How I use LED lighting...
 

I'm using LED lights as magnetic-base task lights for my milling machine and for my lathe. The light is a great color and so specific that I can easily see every little chip and scratch mark. As a bonus, they are very light weight so I don't need much of a magnet in the base.

They also make good lights when I am looking at or photographing something under a microscope.

So as tiny, specific task lights, they are great.

AC_Hacker

Has anyone tried these EcoSmart LED can trims from the Home Depot? Sorry I can't post links yet. Here are the part numbers and SKU.
Model #*ECO-575L**** Internet #*202240932**** Store SKU #*499485

It says that they are dimmable and that they put out 575 lumen only using 10.5W.

575 lumens / 10.5W is only 54.7 lumens per watt. Most CFLs are around the same efficiency (800 lumen / 14W = 57.1), so its not more efficient than a CFL. Plus, a 60W equivalent bulb is supposed to put out 800 lumens, so this light falls a fair amount short of that output. I wouldn't recommend it.

Try hooking an LED up to a watt hour meter and hook a CFL up to a watt hour meter, the CFL will always use more then it's listed as using.

Light Where You Want It...
 

I actually talked about this very issue with a lighting engineer (there really is such a thing), while waiting for a plane to Brazil...

He said he was designing lighting systems for large public spaces, some of which were parking lots. I told him that I was sure that LEDs were the upcoming technology. He said yes, but not for the reason you may think...

Turns out, according to him, CFL actually puts out more light per watt than LED. However, he was in fact, using LEDs to light parking lots. The reason being that CFL is diffuse by nature and it is not easy to direct all of the light where you want it.


LEDs on the other hand are highly directional and he was able to get 'areas of interest' lighted to a target lumen level using less watts, by using LEDs. The labor save by using LEDs since their MTBF (Mean Time Between Failure) is much longer, was a bonus.

Regards,

-AC_HAcker

Mine do not. Perhaps you've been buying counterfeit bulbs?

We bought a string of white LED christmas lights a couple of years back (on sale after xmas) and put them on top of cabinets in Kitchen for night time lighting... I spent less than $10. They used very few Watts and lasted for years (24/7 three yrs) until i crushed a few...

Just a side note, If the xmas string used two prong 110v plug without transformer or circuit board, why not design same string coiled into standard bulb base, replacing screw side and center pin for each post of plug?

LEDs have come along lately. I just bought a great set of landscaping walkway lights at our local Home Depot for about $10 ea (6 for $60). They are solar by day and LED by night!!!

Almost all the lighting in my house is with LED blubs from HD or Lowes.
I use mostly 40w with a few 60w and they work fine.
We have had a couple of failures (2 year store replacement covered them), but the rest are doing very well.

We still have a few CFLs around and about a 30 year supply of spares.. :(

My LEDs use less power than the CFLs we were using, because in all cases
where we replaced a CFL with an LED, we down graded the wattage.
We replaced 100w (23w used) with 60w LEDs..
Like this one: AmbientLED 12-Watt (60W) A19 Soft White (2700K) Light Bulb-423343 at The Home Depot

And these 40w LEDs: Shop Utilitech 40-Watt Equivalent Indoor Warm White LED Light Bulb at Lowes.com

In the bath (four 40w) and bed room (five 40w), we used 40w decorator type LED bulbs,
Shop Utilitech 40-Watt Equivalent Warm White Decorative LED Light Bulb at Lowes.com
To replace incandescent decorator (globe type) blubs.

If I had it to do over again, I would have tried lower out put LEDs.
4 or 5 40W LEDs in the light bars put out a LOT of light..

I've been looking at LED lights, They have dropped in price alot lately but still have a long drop left before I spend the money on the good ones.

The cheap ones from IIRC american lighting are cheap but only put ouy 5-30 lumens so for an ambient night light or accent light those may work but that range is way to low for my liking.