Many LED bulbs have highly directional light concentrated to the front of the bulb, whereas the light from an incandescent bulb is omni-directional.
Lesser-known LED bulb makers tend to exaggerate their `incandescent-equivalent' ratings. For example, a 40W incandescent bulb produces around 480 lumens of light. But most LED bulbs that claim to be `40W equivalent' only produce 300-400 lumens of light.
Older generation LED bulbs are usually quite bulky, so they may not fit in some light fixtures designed for common household A19 bulbs.
Most LED bulbs on the market are not compatible with TRIAC-dimmer switches designed for incandescent bulbs. If you accidentally put a non-dimmable LED bulb into a dimmer-controlled fixture, it will flicker or even become damaged.
The Feit BPAG500DM/LED A19 Semi Omni LED bulb is the first product I found that solved all the limitations of my earlier generation LED bulbs:
It has an omni-directional, evenly distributed light output.
It produces 500 lumens of total light output, and is correctly marketed as a `40W-equivalent' bulb.
It has nearly identical shape and size as a traditional A19 incandescent bulb (see the size comparison picture I uploaded to `Customer Images' section)
It is compatible with ordinary TRIAC dimmer switches designed for incandescent bulbs, and offers better dynamic range that most `dimmable' CFL or LED bulbs.
I measured the power consumption of this Feit Omni LED bulb, using my P3 International P4460 Kill A Watt EZ Electricity Usage Monitor. The power consumption reading toggles between 7W and 8W, which is consistent with the rating of `7.5W'. The power factor is very high at PF=0.97, which is an indication of good electrical design (cheaply-made LED bulbs usually have PF=0.7 or lower).
I then tested this Feit 7.5W blub on a dimmer-controlled light fixture, together with a 60W incandescent bulb and two other LED bulbs I previously tested: Feit Electric 13.5 Watt LED Omni Bulb and Energetic Lighting ELE12D-AWF-VB LED 12-Watt A19 Dimmable Lamp. Both Feit bulbs are able to dim smoothly from full power down to minimum. The Energetic `tulip' bulb, on the other hand, went dark at lower power. See the pictures I uploaded to Customer Images for comparison. Note that the other two LED bulbs are both rated as `60W-equivalent' since they produce around 800 lumens of light output. Also the two Feit bulbs have color temperature of 3000K, whereas the Tulip bulb is warmer at 2700K, which is closer to that of an incandescent bulb.
In summary: I can recommend this Feit 7.5W omni-LED bulb as a universal 40W-replacement for any household light fixtures.
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After a brief trial with one of these (ordered through Amazon), I ordered another 21 of them (from another vendor with better pricing) for the enclosed fixtures in my house, my girlfriend's apartment, and my rental house. I liked the first one well enough to commit, and I'm still glad I got them, although I do have a few caveats for the serious buyer.Let me start with the positives: they are nearly identical to the form factor of the old bulbs they replace, enough that you shouldn't worry about fit. The color tone is okay. They're very efficient, and they're rated to last at least 25,000 hours in a fully enclosed fixture. This leads to a lifetime ROI of 500% or greater, as well as saving you 10+ trips up a ladder for each one you buy, and it fills a very sparsely populated market niche. If you want cost-effective replacements for all of your light bulbs for this summer, when LEDs achieve their highest rate of cost savings, this is your best and possibly your only good option. I have no regrets about dropping $300 on the whole batch. My math says I'll get that money back by next fall and keep saving for years to come.
Back to that color tone, though... it really is just OK. I wish there were something truly warm that did what these do, because I can't call them anything better than "lukewarm". If you're really picky about these things, spend $40+ each on the SWITCH bulbs (which, keep in mind, will still pay for themselves, but over a much longer period) or wait. I have a feeling I may be retrofitting my own house again in a couple of years, when these have paid for themselves and better ones are on the market. But that comes with the early-adopter territory, and it doesn't change my mind about the investment value. My second gripe is the packaging. Feit insists on distributing these in a display-friendly retail configuration that dramatically increases the shipping volume, even if you order dozens. Guys, the appeal of this stuff is as much about environmental responsibility as anything else, and I don't need cubic yards of empty air trucked out to me by UPS along with my "green" equipment. Bulk packaging, PLEASE. For an example of how to do it right without compromising protection, look at the boxes that HitLights and G7 use, which take up about 1/3 the space per bulb, but still get them here in one piece. Sometimes the upstarts get it right.
