Customer Reviews

Dimmable E26 A60-M Standard Household Base 50 Watt Incandescent Light Bulb Replacement with a 6 Watt Led, Warm White By Ledwholesalers, 1012ww

5 star:		(33)
4 star:		(16)
3 star:		(14)
2 star:		(16)
1 star:		(21)

 

 

I purchased this A60 Dimmable E26 Bulb because it specifically says 'dimmable'. Most CFL (compact fluorescent lamp) and LED lamps are not compatible with dimmer switches designed for incandescent bulbs. They will either be damaged immediately, or their life spans will be severely cut short when plugged into light sockets controlled by incandescent dimmers.

As it turns out, this LED lamps works very well:

- At 100% power, it emits a bright white light in the forward-facing direction. The color temperature is not quite as warm as a 60W incandescent bulb or a 'warm-white' CFL lamp, but is a lot warmer than the typical bluish light emitted from a 'pure-white' LED lamp.

- At the lowest power, the LED lamp dims down to less than 10% of its full brightness, while still maintaining the same color temperature. In contrast, a 60W incandescent bulb gives out a faint red glow at the same dimming level. (See my customer images for brightness comparison)

The dimming range of this LED lamp is superior to any so-called 'dimmable CFL' I have tried (which usually turns off below 30% power). However, there are several 'issues' you should be aware of. Some for this LED lamp in particular, others for LED lamps in general:

- This LED lamp contains a large heat sink that covers half of its body. The actual LED board is attached to the heat sink using two small screws. The problem is that their screw threads are all messed up and one screw fell out. Lucky for me I tested the lamp in downward-facing configuration, so I was able to spot the loose screw inside the glass dome. Had I tested the lamp in upward-facing configuration, the loose screw would land on the LED board and possibly ruin the lamp.

- The beam it produces is highly directional. The view angle is 165-degree, which is wider than a flood-light or a spot-light, but much narrower than an omni-directional (360-degree) incandescent bulb. What this means is if you use them in your chandelier with lamps facing upward, your ceiling will be brightly illuminated, but the area directly underneath will be quite dim. On the other hand, this directional beam makes it ideal for use in downward-facing recessed light fixtures.

- The total light output (luminosity) is only 260-300 lumens (*). Strictly speaking, this is only comparable to the luminosity of a 25-30W incandescent bulb. However, because the light from this LED lamp is concentrated in the forward direction, it appears much brighter than a 60W bulb - as long as you stay in front of the LED lamp.

Finally, let's consider the energy-saving claim of LED lamps. LED lamps currently on the market are 5-7 times more efficient than incandescent bulbs, but the price is very high at around $5 per watt. So it may take many years for the energy saving to offset your initial investment. For example: suppose you replace a 40W incandescent bulb ($0.50) with a 6W LED lamp ($30), and your electricity rate is $0.12 per KWh, then it will take nearly 7000 hours to make up the price difference. In contrast, CFL are 'only' 3-4 times more efficient than incandescent bulbs, but they cost much less. So if you replace a 60W bulb with a 14W CFL ($2.5), then it only takes 360 hours to get your money's worth.

This is not to say that you should not replace your ancient incandescent bulbs with more efficient light sources. Just that you must have a realistic expectation on the luminosity and efficiency claims of LED lamps in general. In some cases, CFL may be a better choice - just remember to recycle burnt out CFL bulbs properly.

(*) [Update on June 16, 2010]
The product page now says "Light output: 380-420 Lumens".

[Update on Sep 9, 2010]
I purchased my second LED bulb and it has the same brightness as the first one. So I can't tell whether the light output has always been 400 lumen, or this is just another example of creative 'Spec-men-ship'.

[Update on June 14, 2011]
The price of this LED light bulb has dropped ~50% since I wrote the review one year ago. So it is a much better value now.

I will know LED bulbs are fully satisfactory incandescent replacements when my wife says they're acceptable for her bedside reading light. This LED bulb comes the closest to all LED bulbs I've tried, but is not there yet.

Pros:
* Probably one of the best, if not the best, warm white LED bulb you can get for the price
* No mercury

Cons:
* Color output not quite there yet - still too greenish (see photo I uploaded with a comparison), but the green appearance seems to vary depending on how and where the light is used
* Still much more expensive than CFL's but getting cheaper
* Directs more light upward

Other:
* I'd say light output is close to a 40W incandescent... the 50W rating may be stretching it
* Light gets fairly warm when in use, but not hot like an incandescent

UPDATE 2011-10-20: Time has passed and I now recommend the LG 2-pack bulbs which can be bought for about $20 ($10/bulb) at a store that starts with "C" and ends with "ostco". I rate those 5 stars based on value and having the best "warm white" light quality output I've seen from a bulb of this type of design.

I ordered this along with 2 other LED bulbs from Lemnis (Pharox 300 bulbs). I got the Lemnis Pharox bulbs from their website at roughly $30 (shipping included) each. This review is for people shopping around for LED bulbs and comparing brands.

