# Score! Four Dozen Incandescent 60 W! **URL:** \ **Category:** Miscellaneous and Personal Stuff I Must Share\ **Created:** [March 23, 2015, 12:07am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/score-four-dozen-incandescent-60-w/715727 "2015-03-23T00:07:25Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 18\ **Page:** 3
**Author:** ![Amateur\_Barbarian](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/59ef9b/32.png) [@Amateur\_Barbarian](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Amateur_Barbarian)\ **Post date:** [March 24, 2015, 3:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/score-four-dozen-incandescent-60-w/715727/41 "2015-03-24T15:39:07Z")
> [@Drunky\_Smurf](#): > > Ah, so you’re just “telling stories” again, gotcha. Aren’t we all? ---
**Author:** ![eschereal](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/eschereal/32/18939_2.png) [@eschereal](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/eschereal)\ **Post date:** [March 24, 2015, 4:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/score-four-dozen-incandescent-60-w/715727/42 "2015-03-24T16:02:25Z")
Has anyone had an LED long enough, yet, for it to burn out? My impression is that they do not go “pop” or do the fluorescent flicker but just gradually lose lumens over time. I guess you would be replacing them when you decide they are not bright enough anymore. ---
**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:** [March 24, 2015, 4:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/score-four-dozen-incandescent-60-w/715727/43 "2015-03-24T16:21:31Z")
> [@eschereal](#): > > Has anyone had an LED long enough, yet, for it to burn out? My impression is that they do not go “pop” or do the fluorescent flicker but just gradually lose lumens over time. I guess you would be replacing them when you decide they are not bright enough anymore. welp, I had a few “spare” bulbs (replaced them with brighter ones) which I put in the wall sconces in the hall outside my apartment when the incandescents they had in there burned out. several years later, they’re all still going. and they’ve been on constantly save for a few brief power outages. ---
**Author:** ![GrumpyBunny](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/bc8723/32.png) [@GrumpyBunny](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/GrumpyBunny)\ **Post date:** [March 24, 2015, 4:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/score-four-dozen-incandescent-60-w/715727/44 "2015-03-24T16:38:27Z")
> [@jz78817](#): > > Incandescents are at best 2% efficient at doing their intended job. toss 'em in the dustbin of history. They look nicer in my faux-Tiffany table lamp than those spiral things. ETA: well, hell. Looks like they have LEDs that look like the old incanescents! What will I do with the 200 60- and 75-watt bulbs I bought? ---
**Author:** ![The\_Second\_Stone](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/bbe5ce/32.png) [@The\_Second\_Stone](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/The_Second_Stone)\ **Post date:** [March 24, 2015, 4:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/score-four-dozen-incandescent-60-w/715727/45 "2015-03-24T16:45:30Z")
> [@Bill\_Door](#): > > You guys pay a lot of money for light bulbs. I just bought a bunch of 9.5 Watt Feit LED bulbs (810 lumen, 2700K) for $9.99 a three pack at Costco. It’s dimmable, but I don’t even have a dimmer in the house, so I can’t tell you how well it dims. The color is very good, comparable to incandescent, and its got a 25,000 hour life. The CRI is 92+, whatever that means. > > It’s this [bulb](http://www.conservationmart.com/p-5205-feit-agom800927ledcan-95-watt-a19globe-led-dimmable-omni-directional-60w-eq-2700k-92cri.aspx), but packaged in a three pack and a lot cheaper. Picked up two packs of those to replace the space heater incandescents and old CFLs. ---
**Author:** ![Thudlow\_Boink](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/thudlow_boink/32/320_2.png) [@Thudlow\_Boink](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Thudlow_Boink)\ **Post date:** [March 24, 2015, 5:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/score-four-dozen-incandescent-60-w/715727/46 "2015-03-24T17:43:59Z")
> [@Bill\_Door](#): > > It’s this [bulb](http://www.conservationmart.com/p-5205-feit-agom800927ledcan-95-watt-a19globe-led-dimmable-omni-directional-60w-eq-2700k-92cri.aspx), but packaged in a three pack and a lot cheaper. Is that made from an old badminton shuttlecock? 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![IvoryTowerDenizen](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ivorytowerdenizen/32/17937_2.png) [@IvoryTowerDenizen](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/IvoryTowerDenizen)\ **Post date:** [March 24, 2015, 6:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/score-four-dozen-incandescent-60-w/715727/47 "2015-03-24T18:34:08Z")
