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The Sylvania Capsylite PAR30 halogen short neck (with adaptors) bulbs Sylvania 14606 PAR30 75-Watt Flood Capsylite Bulb installed in ceiling cans throughout my house in a recent renovation have begun burning out, and I spent a lot of time trying to figure out a more ecological solution that would save on our electric bill. All the halogens are on dimmers so I needed bulbs that dimmed well. My experience with dimmable CFLs is that compact fluorescents don't dim smoothly and have limited life. I ended up focusing on LEDs, bought 3 different models all at approximately the same cost and have concluded the TCP LED14E26P3027KFL TCP LED14E26P3027KFL 2700K LED 14 Watt Dimmable PAR30 Flood fits best. The information below is based on comparing the TCP bulb to this Sunlite 89005 Sunlite L15PAR30/DIM/30K 120-volt 15-watt Medium Base Par30, Warm White Color and the TCP LED14E26P3050KFL TCP LED14E26P3050KFL 14 Watt Dimmable LED Long Neck PAR30 Flood Light Bulb, 5000K. Note that the TCP is part of a line of bulbs that is very easy to figure out. Search the TCP web site for a PDF of their LED PAR30s and you'll get a table showing all bulbs organized by color temperature, listing their wattage, lumens, and flood angle. This "LED14E26P3027KFL" is an LED, 14 watts, fits in a standard socket (E26), is in a PAR30 configuration, puts out 2700K color temperature, and has a regular flood output (FL). All the TCP models can be deciphered the same way by reading the model numbers; those ending in "NFL" have a narrow flood output, closer to a spotlight, which I didn't want.
The comparison is tricky as there are 3 main variables which affect your real world experience (the Sunlite is a 15 watt bulb, the TCPs 14 each, so I don't consider wattage a significant variable among these LEDs):
Lumens: Halogens are very bright, their main selling point. I like bright lights in my kitchen especially. The Sylvania halogens I am replacing are rated at 1130 lumens. No LED (or CFL) is rated that bright. This Sunlite is rated at 900 lumens, slightly brighter than the 800-830 of the TCPs.
Color Temperature: The halogens are 2900K color temp, a warm soft color that is very familiar as it closely matches the incandescent bulbs we all grew up with. The TCP LED14E26P3027KFL is 2700K, and to my eye almost exactly matches the color temp of the halogens. This Sunlite is 3000K, noticeably cooler (i.e. whiter in color, less yellow). The TCP LED14E26P3050KFL, at 5000K temp, is almost white by comparison. It was too harsh for the kitchen where it stands out as quite different from the other bulbs, so I put it in the bathroom, where there is a single overhead can. When the light is on, it looks like outdoor sunlight is flooding the bathroom. It's frankly too harsh a color temp for the kitchen, but tolerable in the bath and I didn't want to bother returning it.
Flood Angle: The halogens I am replacing are standard flood, 40 degree angle. It's easy to see why electricians like them: the lights from the cans spread just enough to evenly cover kitchen countertops with very little dim gaps between one can and the next. Both the TCPs are 40 degree floods, and to me seem to have the same effect as the halogens. Here's where the variables get tricky. This Sunlite is rated brighter at 900 lumens (compared to the TCPs' 830) and it has a noticeably whiter color temp. So on first glance it appears "brighter" than this TCP 2700K flood. The light reflecting off upper kitchen cabinets looked brighter. But on the countertop where I am working and where I need the light, the Sunlite is actually dimmer due to being more dissipated, at 100 degree angle. The 40 degree flood of the TCP 2700K puts more light onto the countertop even with less lumen rating and with a warmer color than the Sunlite. Of course the 5000K TCP would appear the brightest due to its white (almost blue) color, but as noted, it is too much for the kitchen.
One other variable, probably not significant: the TCPs come on instantly, just like incandescents/halogens. The Sunlite oddly comes on by brightening over 2 or 3 seconds from dim to full strength, somewhat similar to how CFLs increase in brightness. It dims just fine, similar to the TCPs and halogens, but has a different feel when the switch is first flicked on.
So I have concluded the TCP LED14E26P3027 is not only the best match for the halogens I am replacing but the best output overall in the kitchen work space. I just ordered 6 more to swap out all the kitchen halogens. I like this Sunlite 89005 but think the flood angle and color output of the TCP fits just a bit better in my kitchen.
I hope this helps!
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