LED "Bulbs"

steadystate

Fractal Fanatic
For those of you who, like me, absolutely hate LED lighting (especially after the US government banned the sale and manufacture of "energy inefficient" lights), there are now a few alternatives that can do the job without making you want to immediately puke at the poor quality of light. Here is an example:

https://store.waveformlighting.com/collections/a19-bulbs

These bulbs are flicker free (at least, the ones listed as flicker free are) and have a reasonably high color rendering index (CRI). I've tried them, and they are not too bad. Not as good as a good halogen or incandescent, but they are the best alternative to the standard A19 incandescent or halogen if you choose an appropriate color temperature. I've compared them side by side with the Cree, Phillips, and GE garbage you can get at Home Depot, and these lights render much higher color saturation of objects they illuminate, especially reds and skin tones. The difference is MAJOR.

Of course, they are expensive, but politicians rarely concern themselves with such matters. If you've been having a tough time finding quality lighting in the US, they are worth a shot.
 
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I have not see the one you mentioned. But I have found ones that I like the best so far, as LED's are concerned and seem to be the most "light bulb-y" ( meaning incandescent-like).
They are the Cree high CRI - 2700k.
So far I like them a lot - still waiting for someone to come out with a decent LED PAR 30 that looks like a halogen PAR 30.

EDIT - I will also add I think its BS about money saving. Because while LED's use a lot less electricity, that means everyone has to purchase LED's - now the power companies aren't making as much money and thus keep increasing rates.. So we're really not saving money... power - yes. But not money..



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The R9 rating (red saturation) through R15 are extremely important, and are not measured in the CRI. Look for a light with an R9 of at least 80. The bulbs in the OP have CRI of 95 and an R9 through R15 in the 80s and 90s. And if the package doesn't expicitly say zero flicker, you can be sure it flickers.
 
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All the Cree bulbs that I bought 3 years ago have already crapped out. Cheaper Feit bulbs from Costco work fine. So there you go. I only use high CRI bulbs in desk lamps nowadays. Everything else is “warm white” so it doesn’t matter as much
 
I like using LED bulbs, as I hate paying for extra electricity just because older bulbs had warmer light.

EDIT - I will also add I think its BS about money saving. Because while LED's use a lot less electricity, that means everyone has to purchase LED's - now the power companies aren't making as much money and thus keep increasing rates.. So we're really not saving money... power - yes. But not money..

They don't have too raise the rates. We add to our own bill by constantly adding new electronic devices. In the past a household had in addition to lighting not that many electrical appliances. A TV set, a stereo set, the usual kitchen and washing appliances. Nowadays everybody has desktops, laptops, handheld mobile devices, way more kitchen appliances then we used too. And let us not forget a whole bevy of equipment that is being left on standby rather then switched off. And not just the TV, almost everywhere I go I see people leaving their smartphone chargers plugged in, even though those still draw power when not being used.

You don't have to worry about the electrical companies losing money over LED lights, they will get their profits. The real question is, do you want them to make even more just for the sake of warm light?
 
I like using LED bulbs, as I hate paying for extra electricity just because older bulbs had warmer light.

I'm not sure what you define as "warmth". Warmth is generally defined by color temperature. IMO, warmth or color temperature have nothing to do with the deficiencies in LED lights. LED bulbs are available in 2400K (warm) and up. The problem with them is color rendering and flicker. They have gaps in the color spectrum which cause a serious lack in saturation of certain colors. Even a "warm" 2400k LED can make you look sickly compared to a 2400k incandescent or a 3000k halogen, which is defined as cooler.

Flicker is another matter altogether. Almost all LED bulbs flicker. Inevitable migraine. Can't use them.

Fortunately, new color rendering standards are being developed, and industry/public awareness of the qualities of light is increasing, especially the effects of flicker. The more the consuming public knows and demands, the better LED light sources will become.

Look for a CRI of at least 90 (95 to 97 are now available), and an R9 rating of at least 80. If they don't list R9, it is almost certainly low and reds will not look as they should.
 
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I'm somewhat spectrum sensitive but I've generally been content with the Cree 90+ bulbs. Maybe I'll try the 95+ bulbs, as pricing has come down across the board. I also like that they have a bunch of 3000K bulbs, as I've come to be fond of the very slightly cooler halogen look. It's too bad they don't have a high output version of the BR30 bulbs, as I run 1400 lumen (100W equivalent) Crees right now. In fact they only seem to sell 60W equivalent at Waveform and I think I've upgraded most of my lighting to 75+.
 
