# LED light bulbs: life? **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [November 7, 2014, 10:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/led-light-bulbs-life/704024 "2014-11-07T22:29:10Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Rocketeer](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/rocketeer/32/4437_2.png) [@Rocketeer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Rocketeer)\ **Post date:** [November 7, 2014, 10:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/led-light-bulbs-life/704024/1 "2014-11-07T22:29:10Z")
**Mrs. R** and I are thinking about converting over to LED light bulbs at Casa Rocketeer. **Mrs. R** is a tad nervous about how long these expensive little devils are going to last. Anyone out there have experience with LED bulbs at their house? And what kind of bulb life can we expect? ---
**Author:** ![beowulff](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/beowulff/32/542_2.png) [@beowulff](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/beowulff)\ **Post date:** [November 7, 2014, 11:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/led-light-bulbs-life/704024/2 "2014-11-07T23:07:55Z")
Cree’s have a 3-year warranty. I’ve had one lit 24/7 for 16 months with no issues. Just save the receipt and write the date on the lamp when you install it, and if it burns out, you’ll get a free one… ETA: Don’t buy the cheap Chinese crap. ---
**Author:** ![johnpost](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/f17d59/32.png) [@johnpost](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/johnpost)\ **Post date:** [November 7, 2014, 11:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/led-light-bulbs-life/704024/3 "2014-11-07T23:21:02Z")
yeah get Cree or other major name brand. i have a half dozen Cree for around a year with no problem. Sylvania (made in China) has a 3-year warranty. i had one die in hours and a half dozen going good for over a year. Cree has come down in price. they now have a 4-flow ventilated bulb (looks like a old style bulb) for about $8. ---
**Author:** ![CalMeacham](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/calmeacham/32/35_2.png) [@CalMeacham](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CalMeacham)\ **Post date:** [November 7, 2014, 11:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/led-light-bulbs-life/704024/4 "2014-11-07T23:47:18Z")
LEDs typically have a rated life of about 100,000 hours. At least that’s what it was a couple of years ago. ---
**Author:** ![bob\_2](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bob_2/32/3341_2.png) [@bob\_2](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bob_2)\ **Post date:** [November 7, 2014, 11:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/led-light-bulbs-life/704024/5 "2014-11-07T23:48:49Z")
My experience with them is that they either fail quickly, in which case they get replaced under warranty, or they last a long time. Over two years ago I bought twelve LED spotlights to replace the CEF ones that were fading away. Of the twelve, one failed in an hour or so. The remaining eleven and the one replacement are still going fine. These lights are used every day and are switched on and off several times. ---
**Author:** ![beowulff](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/beowulff/32/542_2.png) [@beowulff](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/beowulff)\ **Post date:** [November 8, 2014, 12:13am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/led-light-bulbs-life/704024/6 "2014-11-08T00:13:20Z")
> [@CalMeacham](#): > > LEDs typically have a rated life of about 100,000 hours. At least that’s what it was a couple of years ago. Yeah, the LEDs last pretty much forever - it’s the AC/DC converter/driver that fails. It’s hard to pack that much high-voltage electronics in such a little space… ---
**Author:** ![kanicbird](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/5f8ce5/32.png) [@kanicbird](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kanicbird)\ **Post date:** [November 8, 2014, 12:36am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/led-light-bulbs-life/704024/7 "2014-11-08T00:36:18Z")
> [@beowulff](#): > > Cree’s have a 3-year warranty. > I’ve had one lit 24/7 for 16 months with no issues. > > Just save the receipt and write the date on the lamp when you install it, and if it burns out, you’ll get a free one… > > **ETA: Don’t buy the cheap Chinese crap.** Bold mine Note: Cree has a manufacturing facility in China [Wolfspeed - Wikipedia](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cree_Inc). > [@](#): > > In 2009, Cree announced an agreement to purchase a 592,000-square-foot (55,000 m2) facility in Huizhou, Guangdong Province, China, Cree’s first chip production facility outside of North America. ---