One bulb out of the 22 failed almost immediately. I haven't tried out Feit's warranty service yet, but will edit if there's anything noteworthy about that experience.
VERDICT: Early adopters, buy with confidence and do not doubt that the investment will pay off. Cautious, hesitant buyers, I still recommend these for any enclosed application, but I don't blame you if you decide to watch the market for a while. The great thing about this sector is that things just continue to improve.
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I first bought 3 of these when they were on sale at a local hardware store (Menards) for ~$7. Worked great, no noise, and come on instantly. I then got another 8. After a few hours 1 of them started flickering then eventually stopped working. I contacted FEIT and they said that within 90 days I can returned to the store, no questions asked (after 90 I'd have to send it to them). The store just had me grab a new one and it has worked great since. I have some from another brand that are 600 lumens and they are too bright for most situations (and they hum after 30 minutes). If I were a surgeon then I would want lights like those. These are 500 and are just right. No one even notices that they are different from 60w incandescent.Long story short, the product is great when it works, 11 out of 12 is pretty good, and the customer service was good. But I wouldn't pay more than $8 or so for them.
Honest reviews on Feit BPAG500DM/LED A19 Semi Omni LED
Bought 5 and 2 have burnt out in less than 2 weeks. Will not buy any more. Will try a different product.Find helpful customer reviews and review ratings for Feit BPAG500DM/LED A19 Semi Omni LED
Purchased this as part of a three pack model number BPAG500DM/LED/3 at a wholesale club.Put all three bulbs on a circuit with an "electric eye" on at dusk and off at dawn on the outside of my garage. When these bulbs lit they all flickered for about 45 seconds then stabilized and provided an awesome light with great color temperature. All three of them. Never had this problem with incandescent or CFL bulbs. I did some quick research and found there have not been any problems, that I could find with a quick search, with these bulbs or LED bulbs in general when controlled by an electric eye. I am assuming that this is not normal behavior.
I live in northern New York on the Canadian Border and yesterday was the summer solstice. These bulbs burned maybe a total of 7.5 hours last night. Civil twilight dusk (around when the bulbs turned on was around 9:27pm on 6/21) and Civil Twilight Dawn (when the bulbs turned off) was around 4:38am on 6/22... so about 7.5 hours of being illuminated.
So after 7.5 hours one of the bulbs has already burned itself out.
I was expecting around 25,000 hours as the packaging states.
I emailed customer service and they replied that I needed to call them. I called them today (7/23/13) waited 10 minutes and was asked what kind of fixture the bulb was in. I told them an outside light fixture on that is controlled by a photocell light sensor (dusk till dawn). She informed me that the "photocell is the same as a dimmer" and that the photocell is always giving a little current to the light all day long and that is why it burned out after 7.5 hours. I told her that I disagreed and a dimmer dims the light and my photocell turns the lights on at dusk and off at dawn. She informed me that I was wrong and all day long the photocell is giving a little bit of power to the light and it waiting for the right moment to give it full power. I told her thank you and then hung up the phone. How mad can you get over a $8.33 bulb I learned my lesson to never purchase a FEIT product again and to share my experience with FEIT electric with you.
The packaging states that the bulb is dimmable (guess not) and it also states on the back in the fine print that "it may not be compatible with all dimmers" but to go to their website and check for compatibility. I went to their site and searched but could not find any information about dimmer compatibility with the BPAG500DM. Nothing under their FAQ's for LED bulbs, nothing under the part number, and nothing on their main page under A-line bulbs.
BTW the other two bulbs are doing fine on the same application, they have been working with no problems for a little over a month. I also went outside and tested the fixture to see if the customer service representative was correct when she said the photocell is giving off a little current all day long. There was no power going to the fixture and the multi-meter read 0.00v, I waited and even checked when a cloud made it a little darker out no current.
You be the judge.
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