LED lights are just getting to the point of cost effectiveness, especially for those that would replace a higher wattage bulb. I bought two of these at $25 a pop to replace the energy-sucking pair of 100 watt incandescents in my kitchen fixture on a dimmer switch and have to say I'm very pleased.
LIGHT BRIGHTNESS: These give out a very bright pure white light with no delay unlike CFLs. Though the lumen rating is technically on par with a 75 watt bulb, I'd say these look about as bright as the old 100 watt, maybe brighter, but I could be biased because these use a white light of 5000k instead of the incandescent which was around 2700k. In an incandescent, only the filament itself glows, whereas with these, the whole clear half is illuminated here, which also might be biasing me. Some people prefer a softer, oranger color in certain areas like a bathroom or a bedroom, so you might want the 2700k version of this light instead. Color temperature is something of a personal preference and different people say to use different temperatures in the same areas, but pretty much everyone agrees you shouldn't mix color temperatures in the same room. So you probably should switch out all the lights in a room with 5000-5500k bulbs if you're getting these.
DIMMER COMPATIBILITY: Though the KOBI website makes it seem like these are compatible with only some very specific dimmer switches, this worked just fine in my apartment's generic dimmer. The dimming might not be 100% linearI think I get no illumination up to maybe 10%, the light goes up in a brightness a few steps (maybe 6) from 10-30% and then goes linearly up from 30-100%. I'm personally not too concerned with this as I don't need an infinite number of brightness levels and the light looks good at any level. But if you're really, really picky this might be an issue.
PROJECTION ANGLE: A large part of this bulb is just the metal heat sink and I was concerned that light at the led end wouldn't illuminate the ceiling or walls as my fixture was fairly low. This didn't seem to happen. The kitchen area underneath the bulb might be slightly more illuminated than the ceiling or walls, but the ceiling and walls are definitely lit, and at least as well as a 100 watt did.
COST EFFECTIVENESS VERSUS STANDARD BULBS: These will definitely save you money in the long run over old school incandescent bulbs, even at this price point. My 200 watt kitchen set up is now using two of these and only 30 watts of power. If I use my kitchen lights for 3 hours a day, at 15 cents a kWH, that's a savings of $28 a year. Not even accounting for the cost of replacing incandescent bulbs (which is often!) I would break even in 2 years on these. Not bad!
VERSUS CFLS: The cost effectiveness of these over a CFL is a little tougher argument to make. An equivalent CFL would probably be around 20 watts, saving you maybe a $1.64 a year. These LEDs are supposed to last much longer than CFLs, but no one really knows for sureit's tough to be sure something will last for 20+years if the technology itself hasn't been around for that long! CFLs do tend to last for much less time than claimed if they're turned off frequently whereas the lifespan for LEDs isn't reduced as drastically. So it could save you a bit of money at this price, but it's a much less certain calculation.
BENEFITS OVER A CFL: While cost-effectiveness is not completely certain, these LEDs basically have addressed every concern people had with CFLs. No flicker, instant light, no waiting for the bulb to warm up to display its best color, no blue-tint, no larger-than normal bulb size, no significant loss of brightness over their lifespan, dimmer compatible, no extreme loss of life from turning on and off frequentlythese LEDs have done away with all the griping people had over switching to more energy efficient lighting. While more advanced CFLs have addressed some of the concerns above, they're also more expensive and really approaching the price-point of the LED.
Plus there's definitely a cool factor hereI think the bulbs themselves look pretty good and they can be kind of neat to point out to guests. Also they don't contain any mercury like CFLs, so that can be something to make you feel all warm and fuzzy and extra smug knowing you're both using no mercury and less energy than your other green friends.
VS. OTHER LED BULBS: LED bulbs that work and act like standard incandescent bulbs are fairly new. 60 watt replacements are only starting to become mainstream and these 75 watt replacements are the best I could find. Definitely check the Lumen rating if you're buying other bulbsa lot of low quality cheap low wattage LEDs call themselves 60 or 75 watt replacements when their light output isn't even close.
The only other quality dimmable LED bulb I could find at the time I bought these were Philips. Their 75 watt equivalent was ~$35 and only available in a 2700k variety. I've tried their 60 watt equivalent to be very good, but it's also only available in a 2700k variety and the bulb itself has a yellow appearance. Better LEDs may come out, but for now, this seems to be the best high wattage 5000k dimmable LED light.