> [@Amateur\_Barbarian](#): > > Well, first of all, you’re Canadian. > > Second, the US banned inefficient 100W bulbs a couple of years ago - not all incandescent, not all “100W bulbs,” just ones that did not meet a reasonably modern efficiency standard. Since it wasn’t worth retooling to manufacture high-efficiency incandescents (think: buggy whips made from modern synthetic materials), they were effectively “banned” - and people freaked out. > > The “ban” is rolling back to smaller sizes, and the freak-out continues. This confuses me as I just bought a bunch of incandescents in various wattages at Home Depot last week. I bought 100W, 60 W and 40W equivalent bulbs. We bought them as the LED ones made an unpleasant buzzing noise in a couple of fixtures when we tried to dim them. We have LEDs everywhere else, but these weren’t hard to find at all. ---
**Author:** ![Telemark](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/telemark/32/372_2.png) [@Telemark](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Telemark)\ **Post date:** [March 24, 2015, 7:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/score-four-dozen-incandescent-60-w/715727/48 "2015-03-24T19:12:30Z")
Are they listed as Eco-Incandescent bulbs? I had no trouble finding them at HD but they are certainly less prevalent than the CFLs and LEDs which dominate the displays. ---
**Author:** ![Alley\_Dweller](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/alley_dweller/32/430_2.png) [@Alley\_Dweller](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Alley_Dweller)\ **Post date:** [March 24, 2015, 11:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/score-four-dozen-incandescent-60-w/715727/49 "2015-03-24T23:24:50Z")
> [@eschereal](#): > > Has anyone had an LED long enough, yet, for it to burn out? My impression is that they do not go “pop” or do the fluorescent flicker but just gradually lose lumens over time. I guess you would be replacing them when you decide they are not bright enough anymore. I’ve had a couple of old Philips bulbs die a premature death. They started going on and off, They would shine at full strength for a number of minutes, then turn off for a few minutes, then turn on again for a while. The ratio of off to on time would increase until I finally junked them. I have mostly Cree bulbs now, along with some Switch and Feit bulbs, and some Lights of America chandelier bulbs. No deaths yet. ---
**Author:** ![IvoryTowerDenizen](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ivorytowerdenizen/32/17937_2.png) [@IvoryTowerDenizen](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/IvoryTowerDenizen)\ **Post date:** [March 25, 2015, 12:04am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/score-four-dozen-incandescent-60-w/715727/50 "2015-03-25T00:04:29Z")
> [@Telemark](#): > > Are they listed as Eco-Incandescent bulbs? I had no trouble finding them at HD but they are certainly less prevalent than the CFLs and LEDs which dominate the displays. Yes, they’re the Eco ones. They weren’t the most prominent, but not hidden either. I wasn’t looking for them (looking for LEDs) and found them. ---
**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:** [March 25, 2015, 12:07am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/score-four-dozen-incandescent-60-w/715727/51 "2015-03-25T00:07:40Z")
> [@Thudlow\_Boink](#): > > Is that made from an old badminton shuttlecock? 🙂 fins for the heatsink. LED bulbs put out less heat, but the diodes themselves have to be kept fairly cool so much of the bulb’s mass is heatsink. ---
**Author:** ![typoink](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/ecb155/32.png) [@typoink](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/typoink)\ **Post date:** [March 26, 2015, 12:47am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/score-four-dozen-incandescent-60-w/715727/52 "2015-03-26T00:47:04Z")
I can’t even say how much like I like LED bulbs. They light they cast is extremely pleasant, and knowing that every bulb I install probably WILL last for years (unlike the hollow lies of the CFLs) is great. Most of my “living spaces” are now lit with Cree 60w equivalents, and I’m pretty darn happy. ---
**Author:** ![johnpost](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/f17d59/32.png) [@johnpost](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/johnpost)\ **Post date:** [March 26, 2015, 1:32am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/score-four-dozen-incandescent-60-w/715727/53 "2015-03-26T01:32:37Z")
> [@Thudlow\_Boink](#): > > Is that made from an old badminton shuttlecock? 🙂 > [@jz78817](#): > > fins for the heatsink. LED bulbs put out less heat, but the diodes themselves have to be kept fairly cool so much of the bulb’s mass is heatsink. Cree has a type of bulb 4Flow Filament Design which has the same shape and look of an incandescent bulb. it has fins on the inside with air slots, lighter weight without big heatsink. ---
