IKEA LED Bulbs

natethebrown · 09-29-14, 03:48 PM

This past weekend my wife and I went shopping at the IKEA in Atlanta. In their lighting section I noticed LED bulbs (10W, 600 lum, 2700K) for $4.50 a bulb. Since I still have a couple more Incandescent bulbs I still need to swap out in my new house, I went ahead and got 10 of these LED bulbs.

Here is a picture of what the LED bulbs look like:

Here is a single LED bulb in a lamp next to a CFL (LED is on the right)

Overall, I couldn't notice much, if any, difference in light output. The color seems about the same as well. I went ahead and tested the LED's actual power usage compared to a couple of different brands of CFLs I had. I let each bulb warm up a couple of minutes before getting the Kill-a-watt reading.

Brand Name Rated Power Actual usage
Great Value 13W 11.5W
Great Value 13W 11.3W
Ecosmart 14W 13W
Bright Effects 13W 10.9W
IKEA LEDARE LED 10W 10W

I do like the instantaneous light output of the LED. After having CFLs for years, it is nice not to have that noticeable warmup period. The 10-20 year life span of the LED bulb is also a nice feature.

Unfortunately, when comparing simply actual power usage versus CLFs, it is really hard to justify the extra cost of an LED bulb, even when factoring in the life span. For the cost of one LED bulb, I can nearly buy 4 Great Value CFLs that use negligibly more power.

If LED bulbs come down more in the future I will probably invest in them, but for now I will keep buying CFLs and use the extra money saved for more cost affective efficiency improvements like insulation and/or air infiltration sealing.

Daox · 09-30-14, 08:27 AM

Thats pretty much how I've felt for a while. The LEDs are great, but just not quite there yet mostly due to cost. However, if I was installing new lights / fixtures, as I am in my office. I will only consider LED due to the life issue. I should never have to replace them.

natethebrown · 10-14-14, 09:56 AM

And I just had one go out.....Wow, what a waste.

Daox · 10-14-14, 10:06 AM

Thanks for the update. Again, a major problem with cheap lights (CFLs and LEDs) from my experience.

AC_Hacker · 10-14-14, 12:38 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by natethebrown

And I just had one go out.....Wow, what a waste.

If you live close to the store that sold you the LED, it is no waste at all...

In my experience, if you take the bulb back, they'll swap another bulb to you.

That's is a problem with China bulbs. However, ebay now has a Seller-Pays-Return-Shipping policy!!!

It is a pain, but we as consumers can, by consistently returning defective goods, improve products in the long run.

Receipts help.

-AC

stevehull · 10-14-14, 02:55 PM

Some 20 years ago, I was buying CFLs for my new house. I bought a lot of the same size and configuration. Wrote the install date on the base of each. And I kept one of the packages and the purchase slip.

As these failed - and some did - I would return the bulb and the package that said "lasts 7 years" or such.

They got tired of me returning bulbs, but I persisted. Eventually, they were known for the store with the bad bulbs. Finally a regional supervisor actually called me. I explained that the bulbs should last "x" hours as described on the package. He agreed and Home Depot dropped that line of bulbs, got a better supplier/manufacturer and exchanged all my bulbs.

I agree with AC. They do get the point, but you must be persistent (or a PITA) depending on perspective.

But at a minimum, I would label any bulb with the start of service date.

Steve

rclark · 06-05-15, 02:05 PM

IKEA's definitely hit or miss in the lighting department. I've had different sizes that either burn out or last with high frequency, leading me to suspect there's significant variance in the manufacturing process for different models and sizes. As Steve suggested, take them back if they don't do what they claim to.

aileenwitts · 12-12-15, 04:55 PM

All Led light is very cute. I like that all design.

Geo NR Gee · 12-12-15, 10:14 PM

Same experience here on the CFL bulbs when they came out. Burning out after only a few months. However, I called the mfg directly. They took down the serial numbers of all the bad CFL bulbs and sent me new replacements, Free. The new replacements lasted until I replaced with LED.

jfweaver · 02-28-16, 08:50 AM

Swapped all of the bulbs out in my house (mixture of CFL and 1-2 stray incandescent) to Ikea LEDs around 19 months ago now. I haven't had a single one go bad on me.

