pharox Flame LED Light Bulb Replacement

The Pharox Flame outputs 336 lumen, and runs on 6 watts of power. Lemnis says the Pharox is equivalent to a 35W to 60W incandescent equivalent (depending on the lamp or fixture). This light also represents a kind of price breakthrough for LED bulbs — it sells for $24.99 from the manufacturer, Lemnis Lighting.

Lasting six times longer than a CFL and 35 times longer than an incandescent, the Pharox 300 LED light bulb should last 25 years if used four hours daily.

Here’s a comparison chart:

The Pharox 300 Flame Bulb is available from Amazon.

Website: Lemnis Lighting

LED Light Bulb: The Zetalux 2 by EarthLED

I’ve been testing the new Zeta-Lux 2 LED light bulb from EarthLED. This bulb looks similar to the first Zeta-Lux –but this bulb retails for $25 instead of $40. This means you can get a 40-watt equivalent LED bulb that consumes just 6 watts. The color temperature of the Zeta-Lux 2 is a pleasing 2800K. These bulbs are very durable and contains no mercury — they are RoHS compliant, UL Listed and FCC Approved.

At this price point, LED bulbs are a compelling alternative to compact fluorescent bulbs and incandescents. If you’re unconvinced about the advantages of LED lights. see our latest in-depth look at Efficient LED Light Bulbs For The Home.

The Zeta-Lux 2 bulb will be available for $15.99 on Earth Day form EarthLED.

EarthLED also plans to release a 7-watt Pro version of the bulb, which will be a 60-watt incandescent equivalent. The company is also introducing a dimmable LED flood the LumiSelect R20, and an outdoor water-resistant bulb.

LED Light Bulb: The Zetalux 2 by EarthLED

Geobulb: A LED Light Bulb Replacement

The Geobulb is an 8 watt LED light that replaces a 60 watt incandescent bulb. It generates 800 lumens of light to be exact — either warm white light or cool white. This bulb has a sleeker design than some of the LED lights I’ve seen — check out that aesthetically pleasing heat sink.

The Geobulb lasts 40 times longer than conventional incandescent bulbs and 10 times longer than compact fluorescent. LED bulbs like this have the advantage of being able to be turned off and on quickly, and being able to withstand cold temperatures. It sells for $60 which, for an enthusiast like myself, is a reasonable price for a ultra-efficient light that will last 10 years or more. In fact, over the course of this bulb’s life, it is less expensive than incandescent bulbs or fluorescents.

The GEObulb led light is available from Amazon for $57.

This booklight has a flexible neck that works well to illuminate the entire page. It uses a single bright LED bulb. I accidentally left this light on and it was still burning bright after about 40 hours.

It takes AAA batteries including rechargeables.

Available from: Always Something Brilliant ($28.95)