**Author:** ![Dr.Strangelove](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dr.strangelove/32/6613_2.png) [@Dr.Strangelove](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dr.Strangelove)\ **Post date:** [November 8, 2014, 12:56am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/led-light-bulbs-life/704024/8 "2014-11-08T00:56:30Z")
Cree and Philips are both very good. Cree tends to be less expensive so I have more of those. Almost all of my house lighting is LED now. I haven’t had one fail yet, or even degrade in a significant way. This is in contrast to CFL, which failed frequently; sometimes spectacularly (a pop and puff of smoke), and other times more subtly (flickering, long startup times, buzzing, etc.). The only minor problem I’ve had is that the glass envelope on the Crees is pretty fragile, and a 1-foot drop on a hard surface is enough to crack it even in the packaging. Fortunately, it’s coated with a rubbery surface that prevented glass chips going everywhere, and the bulb was still usable after that (just a bit ugly, and probably unsafe in an exposed fixture). Overall, I like them a lot, and they have paid for themselves in under two years (compared to incandescents). ---
**Author:** ![johnpost](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/f17d59/32.png) [@johnpost](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/johnpost)\ **Post date:** [November 8, 2014, 1:30am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/led-light-bulbs-life/704024/9 "2014-11-08T01:30:34Z")
> [@Dr.Strangelove](#): > > The only minor problem I’ve had is that the glass envelope on the Crees is pretty fragile, and a 1-foot drop on a hard surface is enough to crack it even in the packaging. Fortunately, it’s coated with a rubbery surface that prevented glass chips going everywhere, and the bulb was still usable after that (just a bit ugly, and probably unsafe in an exposed fixture). the new 4-flow design has a plastic envelope. ---
**Author:** ![Heffalump\_and\_Roo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/heffalump_and_roo/32/7691_2.png) [@Heffalump\_and\_Roo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Heffalump_and_Roo)\ **Post date:** [November 8, 2014, 1:52am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/led-light-bulbs-life/704024/10 "2014-11-08T01:52:26Z")
I think they’ve only been out inexpensively enough for the average consumer for a couple years now, and the stated life on one of the bulbs I bought is 22+ years, so it’s a bit early to know if they really will last that long. The guy at the hardware store suggested taking a picture of the receipt and storing that somewhere electronically. Paper receipts would probably deteriorate within the 3 years warranty. I like the different lumens available and the different color spectrums that result. I have 2 natural daylight bulbs that brighten up the room. I like them a lot. But for some people, they might make things look more like they’re under a fluorescent light, I suppose. No complaints from me. I don’t like fluorescent lights, but I like these so far. ---
**Author:** ![Mdcastle](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/958977/32.png) [@Mdcastle](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mdcastle)\ **Post date:** [November 8, 2014, 2:44am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/led-light-bulbs-life/704024/11 "2014-11-08T02:44:04Z")
> [@kanicbird](#): > > Bold mine > Note: Cree has a manufacturing facility in China > > [Wolfspeed - Wikipedia](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cree_Inc). There’s Chinese products, and there’s Chinese crap. iPhones are made in China too. A company like Cree is going to implement quality control, something lacking in say those cheap corn-cob bulbs you can buy on eBay. ---
**Author:** ![GaryM](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/garym/32/241_2.png) [@GaryM](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/GaryM)\ **Post date:** [November 8, 2014, 3:42am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/led-light-bulbs-life/704024/12 "2014-11-08T03:42:26Z")
The Chinese can build to whatever quality the buyer is willing to pay. Buy by quality or buy by price, you usually get what you pay for. ---
**Author:** ![Habeed](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/a587f6/32.png) [@Habeed](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Habeed)\ **Post date:** [November 8, 2014, 4:30am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/led-light-bulbs-life/704024/13 "2014-11-08T04:30:10Z")
Last I checked, the cree bulbs are less than $10 and the nicer Phillips bulbs are north of $40. The Cree bulbs would have to be a _huge_ amount less reliable or to have truly terrible color temperatures for it to be worthwhile to purchase Phillips. ---