It has an OK brightness, enough for my bedroom. I'd say it's on par with the 50watt incandescent it replaced. It's brightness is on par with Lemnis'.

Wins over Lemnis Pharox:
-No buzzing, even when dimmed. The Pharox has this constant buzzing even when it's at 100% brightness.
-Dimming works great (at least with my switch).. it can go from 100% gradually down to 0 without missing a beat. I think judging from some reviews, I just got lucky and it works with my dimmer switch.
-Cheaper
-Warmer white on the reddish side, much more pleasant than Lemnis' white. The Lemnis bulb looked almost greenish next to this one. I'm actually very happy with it's warm tone, it's very easy on the eyes. (a word of warning... DO NOT get the Pharox Flame bulbs unless you want super bright yellow light, not warm white, but YELLOW.)
-Heat management seems to be much more efficient than Lemnis' almost solid body. This one's body is made with a cage of aluminum strips, which keeps relatively cool.

Loses over Lemnis Pharox:
-No warranty. Pharox bulb comes with 5 year warranty.
-No brand. Came in a generic, slightly crushed, blank white box, no info at all. meh. :/


Overall I'm pretty satisfied, although it could be cheaper it is one of the cheapest LED bulbs I've seen out there so far for a 50watt replacement. I'm off to try some other brands.
I'll update if I think of anything else...

(Also, I must say I agree with one of the reviewers here that maybe it's better to wait a few years for the technology to be perfected and price to drop, but I just need to feed my curiosity even if I'm not about to replace every bulb in the house.)

According to my kill-a-watt power meter my so called 6 watt led light actually consumes 10 watts. The CFL that it replaced consumes 22 watts and is at least twice as bright maybe more. Its disappointing. Hopefully it lasts as long as advertised so I can at least get my moneys worth out of the thing. Its about as powerful as a weak flash light. Hardly compatible to a 50 watt incandescent bulb. I really had hopes for led lighting. I hope someone else has something that lives up to the hype.

I have down facing 60W lights and bought one of these Dimmable LED's to replace it. They work great. They dim right down to the same level as the incandescents. The only issue is that they are very bright if you look directly at them. Use them in a location that they will not catch the eye directly.

The ad says 50 watt equivalent, the box that shows up says 45 watt... So you are not getting what you are paying for or what is advertized.
Also same life expectancy as candles. Ordered 6 and 2 have failed in the first 3 weeks. I cannot have Amazon swap them out as they are "fulfilled by Amazon" so they want me to get a refund and order again... I did that once so far, I'm not thinking of ordering another one.
If 2 bulbs out of 6 fail in the first 3 weeks I can do some very rough math and guess that they will all fail in 9 weeks. 9 weeks is what I expect out if a large candle, not a light bulb; especially a LED light bulb, which should pretty much last forever.

When the next fails I will simply return the rest of them including the ones that have not failed yet.

On the upside they dim nicely and have a cool aluminum heat sink.

According to DOE-Energy Star a 40W light bulb minimum lummen (brightness) value for a 40W light bulb is 450 lummens, which means the claimed 50W comparison providing between 380-420 lummens doesn't meet minimum requirements. This compares closer to a 30W lightbulb lummen power according to DOE ( See [...] for more info).

BEAUTY and many other things, including color, are in the eye of the beholder. I behold light and color as a profession. I _love_ working with light. I _love_ technological improvements. The color I behold with this 'warm white' 6 watt Miracle is a Slightly-Green-Tinged Yellow. The kind of weepy, drab, ucky, yellowish light I remember from old, old fluorescent fixtures whose plastic covers had aged and turned from white to. . .well, yellow.
The bulb's form factor is really pretty - it is a very interesting thing to look at;
The power savings is undeniable and satisfying.
The only problem is that each and every time I turn it on my immediate reaction is, "man, that is some ugly, ugly, unappealing light".
Manufacturers got around the idiosyncrasies of Fluorescent lamps and made them quite welcome.
The same will be done for LED's - just not yet; not with this one, at any rate.

Power Consumption 10.5 W
Illumination 41.2 W

10 bulb average test at 72F

I don't understand how people fall for the cheap product.

1 - Rated working hours - 20,000. Other LED products in the market are rated 40,000-50,000 hours. Even if it costs 1/2 and the performance was the same, it is still questionable.

2 - It says replacement for 50W incandescent. The definition by the DOE is that 40W incandescent replacement is 450 lumen. Calling this a 50W replacement when the WW output is less than 400 lumen is misleading, (I am trying to be kind here).
I find it outrageous that many sellers call their product 40W or 60W or 100W replacement, and the output is not even half of the recommended rating compared to the light output of an incandescent

3 - The beam angle is very narrow, so this is not an omni directional replacement of an incandescent bulb. This is a problem for many LED lights today, and if you want to get a light for general ilumination (other than a spot light), then this one is not a good choice.

4 - No UL, no name, no warranty? For a bulb that is supposed to last 7 years (which is more than half of the "good" LED bulbs)?

Price is important, and I am sure you can find even cheaper LED products, but you get what you pay for.