3000k is still highly yellow and "warm". Even 4000k looks yellowish once you've looked at 5000K for a minute. I like 4000k for kitchen/bath/laundry and 3000k for bed/living etc. Still deciding on what I like best for my studio. 3000k is warmer, but 4000k promotes productivity. I might install both in separate fixtures so I'll have a choice. I use 5600K for video. It makes 3000k look extremely yellow.
 
I'm okay with the LEDs some places. The ceiling fan in the living room has a filtered cover on it, and it doesn't really matter much. In my guitar room, I actually have the crazy white light daylight shit, because I can't see half of what I'm doing in 40 watt soft lighting. Kitchen too. I like it bright as hell in there. I'm in those three rooms more than anything else, so it's really the only places I run them.
 
I use 5600K for video. It makes 3000k look extremely yellow.
I mean white balance always exists, but the closer you can film to 6500K for your base lighting, the easier it is to get the final color grade right in video. Some of these LED lights can also be really wonky to correct for, with oddball magenta shifts that really make accurate white balancing a hassle without a full color reference on film.

I don't like to go above 3000K at home except for laundry/garage/workshop. 4500K feels like a good working light temperature to me, a little warmer in offices maybe and a little cooler in workshops.
 
I mean white balance always exists, but the closer you can film to 6500K for your base lighting, the easier it is to get the final color grade right in video. Some of these LED lights can also be really wonky to correct for, with oddball magenta shifts that really make accurate white balancing a hassle without a full color reference on film.

I don't like to go above 3000K at home except for laundry/garage/workshop. 4500K feels like a good working light temperature to me, a little warmer in offices maybe and a little cooler in workshops.


Agree - I always get 2700K - even that looks a little florescent to me depending on the bulb. Anything above that makes the room look like an office - bluey and cold. I much prefer the warmness of a incandescent blub hue.
 
Ok...I have to eat my own words here.

After living with these LED bulbs (95 CRI, 80 R9, flicker free, the best I could find) for a while to let my brain settle in, I just went back to my halogens to compare. No comparison. The halogens blow the LEDs away. I can't go back. The LEDs are horrid. The halogens are gorgeous.

LED lights suck and suck hard. I gave them an honest trial and tried my best to like them. Even the best are unacceptable. I retract everything I wrote in this thread. F LED lights, and F the government jackboots who took away my incandescents.
 
Ok...I have to eat my own words here.

After living with these LED bulbs (95 CRI, 80 R9, flicker free, the best I could find) for a while to let my brain settle in, I just went back to my halogens to compare. No comparison. The halogens blow the LEDs away. I can't go back. The LEDs are horrid. The halogens are gorgeous.

LED lights suck and suck hard. I gave them an honest trial and tried my best to like them. Even the best are unacceptable. I retract everything I wrote in this thread. F LED lights, and F the government jackboots who took away my incandescents.
lol

Wait though, the government is taking away incandescent lights?
 
If halogens are your thing, more power to ya. Me I couldn't care less, although I do like my lower electric bill.
 
lol

Wait though, the government is taking away incandescent lights?

Not incandescent specifically; lights under a certain (and arbitrary) efficiency rating; which includes the most common household incandescents. You can get variants of them, and rarely to never in a brick and mortar store. Fortunately, a 2017 expansion of the law that would have extended to reflector type bulbs (BR, PAR, etc.) this year has recently been rescinded.

I'll give LED another shot in another five years or so. I don't care about the tech, only about the quality of light.
 
Not incandescent specifically; lights under a certain (and arbitrary) efficiency rating; which includes the most common household incandescents. You can get variants of them, and rarely to never in a brick and mortar store. Fortunately, a 2017 expansion of the law that would have extended to reflector type bulbs (BR, PAR, etc.) this year has recently been rescinded.

I'll give LED another shot in another five years or so. I don't care about the tech, only about the quality of light.
I see, I never even gave it a thought so I did not know.

So... can I has all your LED lights? :D
(seriously though, what are you gonna do with all your LED bulbs? lol)
 
Not incandescent specifically; lights under a certain (and arbitrary) efficiency rating; which includes the most common household incandescents. You can get variants of them, and rarely to never in a brick and mortar store. Fortunately, a 2017 expansion of the law that would have extended to reflector type bulbs (BR, PAR, etc.) this year has recently been rescinded.

I'll give LED another shot in another five years or so. I don't care about the tech, only about the quality of light.

the technology is moving pretty fast - just over the past 2-3 years I have noticed a huge improvement. Not there yet - but I believe they will get there in the next few years... All my recessed PAR 30's are all still halogen. Every time I go to Home Depot I buy another one just to stock pile them. I think I have about 10 spares - still not enough - they don't seem to last that long...
 
Halogens and incandescents are a good choice during winter when heat isn’t being wasted.
 
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