**Author:** ![Dr.Strangelove](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dr.strangelove/32/6613_2.png) [@Dr.Strangelove](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dr.Strangelove)\ **Post date:** [November 8, 2014, 4:43am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/led-light-bulbs-life/704024/14 "2014-11-08T04:43:24Z")
> [@Habeed](#): > > Last I checked, the cree bulbs are less than $10 and the nicer Phillips bulbs are north of $40. The Cree bulbs would have to be a _huge_ amount less reliable or to have truly terrible color temperatures for it to be worthwhile to purchase Phillips. Philips cut their prices a lot to compete. Also, the Cree bulbs under $10 were generally \<=60 W equivalent; higher-wattage ones [are a bit more](http://www.homedepot.com/p/Cree-75W-Equivalent-Soft-White-2700K-A19-Dimmable-LED-Light-Bulb-BA19-11027OMF-12DE26-1U100/204715054). You can get [similar Philips bulbs](http://www.amazon.com/Philips-433227-10-5-watt-Style-Dimmable/dp/B00I134ORI/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1415421376&sr=8-1&keywords=philips+led) for \<$10 now. Even the nicer Philips bulbs that you mention [are much cheaper](http://www.amazon.com/Philips-422220-17-Watt-75-Watt-Dimmable/dp/B008NNZT20/ref=sr_1_8?ie=UTF8&qid=1415421376&sr=8-8&keywords=philips+led) now. ---
**Author:** ![Heffalump\_and\_Roo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/heffalump_and_roo/32/7691_2.png) [@Heffalump\_and\_Roo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Heffalump_and_Roo)\ **Post date:** [November 8, 2014, 4:48am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/led-light-bulbs-life/704024/15 "2014-11-08T04:48:00Z")
> [@Habeed](#): > > Last I checked, the cree bulbs are less than $10 and the nicer Phillips bulbs are north of $40. The Cree bulbs would have to be a _huge_ amount less reliable or to have truly terrible color temperatures for it to be worthwhile to purchase Phillips. When I went to look a couple weeks ago, the Cree bulb was $11 and the Phillips was $17 for the same wattage. Home Depot didn’t have comparable bulbs so I couldn’t compare them exactly equally, but the wattage was the same and they put out the same amount of light, AFAICT. But there were Phillips bulbs for around $10. On preview: I was beaten to this, but I already wrote it out, so I’m posting it. ---
**Author:** ![Gorsnak](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/gorsnak/32/7587_2.png) [@Gorsnak](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Gorsnak)\ **Post date:** [November 8, 2014, 5:18am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/led-light-bulbs-life/704024/16 "2014-11-08T05:18:01Z")
One thing to keep an eye on is whether bulbs are suitable for enclosed fixtures, if that is where you intend to use them. Many LED bulbs will state on the packaging not to use them in enclosed fixtures, and doing so will likely result in greatly shortened life due to overheating the electronics. I believe the latest Crees have dropped that warning, however. ---
**Author:** ![johnpost](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/f17d59/32.png) [@johnpost](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/johnpost)\ **Post date:** [November 8, 2014, 5:24am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/led-light-bulbs-life/704024/17 "2014-11-08T05:24:27Z")
Cree has their 60W eq. to under $10. the latest is a vented bulb that has air flowing through it, 4-flow looks like incandescent with vents. their other style has heavy plastic on the lower part. ---
**Author:** ![Dr.Strangelove](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dr.strangelove/32/6613_2.png) [@Dr.Strangelove](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dr.Strangelove)\ **Post date:** [November 8, 2014, 6:19am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/led-light-bulbs-life/704024/18 "2014-11-08T06:19:59Z")
> [@johnpost](#): > > Cree has their 60W eq. to under $10. the latest is a vented bulb that has air flowing through it, 4-flow looks like incandescent with vents. their other style has heavy plastic on the lower part. It’s actually a painted metal heatsink on the bottom. Unfortunately, it looks like the 4-flow ventilation system isn’t quite up to the task on the higher wattage bulbs, so 75W and 100W equivalent still have the bulky heatsink (not actually a problem in my experience, but something to keep in mind). The last area where I still have incandescents are in a halogen fixture in the bathroom. Each subfixture needs a 75-100 W lamp in a candelabra socket. Haven’t found a solution yet, though I’m tempted to hack something out of parts. ---
**Author:** ![jz78817](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jz78817/32/1028_2.png) [@jz78817](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jz78817)\ **Post date:** [November 8, 2014, 5:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/led-light-bulbs-life/704024/19 "2014-11-08T17:37:19Z")
> [@Mdcastle](#): > > There’s Chinese products, and there’s Chinese crap. iPhones are made in China too. A company like Cree is going to implement quality control, something lacking in say those cheap corn-cob bulbs you can buy on eBay. Ask **Mangetout** about those things. ---
**Author:** ![PastTense](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/pasttense/32/14550_2.png) [@PastTense](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/PastTense)\ **Post date:** [November 8, 2014, 11:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/led-light-bulbs-life/704024/20 "2014-11-08T23:05:54Z")
OP: How long do you expect to live in the house? A lot of people forget to take the lightbulbs when they move. [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/led-light-bulbs-life/704024.md?page=2)