09-29-14, 03:48 PM	#1
natethebrown Apprentice EcoRenovator Join Date: Aug 2012 Location: North Alabama Posts: 167 Thanks: 0 Thanked 40 Times in 20 Posts	IKEA LED Bulbs This past weekend my wife and I went shopping at the IKEA in Atlanta. In their lighting section I noticed LED bulbs (10W, 600 lum, 2700K) for $4.50 a bulb. Since I still have a couple more Incandescent bulbs I still need to swap out in my new house, I went ahead and got 10 of these LED bulbs. Here is a picture of what the LED bulbs look like: Here is a single LED bulb in a lamp next to a CFL (LED is on the right) Overall, I couldn't notice much, if any, difference in light output. The color seems about the same as well. I went ahead and tested the LED's actual power usage compared to a couple of different brands of CFLs I had. I let each bulb warm up a couple of minutes before getting the Kill-a-watt reading. Brand Name Rated Power Actual usage Great Value 13W 11.5W Great Value 13W 11.3W Ecosmart 14W 13W Bright Effects 13W 10.9W IKEA LEDARE LED 10W 10W I do like the instantaneous light output of the LED. After having CFLs for years, it is nice not to have that noticeable warmup period. The 10-20 year life span of the LED bulb is also a nice feature. Unfortunately, when comparing simply actual power usage versus CLFs, it is really hard to justify the extra cost of an LED bulb, even when factoring in the life span. For the cost of one LED bulb, I can nearly buy 4 Great Value CFLs that use negligibly more power. If LED bulbs come down more in the future I will probably invest in them, but for now I will keep buying CFLs and use the extra money saved for more cost affective efficiency improvements like insulation and/or air infiltration sealing.

09-30-14, 08:27 AM	#2
Daox Administrator Join Date: Aug 2008 Location: Germantown, WI Posts: 5,525 Thanks: 1,162 Thanked 374 Times in 305 Posts	Thats pretty much how I've felt for a while. The LEDs are great, but just not quite there yet mostly due to cost. However, if I was installing new lights / fixtures, as I am in my office. I will only consider LED due to the life issue. I should never have to replace them. __________________ Current project - To view links or images in signatures your post count must be 0 or greater. You currently have 0 posts. To view links or images in signatures your post count must be 0 or greater. You currently have 0 posts. & To view links or images in signatures your post count must be 0 or greater. You currently have 0 posts.

10-14-14, 10:06 AM	#4
Daox Administrator Join Date: Aug 2008 Location: Germantown, WI Posts: 5,525 Thanks: 1,162 Thanked 374 Times in 305 Posts	Thanks for the update. Again, a major problem with cheap lights (CFLs and LEDs) from my experience. __________________ Current project - To view links or images in signatures your post count must be 0 or greater. You currently have 0 posts. To view links or images in signatures your post count must be 0 or greater. You currently have 0 posts. & To view links or images in signatures your post count must be 0 or greater. You currently have 0 posts.

10-14-14, 02:55 PM	#6
stevehull Steve Hull Join Date: Dec 2012 Location: hilly, tree covered Arcadia, OK USA Posts: 826 Thanks: 241 Thanked 165 Times in 123 Posts	Some 20 years ago, I was buying CFLs for my new house. I bought a lot of the same size and configuration. Wrote the install date on the base of each. And I kept one of the packages and the purchase slip. As these failed - and some did - I would return the bulb and the package that said "lasts 7 years" or such. They got tired of me returning bulbs, but I persisted. Eventually, they were known for the store with the bad bulbs. Finally a regional supervisor actually called me. I explained that the bulbs should last "x" hours as described on the package. He agreed and Home Depot dropped that line of bulbs, got a better supplier/manufacturer and exchanged all my bulbs. I agree with AC. They do get the point, but you must be persistent (or a PITA) depending on perspective. But at a minimum, I would label any bulb with the start of service date. Steve __________________ consulting on geothermal heating/cooling & rational energy use since 1990

12-12-15, 04:55 PM	#8
aileenwitts Lurking Renovator Join Date: Oct 2015 Location: USA Posts: 1 Thanks: 0 Thanked 0 Times in 0 Posts	All Led light is very cute. I like that all design. __________________ Sorry, new users are not permitted to post links in their signatures.

10-14-14, 09:56 AM	#3
natethebrown Apprentice EcoRenovator Join Date: Aug 2012 Location: North Alabama Posts: 167 Thanks: 0 Thanked 40 Times in 20 Posts	And I just had one go out.....Wow, what a waste.

06-05-15, 02:05 PM	#7
rclark Lurking Renovator Join Date: May 2015 Location: Canada Posts: 3 Thanks: 0 Thanked 0 Times in 0 Posts	IKEA's definitely hit or miss in the lighting department. I've had different sizes that either burn out or last with high frequency, leading me to suspect there's significant variance in the manufacturing process for different models and sizes. As Steve suggested, take them back if they don't do what they claim to.

12-12-15, 10:14 PM	#9
Geo NR Gee Journeyman EcoRenovator Join Date: Jan 2011 Location: Seattle Posts: 326 Thanks: 109 Thanked 23 Times in 18 Posts	Same experience here on the CFL bulbs when they came out. Burning out after only a few months. However, I called the mfg directly. They took down the serial numbers of all the bad CFL bulbs and sent me new replacements, Free. The new replacements lasted until I replaced with LED.

02-28-16, 08:50 AM	#10
jfweaver Lurking Renovator Join Date: Jan 2013 Location: SC Posts: 15 Thanks: 1 Thanked 1 Time in 1 Post	Swapped all of the bulbs out in my house (mixture of CFL and 1-2 stray incandescent) to Ikea LEDs around 19 months ago now. I haven't had a single one go bad on me.