Bargain priced LED bulbs....

[JDgreen227]

This week's Menards sale insert is showing Polaroid general purpose LED bulbs, claimed to replace 60 watt incandescent
and lasting up to 36 years. Only $4.99 each...what a deal. There are about six ceiling light fixtures here where I could use such bulbs and those are hallway and walk in closet lights...turned on once or twice a day at most and then only for five minutes at a time. The funny thing is, every one of these lights is still using a 13 year old 60 watt incandescent bulb that probably cost me fifty cents at most. My biased opinion says LED light bulbs are WAY, WAY overpriced. Do I really want to pay $5 each for a bulb that may still be working when I am 99 years old? :laughing: :laughing:

 

[roadhunter]

Seems like there is always a new bulb out to save the world. CFL's were the greatest thing ever a while back.

 

[newbury]

So don't buy them.
Why do you complain about things that are definitely not made for your application?
Especially when it doesn't apply to tractors.
I've some high ceiling lights that are a pain to change. LED's are great for that.

 

[KennyG]

This week's Menards sale insert is showing Polaroid general purpose LED bulbs, claimed to replace 60 watt incandescent
and lasting up to 36 years. Only $4.99 each...what a deal. There are about six ceiling light fixtures here where I could use such bulbs and those are hallway and walk in closet lights...turned on once or twice a day at most and then only for five minutes at a time. The funny thing is, every one of these lights is still using a 13 year old 60 watt incandescent bulb that probably cost me fifty cents at most. My biased opinion says LED light bulbs are WAY, WAY overpriced. Do I really want to pay $5 each for a bulb that may still be working when I am 99 years old? :laughing: :laughing:

If you have a light that's on 8 hours a day every day, the LED will pay for itself in about a year. Pretty easy decision for some applications.

 

[HEC]

Seems like there is always a new bulb out to save the world. CFL's were the greatest thing ever a while back.

Yes and they claimed how much longer they would last which sure wasn't the case in my house .

 

[techman]

Home depot has the CREE LED 60 watt bulbs only slightly more expensive that those. Great units with an excellent reputation.

paul

 

[k0ua]

I am sticking to the Cree brand so far also. They seem to be good quality, and all of them I have tested have been RFI clean. In the high usage lamps they will pay for themselves, high price and all in just a little over a year. So if they last 2 years I will have gotten my money back and made the same amount of money. If they really last 20 or more years.. well that would be grand.. we shall see on the longevity, but so far I am very satisfied with all of the Cree bulbs I have bought.

 

[oosik]

Every year around Christmas our local electric utility sends me a box of mixed size CFL bulbs - along with the annual refund check. I have one heck of a shelf full of them - they seem to last forever. I haven't bought a light bulb in over 30 years. Its kind of nice - considering we also have one of the lowest electric utility rates in the country.

 

[JDgreen227]

Every year around Christmas our local electric utility sends me a box of mixed size CFL bulbs - along with the annual refund check. I have one heck of a shelf full of them - they seem to last forever. I haven't bought a light bulb in over 30 years. Its kind of nice - considering we also have one of the lowest electric utility rates in the country.

You don't have any fixtures except ones that can accept CFL bulbs? I am sitting at my kitchen counter as I compose this, and there are 24 bulbs in this room inclusive of the microwave hood light. Every fixture is an incandescent type that takes a candelbra base bulb or speciality bulb or is a fluorescent tube fixture. I could not use a CFL in anything in this room.

 

[ultrarunner]

Every year around Christmas our local electric utility sends me a box of mixed size CFL bulbs - along with the annual refund check. I have one heck of a shelf full of them - they seem to last forever. I haven't bought a light bulb in over 30 years. Its kind of nice - considering we also have one of the lowest electric utility rates in the country.

Do you have PSE? I do and have never received anything other than monthly electric bills which adds up being all electric.

I calculate the payback at work in some applications to make it a no brainer... typically, the incandescent dimmable Operating Room lights can be on 8 to 12 hours daily... they are always on and remain on when the room is darkened during a case...

I doubt it would make sense for applications of a few minutes max per day...

 

[EddieWalker]

I just replaced 4 burned out flood lights for a client with Cree LED floodlights that cost $20 each for a client. They are in a 20 foot ceiling and he said that he didn't care what they cost, just hoped they lasted a lot longer then the regular bulbs he's been dealing with. I'm sure curious to how long they will last.

Eddie

 

[JDgreen227]

I just replaced 4 burned out flood lights for a client with Cree LED floodlights that cost $20 each for a client. They are in a 20 foot ceiling and he said that he didn't care what they cost, just hoped they lasted a lot longer then the regular bulbs he's been dealing with. I'm sure curious to how long they will last.

Eddie

Thanks for sharing this...but very curious as to the wattage and service life of what you replaced. The only times I can see the benefit of LED bulbs is when the location is hard to access and they are left on much of the time.

 

[ultrarunner]

Thanks for sharing this...but very curious as to the wattage and service life of what you replaced. The only times I can see the benefit of LED bulbs is when the location is hard to access and they are left on much of the time.

Don't forget electric rates vary greatly... I've paid over 30 cent a kWh when taxes are included... make a huge difference when others pay 10 cents or less for a kWh

Then again the minimum wage in my city is $12.25 an hour...

 

[oosik]

Ultrarunner - my local electric co-op is Inland Power & Light.

Our electric rate is 5.45 cents per kWh.

 

[JDgreen227]

Base rate here is about 8 cents a kwh plus distribution charge, $7 a month for "system access"(!!!) power recovery factor, and 6% sales tax. My latest bill for mid winter just cost me $117 for 35 days total....I find that reasonable. The basic rate per kwh was only a cent or two less back in 1996...but they add on all these surcharges and fees to make the price per kwh increase.

 

[fordmantpw]

This week's Menards sale insert is showing Polaroid general purpose LED bulbs, claimed to replace 60 watt incandescent
and lasting up to 36 years. Only $4.99 each...what a deal. There are about six ceiling light fixtures here where I could use such bulbs and those are hallway and walk in closet lights...turned on once or twice a day at most and then only for five minutes at a time. The funny thing is, every one of these lights is still using a 13 year old 60 watt incandescent bulb that probably cost me fifty cents at most. My biased opinion says LED light bulbs are WAY, WAY overpriced. Do I really want to pay $5 each for a bulb that may still be working when I am 99 years old? :laughing: :laughing:

It depends on the usage. Closet and hallways are not good candidates for LEDs since they aren't on that much and the savings will never be realized. That's why our new home got CFLs there.

However, my office, which has the lights on 10 hours/day got LEDs. I'm saving $10/month on lighting in my office alone with LEDs over the fluorescent bulbs at our other home. In the summer, the savings will be magnified since I don't have to cool the extra heat put off by the bulbs.

 

[ultrarunner]

It's is amazing that electric rates seem to vary by a factor of 6 across this country... definitely not a one size fits all...

I currently have the Washington Property rented... my past tenant moved in November 2 years ago and the first full month PSE electric bill was $900.... I never had anything even close... guess it is easier to turn on a thermostat than to build a fire...

 

[forgeblast]

I really like the cree bulbs. I have about 10 to go and we will have swapped out all the bulbs to cree. This summer I want to replace our security lights/outdoor lights to leds.