ONLY DETRIMENT BESIDES PRICE: Heat. Half this light is a heatsink because of heat concerns. Yes, it's only 15 watts but this sucker can get hot. Most of you don't go feeling your lightbulbs, but this is a concern in enclosed fixtures, so until new designs come out, you shouldn't put LED bulbs in an enclosed fixture.
The price of these bulbs will definitely come down in the next few years, so you might only want to consider replacing your most frequently used lights with these, especially if you have working CFLs right now. Really high wattage standard bulb replacement LEDs are pretty new and the technology is getting more cost-effective. But if you have incandescents now, hate CFL light or want to have something cool, I'd highly recommend trying out a few of these.
I have only had it a little while and so far I do like the results. It is a bit brighter than the common 800 lumen bulbs. I like the white dome of uniform light. It is too bright to look at bare but it isn't like an old incandescent with the filament visible. With the dome on top I get more light up where I need it from my torchiere style fixture. I like this style much better than the Philips 3 orange/yellow lobes or the Cree mini tower of all light coming out the side. It is a good light.
What I really want is much like this but brighter, much brighter. At present any LED bulb over 800 lumens carries a stiff premium price. While I find the false specs objectionable the bulb is good enough I don't plan to send it back.
Delivery was quick in a little box by USPS.
The Kobi Electric web site doesn't list item numbers LED-AD-14W1100-27 or LED-AD-15W1100-27 (they currently show only LED-AD-15W1000-27, 15 watt, 1000 lumens). Maybe Amazon is displaying an old ad, but other people have already complained that they are shipping a different product. Yet the old ad remains. I require a light bulb with the specifications shown in the old ad.
I have seen other web sites selling a 14 watt 1100 lumen dimmable LED bulb that can be installed in an enclosed fixture that's made in America (this Kobi Electric bulb is made in China). The American made bulb costs 3x as much, but if they can deliver the product as advertised, that's the way I'll have to go.
BTW, even with Amazon Prime, you CANNOT get a refund for this bulb. They will only exchange (what?!? even if they can't deliver the advertised product?!? stay tuned...).
LIGHT BRIGHTNESS: These give out a very bright pure white light with no delay unlike CFLs. Though the lumen rating is technically on par with a 75 watt bulb, I'd say these look about as bright as the old 100 watt, maybe brighter, but I could be biased because these use a white light of 5000k instead of the incandescent which was around 2700k. In an incandescent, only the filament itself glows, whereas with these, the whole clear half is illuminated here, which also might be biasing me. Some people prefer a softer, oranger color in certain areas like a bathroom or a bedroom, so you might want the 2700k version of this light instead. Color temperature is something of a personal preference and different people say to use different temperatures in the same areas, but pretty much everyone agrees you shouldn't mix color temperatures in the same room. So you probably should switch out all the lights in a room with 5000-5500k bulbs if you're getting these.
DIMMER COMPATIBILITY: Though the KOBI website makes it seem like these are compatible with only some very specific dimmer switches, this worked just fine in my apartment's generic dimmer. The dimming might not be 100% linearI think I get no illumination up to maybe 10%, the light goes up in a brightness a few steps (maybe 6) from 10-30% and then goes linearly up from 30-100%. I'm personally not too concerned with this as I don't need an infinite number of brightness levels and the light looks good at any level. But if you're really, really picky this might be an issue.
PROJECTION ANGLE: A large part of this bulb is just the metal heat sink and I was concerned that light at the led end wouldn't illuminate the ceiling or walls as my fixture was fairly low. This didn't seem to happen. The kitchen area underneath the bulb might be slightly more illuminated than the ceiling or walls, but the ceiling and walls are definitely lit, and at least as well as a 100 watt did.
COST EFFECTIVENESS VERSUS STANDARD BULBS: These will definitely save you money in the long run over old school incandescent bulbs, even at this price point. My 200 watt kitchen set up is now using two of these and only 30 watts of power. If I use my kitchen lights for 3 hours a day, at 15 cents a kWH, that's a savings of $28 a year. Not even accounting for the cost of replacing incandescent bulbs (which is often!) I would break even in 2 years on these. Not bad!
VERSUS CFLS: The cost effectiveness of these over a CFL is a little tougher argument to make. An equivalent CFL would probably be around 20 watts, saving you maybe a $1.64 a year. These LEDs are supposed to last much longer than CFLs, but no one really knows for sureit's tough to be sure something will last for 20+years if the technology itself hasn't been around for that long! CFLs do tend to last for much less time than claimed if they're turned off frequently whereas the lifespan for LEDs isn't reduced as drastically. So it could save you a bit of money at this price, but it's a much less certain calculation.