**Author:** ![typoink](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/ecb155/32.png) [@typoink](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/typoink)\ **Post date:** [March 29, 2015, 12:48am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/score-four-dozen-incandescent-60-w/715727/54 "2015-03-29T00:48:51Z")
> [@johnpost](#): > > Cree has a type of bulb 4Flow Filament Design which has the same shape and look of an incandescent bulb. it has fins on the inside with air slots, lighter weight without big heatsink. My only complaint with the new 4Flow bulbs is that the air slots create a pattern on the inside of one of my ceiling fixtures. ---
**Author:** ![Toledo\_Jim](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/34f0e0/32.png) [@Toledo\_Jim](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Toledo_Jim)\ **Post date:** [March 29, 2015, 1:56am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/score-four-dozen-incandescent-60-w/715727/55 "2015-03-29T01:56:16Z")
Wolfman’s post (#38) brought back an interesting thought; One of the first automotive applications of LEDs was the center brake light (CHMSL) on a Cadillac some years back. The light is a line of something like 80 little red LEDs on the top edge of the deck lid. There is no provision for replacing them. The thinking is that they will mostly last the life of the car, and then some. If a few bad ones go out, the rest of the light still meets the birghtness/output requirement, it just looks funny. I actually did see one once with a couple of the LEDs dark. ---
**Author:** ![bump](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/7c8e57/32.png) [@bump](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bump)\ **Post date:** [March 29, 2015, 3:28am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/score-four-dozen-incandescent-60-w/715727/56 "2015-03-29T03:28:04Z")
> [@Bill\_Door](#): > > You guys pay a lot of money for light bulbs. I just bought a bunch of 9.5 Watt Feit LED bulbs (810 lumen, 2700K) for $9.99 a three pack at Costco. I was about to post and say that Costco has the best prices I’ve found; I’ve had reason to replace something like 10 or so can-lights (R30 and R40 floods) recently that all seemed to crap out at about the same time, so I did my homework. Costco beat every internet source I could find hands-down. ---
**Author:** ![Bill\_Door](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/50afbb/32.png) [@Bill\_Door](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bill_Door)\ **Post date:** [March 29, 2015, 4:28am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/score-four-dozen-incandescent-60-w/715727/57 "2015-03-29T04:28:03Z")
> [@Toledo\_Jim](#): > > Wolfman’s post (#38) brought back an interesting thought; One of the first automotive applications of LEDs was the center brake light (CHMSL) on a Cadillac some years back. The light is a line of something like 80 little red LEDs on the top edge of the deck lid. There is no provision for replacing them. The thinking is that they will mostly last the life of the car, and then some. If a few bad ones go out, the rest of the light still meets the birghtness/output requirement, it just looks funny. I actually did see one once with a couple of the LEDs dark. There’s another big advantage for LED bulbs in that application. They come on a couple of hundred milliseconds before incandescent brake lights. It doesn’t seem like much but at highway speeds 200 milliseconds is a full car length. I wonder how many accidents the extra 15 or 20 feet has prevented. [This study provides some estimates](http://chemlinks.beloit.edu/BlueLight/pages/hp/an1155-3.pdf). ---
**Author:** ![Stealth\_Bragg](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/4bbf92/32.png) [@Stealth\_Bragg](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Stealth_Bragg)\ **Post date:** [March 30, 2015, 2:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/score-four-dozen-incandescent-60-w/715727/58 "2015-03-30T14:46:03Z")
Here in the UK LED car lights are becoming very common, brake lights and indicators in particular. However, they operate noticably differently from incandescent bulbs in that they switch on/off immediately rather than ramping up and down as old bulbs do. This means the visual cues as to what a driver intends to do, or is doing, are different. It is also noticable that car manufacturers are playing about with the placement of LED bulbs in the light housings, for example it is now common to have a circular red brake light with an orange indicator in the middle of the same housing. Braking and indicating cues, especially when both lamps are switching, are also different. It really can make a difference when you are following such a car and not in a good way. It is awfully easy to miss the vital information coming from the lamps in my opinion. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/score-four-dozen-incandescent-60-w/715727.md?page=2)