BENEFITS OVER A CFL: While cost-effectiveness is not completely certain, these LEDs basically have addressed every concern people had with CFLs. No flicker, instant light, no waiting for the bulb to warm up to display its best color, no blue-tint, no larger-than normal bulb size, no significant loss of brightness over their lifespan, dimmer compatible, no extreme loss of life from turning on and off frequentlythese LEDs have done away with all the griping people had over switching to more energy efficient lighting. While more advanced CFLs have addressed some of the concerns above, they're also more expensive and really approaching the price-point of the LED.
Plus there's definitely a cool factor hereI think the bulbs themselves look pretty good and they can be kind of neat to point out to guests. Also they don't contain any mercury like CFLs, so that can be something to make you feel all warm and fuzzy and extra smug knowing you're both using no mercury and less energy than your other green friends.
VS. OTHER LED BULBS: LED bulbs that work and act like standard incandescent bulbs are fairly new. 60 watt replacements are only starting to become mainstream and these 75 watt replacements are the best I could find. Definitely check the Lumen rating if you're buying other bulbsa lot of low quality cheap low wattage LEDs call themselves 60 or 75 watt replacements when their light output isn't even close.
The only other quality dimmable LED bulb I could find at the time I bought these were Philips. Their 75 watt equivalent was ~$35 and only available in a 2700k variety. I've tried their 60 watt equivalent to be very good, but it's also only available in a 2700k variety and the bulb itself has a yellow appearance. Better LEDs may come out, but for now, this seems to be the best high wattage 5000k dimmable LED light.
ONLY DETRIMENT BESIDES PRICE: Heat. Half this light is a heatsink because of heat concerns. Yes, it's only 15 watts but this sucker can get hot. Most of you don't go feeling your lightbulbs, but this is a concern in enclosed fixtures, so until new designs come out, you shouldn't put LED bulbs in an enclosed fixture.
The price of these bulbs will definitely come down in the next few years, so you might only want to consider replacing your most frequently used lights with these, especially if you have working CFLs right now. Really high wattage standard bulb replacement LEDs are pretty new and the technology is getting more cost-effective. But if you have incandescents now, hate CFL light or want to have something cool, I'd highly recommend trying out a few of these.
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The Amazon page says 1,100 lumens but the light I received says 1,000. I don't have equipment to measure the true output but can't say I am too happy about the overstated specs.I have only had it a little while and so far I do like the results. It is a bit brighter than the common 800 lumen bulbs. I like the white dome of uniform light. It is too bright to look at bare but it isn't like an old incandescent with the filament visible. With the dome on top I get more light up where I need it from my torchiere style fixture. I like this style much better than the Philips 3 orange/yellow lobes or the Cree mini tower of all light coming out the side. It is a good light.
What I really want is much like this but brighter, much brighter. At present any LED bulb over 800 lumens carries a stiff premium price. While I find the false specs objectionable the bulb is good enough I don't plan to send it back.
Delivery was quick in a little box by USPS.
Best Deals for Kobi Electric LED 15-Watt (75-Watt) A19 Cool White Light Bulb
If you order the Kobi Electric LED-AD-14W1100-27 (14 watt, 1100 lumens), you will instead receive the LED-AD-15W1100-27 (15 watts, 1000 lumens). I had planned to put this in an enclosed fixture rated at 13 watts. 15 watts is just too much. While it seems to be a very good bulb, I had to return it in the hopes that they would send me the bulb that they are advertising. I mean, I could keep this bulb and order another one, but they would just send me the wrong one again. The box and the bulb are both plainly stamped with LED-AD-15W1100-27, 15 watt, 1000 lumens. If I had seen this bulb on a store shelf, I would not have purchased it; it doesn't meet my needs.The Kobi Electric web site doesn't list item numbers LED-AD-14W1100-27 or LED-AD-15W1100-27 (they currently show only LED-AD-15W1000-27, 15 watt, 1000 lumens). Maybe Amazon is displaying an old ad, but other people have already complained that they are shipping a different product. Yet the old ad remains. I require a light bulb with the specifications shown in the old ad.
I have seen other web sites selling a 14 watt 1100 lumen dimmable LED bulb that can be installed in an enclosed fixture that's made in America (this Kobi Electric bulb is made in China). The American made bulb costs 3x as much, but if they can deliver the product as advertised, that's the way I'll have to go.
BTW, even with Amazon Prime, you CANNOT get a refund for this bulb. They will only exchange (what?!? even if they can't deliver the advertised product?!? stay tuned...).
